Celeron 540
VS
Pentium M 1.60

Celeron 540 vs Pentium M 1.60

VS
Intel

Pentium M 1.60

1 Cores1 Thrd24 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2003

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.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 540

#1200
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
6190%
#1201
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
6099%
#1202
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
5599%
#1203
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
5574%
#1204
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
5523%
#1206
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
5333%
#1207
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
5114%
#1208
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
5105%
#1209
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
4968%
#1212
Celeron 540
MSRP: $86|Avg: $5
100%
#1213
Celeron U3600
MSRP: $134|Avg: $134
98%
#1216
Core 2 Quad Q9000
MSRP: $348|Avg: $15
97%
#1217
Core i5-2537M
MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A
97%
#1218
Core i7-720QM
MSRP: $364|Avg: N/A
96%
#1219
Pentium U5400
MSRP: $289|Avg: $214
94%
#1220
Pentium T2330
MSRP: $150|Avg: $7
93%
#1221
Z-01
MSRP: $50|Avg: $10
91%
#1222
Pentium T2310
MSRP: $150|Avg: $14
88%
#1223
Celeron SU2300
MSRP: $134|Avg: $134
86%
#1224
Core i5-560UM
MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A
86%
#1225
Core i7-660UM
MSRP: $317|Avg: N/A
85%
#1226
C-30
MSRP: $50|Avg: $15
85%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium M 1.60

#1120
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
3622%
#1121
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
3569%
#1122
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
3277%
#1123
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
3262%
#1124
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
3232%
#1126
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
3121%
#1127
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
2993%
#1128
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
2988%
#1129
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
2907%
#1132
Core i3-2330E
MSRP: $225|Avg: $10
100%
#1133
Pentium M 1.60
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#1134
Core i5-4288U
MSRP: $342|Avg: N/A
96%
#1135
Core m3-6Y30
MSRP: $281|Avg: $281
96%
#1136
Core i3-2340UE
MSRP: $200|Avg: $200
95%
#1137
Core i7-2820QM
MSRP: $568|Avg: N/A
95%
#1138
Core i5-520M
MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A
95%
#1140
Celeron 807
MSRP: $70|Avg: $10
94%
#1141
Pentium B950
MSRP: $134|Avg: $35
94%
#1142
Celeron 220
MSRP: $42|Avg: $42
94%
#1143
Pentium B960
MSRP: $134|Avg: $15
94%
#1145
Pentium 957
MSRP: $134|Avg: $10
93%
#1146
Core 2 Duo SL9400
MSRP: $284|Avg: N/A
93%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium M 1.60 leads in gaming performance. However, the Celeron 540 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.7% greater multi-core processing power.
InsightCeleron 540Pentium 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

InsightCeleron 540Pentium M 1.60
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
⚠️ Higher cost ($5)
More affordable ($0)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

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

Intel

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.

Intel

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.

FeatureCeleron 540Pentium 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.

FeatureCeleron 540Pentium 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.

FeatureCeleron 540Pentium M 1.60
Integrated GPU
No
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
No
Target Use
Budget