Celeron N2820 vs Pentium 3556U

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.

Celeron N2820 vs Pentium 3556U FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Celeron N2820 vs Pentium 3556U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Celeron N2820

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 7W instead of 512W, a 505W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (4 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), while Pentium 3556U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,061 vs 1,072).

Pentium 3556U

2013

Why buy it

✅+1% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌7214.3% higher power demand at 512W vs 7W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Celeron N2820 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium 3556U better than Celeron N2820?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Celeron N2820 is ahead with a 1.7% average FPS lead across 49 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 3556U pulls ahead with 1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 3556U is the stronger fit. You are getting 1% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

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

Pentium 3556U still makes the most sense overall. Pentium 3556U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 1% better PassMark.

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

Pentium 3556U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 2/2. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Celeron N2820 vs Pentium 3556U Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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.

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.

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Processing Power

Both the Celeron N2820 and Pentium 3556U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.39 GHz on the Celeron N2820 versus 1.7 GHz on the Pentium 3556U — a 33.7% clock advantage for the Celeron N2820 (base: 2.13 GHz vs 1.7 GHz). The Celeron N2820 uses the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Pentium 3556U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron N2820 scores 1,061 against the Pentium 3556U's 1,072 — a 1% lead for the Pentium 3556U. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Celeron N2820 vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 3556U.

Feature	Celeron N2820	Pentium 3556U
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.39 GHz+41%	1.7 GHz
Base Clock	2.13 GHz+25%	1.7 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	22 nm	22 nm
Architecture	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	1,061	1,072+1%
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 Pentium 3556U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Celeron N2820	Pentium 3556U
Socket	FCBGA1170	FCBGA1168
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3L-1066	—
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	4	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x (Celeron N2820) / not specified (Pentium 3556U). The Celeron N2820 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail)), while the Pentium 3556U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron N2820 targets Netbook. Direct competitor: Celeron N2820 rivals AMD A6-6310.