Celeron B840 vs Pentium 3556U
Celeron B840
Pentium 3556U
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 B840 is positioned at rank 1028 and the Pentium 3556U is on rank 253, so the Pentium 3556U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Celeron B840
Performance Per Dollar Pentium 3556U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Celeron B840 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Celeron B840 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ 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 B840 and Pentium 3556U
Celeron B840
The Celeron B840 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 July 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.9 GHz, with boost up to 1.9 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,065 points. Launch price was $86.
Pentium 3556U
The Pentium 3556U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with boost up to 1.7 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,072 points. Launch price was $69.
Processing Power
Both the Celeron B840 and Pentium 3556U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.9 GHz on the Celeron B840 versus 1.7 GHz on the Pentium 3556U — a 11.1% clock advantage for the Celeron B840 (base: 1.9 GHz vs 1.7 GHz). The Celeron B840 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Pentium 3556U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron B840 scores 1,065 against the Pentium 3556U's 1,072 — a 0.7% lead for the Pentium 3556U. Both processors carry 2 MB (total) of L3 cache.
| Feature | Celeron B840 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 1.9 GHz+12% | 1.7 GHz |
| Base Clock | 1.9 GHz+12% | 1.7 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 2 MB (total) | 2 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 256K (per core) | 256K (per core) |
| Process | 32 nm | 22 nm-31% |
| Architecture | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Haswell (2013−2015) |
| PassMark | 1,065 | 1,072 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 450 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 790 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Celeron B840 uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 3556U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Celeron B840 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | PGA988 | FCBGA1168 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 3.0+50% |
| Max RAM Speed | 1333 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: true (Celeron B840) / not specified (Pentium 3556U). The Celeron B840 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)), while the Pentium 3556U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron B840 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron B840 rivals Pentium B940.
| Feature | Celeron B840 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | — |
| IGPU Model | Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | true | — |
| Target Use | Budget | — |
Top Performing CPUs
The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar CPU comparisons based on Celeron B840 and Pentium 3556U
