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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Celeron N2820

2013

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 7W instead of 65W, a 58W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), while Core 2 Duo E6300 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core 2 Duo E6300.

Core 2 Duo E6300

2006

Why buy it

✅300% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (true), unlike Celeron N2820.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Celeron N2820 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (1,055 vs 1,061).
❌Launch MSRP is still $163 MSRP, while Celeron N2820 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌828.6% higher power demand at 65W vs 7W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Celeron N2820 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Celeron N2820

2013

Core 2 Duo E6300

2006

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 7W instead of 65W, a 58W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), while Core 2 Duo E6300 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅300% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (true), unlike Celeron N2820.

Trade-offs

❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core 2 Duo E6300.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Celeron N2820 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (1,055 vs 1,061).
❌Launch MSRP is still $163 MSRP, while Celeron N2820 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌828.6% higher power demand at 65W vs 7W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Celeron N2820 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Celeron N2820 better than Core 2 Duo E6300?

Yes. Celeron N2820 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 3.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 0.6% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Celeron N2820 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 3.7% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Celeron N2820 is the better fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Celeron N2820 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Celeron N2820 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $163 MSRP, and it gives you a 3.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core 2 Duo E6300 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2006 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (6.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA775.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Celeron N2820 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2013 vs 2006) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 2/2. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

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 N2820 Benchmark Check

Core 2 Duo E6300 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Celeron N2820	Core 2 Duo E6300
1080p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
1440p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS

Open Celeron N2820 Open Core 2 Duo E6300

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Celeron N2820	Core 2 Duo E6300
1080p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
1440p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	19 FPS

Open Celeron N2820 Open Core 2 Duo E6300

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Celeron N2820	Core 2 Duo E6300
1080p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
1440p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS

Open Celeron N2820 Open Core 2 Duo E6300

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Celeron N2820	Core 2 Duo E6300
1080p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
1440p
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	27 FPS	26 FPS
high	27 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS

Open Celeron N2820 Open Core 2 Duo E6300

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Celeron N2820 and Core 2 Duo E6300

Celeron N2820

The Celeron N2820 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 December 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.13 GHz, with boost up to 2.39 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1170. Thermal design power (TDP): 7.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,061 points. Launch price was $107.

Core 2 Duo E6300

The Core 2 Duo E6300 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Conroe (2006−2007) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.86 GHz, with boost up to 1.87 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,055 points. Launch price was $249.

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Processing Power

Both the Celeron N2820 and Core 2 Duo E6300 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.39 GHz on the Celeron N2820 versus 1.87 GHz on the Core 2 Duo E6300 — a 24.4% clock advantage for the Celeron N2820 (base: 2.13 GHz vs 1.86 GHz). The Celeron N2820 uses the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Core 2 Duo E6300 uses Conroe (2006−2007) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron N2820 scores 1,061 against the Core 2 Duo E6300's 1,055 — a 0.6% lead for the Celeron N2820. Both processors carry 0 kB of L3 cache.

Feature	Celeron N2820	Core 2 Duo E6300
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.39 GHz+28%	1.87 GHz
Base Clock	2.13 GHz+15%	1.86 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	0 kB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	2 MB+300%
Process	22 nm-66%	65 nm
Architecture	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)	Conroe (2006−2007)
PassMark	1,061	1,055
Geekbench 6 Single	220	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	400	—

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Memory & Platform

The Celeron N2820 uses the FCBGA1170 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core 2 Duo E6300 uses LGA775 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3L-1066 on the Celeron N2820 versus 1066 on the Core 2 Duo E6300 — the Core 2 Duo E6300 supports 198.9% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core 2 Duo E6300 supports up to 16 of RAM compared to 8 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 4 (Celeron N2820) vs 16 (Core 2 Duo E6300) — the Core 2 Duo E6300 offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SoC (Celeron N2820) and P35,G31,G33,P45 (Core 2 Duo E6300).

Feature	Celeron N2820	Core 2 Duo E6300
Socket	FCBGA1170	LGA775
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0+82%	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	DDR3L-1066	1066+35433%
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB+52428700%	16
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	4	16+300%

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x (Celeron N2820) vs true (Core 2 Duo E6300). The Celeron N2820 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail)), while the Core 2 Duo E6300 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron N2820 targets Netbook. Direct competitor: Celeron N2820 rivals AMD A6-6310; Core 2 Duo E6300 rivals Athlon 64 X2 3800+.