Celeron M U3400 vs Pentium 997

CPU

GPU

Celeron M U3400

2 Cores2 Thrd512 WWMax: 1.06 GHz2010

Pentium 997

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Celeron M U3400

2 / 2

1,205

0.0%

Celeron E1200

Celeron 877

Pentium Dual-Core E2180

1,215

+0.8%

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 U3400 is positioned at rank 998 and the Pentium 997 is on rank 1104, so the Celeron M U3400 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 U3400

#986

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2094%

#987

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2064%

#988

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1894%

#989

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1886%

#990

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1869%

#992

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1804%

#993

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1730%

#994

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1727%

#995

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1681%

#998

Celeron M U3400

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

100%

#999

3015Ce

MSRP: $150|Avg: $40

100%

#1000

Core i7-4700MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

100%

#1001

Athlon II M340

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

100%

#1005

Pentium P6000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $90

98%

#1007

Core i7-3630QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1008

Core i7-3610QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1009

Core i3-1115GRE

MSRP: $338|Avg: $480

97%

#1010

Pentium A1020

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

97%

#1011

Core i7-4702MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

97%

#1012

Pentium N4200

MSRP: $161|Avg: $30.89

96%

#1013

Pentium J2900

MSRP: $94|Avg: $20

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium 997

#1092

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3235%

#1093

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3187%

#1094

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2926%

#1095

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2913%

#1096

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2886%

#1098

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2787%

#1099

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2673%

#1100

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2668%

#1101

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2596%

#1104

Pentium 997

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1105

Pentium A1018

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

99%

#1106

Core i5-2430M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1108

Pentium Dual Core T4500

MSRP: $150|Avg: $30

98%

#1109

Celeron B820

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

#1110

Pentium B980

MSRP: $125|Avg: $35

97%

#1111

Celeron 867

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

97%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

96%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

95%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

95%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

94%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium 997 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Celeron M U3400 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.8% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Celeron M U3400	Pentium 997
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($5)	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Arrandale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Celeron M U3400 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $5 (vs $10), it costs 50% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 98% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Pentium 997.

Insight	Celeron M U3400	Pentium 997
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+98%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($5)	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)

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.

Celeron M U3400 Benchmark Check

Pentium 997 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Celeron M U3400 and Pentium 997

Celeron M U3400

The Celeron M U3400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 1.06 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1288. Thermal design power (TDP): 512 kB + 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,205 points. Launch price was $69.

Pentium 997

The Pentium 997 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1023. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,215 points. Launch price was $134.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Celeron M U3400 and Pentium 997 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.06 GHz on the Celeron M U3400 versus 1.6 GHz on the Pentium 997 — a 40.6% clock advantage for the Pentium 997. The Celeron M U3400 uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Pentium 997 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron M U3400 scores 1,205 against the Pentium 997's 1,215 — a 0.8% lead for the Pentium 997. L3 cache: 2 MB on the Celeron M U3400 vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 997.

Feature	Celeron M U3400	Pentium 997
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.06 GHz	1.6 GHz+51%
Base Clock	—	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512 kB+100%	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Arrandale (2010−2011)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,205	1,215

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Celeron M U3400 uses the BGA1288 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 997 uses BGA1023 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Celeron M U3400	Pentium 997
Socket	BGA1288	BGA1023
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0

💰

Value Analysis

The Celeron M U3400 launched at $86 MSRP, while the Pentium 997 debuted at $134. At current prices ($5 vs $10), the Celeron M U3400 is $5 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Celeron M U3400 delivers 241.0 pts/$ vs 121.5 pts/$ for the Pentium 997 — making the Celeron M U3400 the 65.9% better value option.