Celeron G6900E vs Core i3-7100

The Celeron G6900E packs 2 cores / 2 threads, matching the Core i3-7100's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Celeron G6900E versus 3.9 GHz on the Core i3-7100 — a 26.1% clock advantage for the Core i3-7100 (base: 3 GHz vs 3.9 GHz). The Celeron G6900E uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (10 nm), while the Core i3-7100 uses Kaby Lake (2016−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron G6900E scores 4,272 against the Core i3-7100's 4,306 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i3-7100. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Celeron G6900E vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i3-7100.

The Celeron G6900E uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i3-7100 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-4800 on the Celeron G6900E versus DDR4-2400 on the Core i3-7100 — the Celeron G6900E supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Celeron G6900E supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 20 (Celeron G6900E) vs 16 (Core i3-7100) — the Celeron G6900E offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x (Celeron G6900E) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i3-7100). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 710 (Celeron G6900E) and HD Graphics 630 (Core i3-7100) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron G6900E targets Budget, Core i3-7100 targets Desktop. Direct competitor: Celeron G6900E rivals Pentium Gold G7400.

The Celeron G6900E launched at $53 MSRP, while the Core i3-7100 debuted at $117. At current prices ($53 vs $40), the Core i3-7100 is $13 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Celeron G6900E delivers 80.6 pts/$ vs 107.7 pts/$ for the Core i3-7100 — making the Core i3-7100 the 28.7% better value option.