Celeron N3050 vs Pentium B980

CPU

GPU

Celeron N3050

2 Cores2 Thrd6 WWMax: 2.16 GHz2015

Pentium B980

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Celeron N3050

2 / 2

1,099

0.0%

1,101

+0.2%

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 N3050 is positioned at rank 744 and the Pentium B980 is on rank 1110, so the Celeron N3050 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 N3050

#731

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1068%

#732

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1052%

#733

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

966%

#734

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

961%

#735

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

953%

#737

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

920%

#738

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

882%

#739

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

881%

#740

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

857%

#743

Pentium 6805

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

100%

#744

Celeron N3050

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#748

Ryzen 3 7320C

MSRP: $299|Avg: $200

100%

#756

Core i7-11370H

MSRP: $426|Avg: N/A

99%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium B980

#1098

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3330%

#1099

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3281%

#1100

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3012%

#1101

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2999%

#1102

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2971%

#1104

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2869%

#1105

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2751%

#1106

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2747%

#1107

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2673%

#1110

Pentium B980

MSRP: $125|Avg: $35

100%

#1111

Celeron 867

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

100%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

99%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

98%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

98%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

97%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

97%

#1119

VIA Nano U2250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

96%

#1121

Core i5-560M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

95%

#1124

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium B980 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Celeron N3050 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.2% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Celeron N3050	Pentium B980
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Braswell (2015−2016) / 14 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Celeron N3050	Pentium B980
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)

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 N3050 Benchmark Check

Pentium B980 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Celeron N3050 and Pentium B980

Celeron N3050

The Celeron N3050 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 April 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Braswell (2015−2016) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 2.16 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1170. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,099 points. Launch price was $107.

Pentium B980

The Pentium B980 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 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,101 points. Launch price was $125.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Celeron N3050 and Pentium B980 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.16 GHz on the Celeron N3050 versus 2.4 GHz on the Pentium B980 — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Pentium B980 (base: 1.6 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Celeron N3050 uses the Braswell (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Pentium B980 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron N3050 scores 1,099 against the Pentium B980's 1,101 — a 0.2% lead for the Pentium B980. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Celeron N3050 vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium B980.

Feature	Celeron N3050	Pentium B980
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.16 GHz	2.4 GHz+11%
Base Clock	1.6 GHz	2.4 GHz+50%
L3 Cache	0 kB	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	256K (per core)
Process	14 nm-56%	32 nm
Architecture	Braswell (2015−2016)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,099	1,101
Geekbench 6 Single	221	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	440	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Celeron N3050 uses the FCBGA1170 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium B980 uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Celeron N3050	Pentium B980
Socket	FCBGA1170	PGA988
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3L-1600	—
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	4	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x / EPT (Celeron N3050) / not specified (Pentium B980). The Celeron N3050 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Braswell)), while the Pentium B980 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron N3050 targets Netbook. Direct competitor: Celeron N3050 rivals AMD E2-7110.