
Celeron 540 vs Pentium M 1.60

Celeron 540

Pentium M 1.60
Performance Spectrum - CPU
About PassMark
PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Celeron 540 is positioned at rank 1212 and the Pentium M 1.60 is on rank 1133, so the Pentium M 1.60 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Celeron 540
Performance Per Dollar Pentium M 1.60
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Celeron 540 | Pentium M 1.60 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($5) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 65 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Banias (2003) / 130 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Celeron 540 | Pentium M 1.60 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($5) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Celeron 540 and Pentium M 1.60

Celeron 540
The Celeron 540 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. Base frequency: 1.86 GHz. L3 cache: 1 MB L2 Cache. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 30 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 408 points. Launch price was $69.

Pentium M 1.60
The Pentium M 1.60 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Banias (2003) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 24 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 405 points. Launch price was $69.
Processing Power
The Pentium M 1.60 is built on the Banias (2003) architecture. In PassMark, the Celeron 540 scores 408 against the Pentium M 1.60's 405 — a 0.7% lead for the Celeron 540. L3 cache: 1 MB L2 Cache on the Celeron 540 vs 0 kB on the Pentium M 1.60.
| Feature | Celeron 540 | Pentium M 1.60 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | — | 1 / 1 |
| Boost Clock | — | 1.6 GHz |
| Base Clock | 1.86 GHz | — |
| L3 Cache | 1 MB L2 Cache | 0 kB |
| L2 Cache | — | 1 MB |
| Process | 65 nm-50% | 130 nm |
| Architecture | — | Banias (2003) |
| PassMark | 408 | 405 |
Memory & Platform
Both processors use the PGA478 socket with PCIe 1.1.
| Feature | Celeron 540 | Pentium M 1.60 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | PGA478 | PGA478 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 1.1 | PCIe 1.1 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR2-667 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 4 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: No (Celeron 540) / not specified (Pentium M 1.60). Primary use case: Celeron 540 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 540 rivals Pentium T2310.
| Feature | Celeron 540 | Pentium M 1.60 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | No | — |
| Target Use | Budget | — |
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