Celeron M 540
VS
Xeon E5405

Celeron M 540 vs Xeon E5405

Intel

Celeron M 540

1 Cores1 Thrd1 WWMax: 1.86 GHz2007
VS
Intel

Xeon E5405

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 2 GHz2007

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 M 540 is positioned at rank 873 and the Xeon E5405 is on rank 906, so the Celeron M 540 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 M 540

#861
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
1447%
#862
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
1426%
#863
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
1309%
#864
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
1303%
#865
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
1291%
#867
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
1247%
#868
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
1195%
#869
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
1193%
#870
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
1161%
#873
Celeron M 540
MSRP: $86|Avg: $20
100%
#877
Microsoft SQ1
MSRP: $300|Avg: $180
99%
#879
Core i5-6440HQ
MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A
99%
#883
Celeron Dual-Core T1600
MSRP: $150|Avg: $150
99%
#884
Athlon II N330
MSRP: $100|Avg: $50
99%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5405

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
24770%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
4677%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
4155%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
3210%
#508
Xeon E7-8895 v2
MSRP: $6841|Avg: $65
100%
#509
EPYC 9754
MSRP: $11900|Avg: $10631
99%
#509
EPYC 9684X
MSRP: $14756|Avg: $14756
99%
#511
Xeon D-1587
MSRP: $1652|Avg: $1443
98%
#512
Xeon E5-2687W v4
MSRP: $2141|Avg: $1138
98%
#513
Xeon W-3265
MSRP: $3684|Avg: $3400
97%
#514
Xeon E5-2658A V3
MSRP: $1832|Avg: $200
97%
#515
Xeon E5-4640 v4
MSRP: $2837|Avg: N/A
95%
#516
Xeon E7-8867 v3
MSRP: $4672|Avg: $4672
94%
#517
Xeon Gold 6150
MSRP: $3358|Avg: $196
94%
#906
Xeon E5405
MSRP: $209|Avg: $15
100%
#907
Xeon E5-2440
MSRP: $728|Avg: $249
100%
#916
Xeon E5-2650L
MSRP: $748|Avg: $129
96%
#918
Xeon E5410
MSRP: $256|Avg: $20
95%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($15) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5405 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightCeleron M 540Xeon E5405
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
⚠️ Higher cost ($20)
More affordable ($15)
Longevity
🛑 Legacy (Merom (2006−2008) / 65 nm)
🛑 Legacy (Harpertown (2007−2008) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Celeron M 540 ($20), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($5 less, 33% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightCeleron M 540Xeon E5405
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Better overall value (+34%)
Upfront Cost
⚠️ Higher cost ($20)
More affordable ($15)

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 M 540 and Xeon E5405

Intel

Celeron M 540

The Celeron M 540 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Merom (2006−2008) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.86 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 1,744 points. Launch price was $69.

Intel

Xeon E5405

The Xeon E5405 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 November 2007 (18 years ago). It is based on the Harpertown (2007−2008) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 1,753 points. Launch price was $209.

Processing Power

The Celeron M 540 packs 1 cores / 1 threads, while the Xeon E5405 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon E5405 has 3 more cores. Boost clocks reach 1.86 GHz on the Celeron M 540 versus 2 GHz on the Xeon E5405 — a 7.3% clock advantage for the Xeon E5405. The Celeron M 540 uses the Merom (2006−2008) architecture (65 nm), while the Xeon E5405 uses Harpertown (2007−2008) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron M 540 scores 1,744 against the Xeon E5405's 1,753 — a 0.5% lead for the Xeon E5405.

FeatureCeleron M 540Xeon E5405
Cores / Threads
1 / 1
4 / 4+300%
Boost Clock
1.86 GHz
2 GHz+8%
Base Clock
2 GHz
L3 Cache
12 MB L2 Cache
L2 Cache
1 MB
6 MB (total)+500%
Process
65 nm
45 nm-31%
Architecture
Merom (2006−2008)
Harpertown (2007−2008)
PassMark
1,744
1,753
🧠

Memory & Platform

Maximum memory speed reaches 667 on the Celeron M 540 versus DDR2-667 on the Xeon E5405 — the Celeron M 540 supports 198.8% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon E5405 supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 4 155.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 0 PCIe lanes.

FeatureCeleron M 540Xeon E5405
Socket
LGA771
PCIe Generation
PCIe 1.1
PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed
667+33250%
DDR2-667
Max RAM Capacity
4
32 GB+838860700%
RAM Channels
2
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
0
0
🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: false (Celeron M 540) vs VT-x (Xeon E5405). Primary use case: Xeon E5405 targets Server. Direct competitor: Celeron M 540 rivals Mobile Sempron 3600+.

FeatureCeleron M 540Xeon E5405
Integrated GPU
No
No
IGPU Model
None
Unlocked
No
No
AVX-512
No
No
Virtualization
false
VT-x
Target Use
Server
💰

Value Analysis

The Celeron M 540 launched at $86 MSRP, while the Xeon E5405 debuted at $209. At current prices ($20 vs $15), the Xeon E5405 is $5 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Celeron M 540 delivers 87.2 pts/$ vs 116.9 pts/$ for the Xeon E5405 — making the Xeon E5405 the 29.1% better value option.

FeatureCeleron M 540Xeon E5405
MSRP
$86-59%
$209
Avg Price (30d)
$20
$15-25%
Performance per Dollar
87.2
116.9+34%
Release Date
2007
2007