Celeron N4100 vs Phenom II X4 850

Celeron N4100 vs Phenom II X4 850 Performance Spectrum

Celeron N4100

4 / 4

2,453

+0.5%

2,441

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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.

Celeron N4100 vs Phenom II X4 850 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 N4100 vs Phenom II X4 850: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Celeron N4100

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 6W instead of 95W, a 89W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Phenom II X4 850 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Phenom II X4 850

2011

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (2,441 vs 2,453).
❌1483.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 6W.

Quick Answers

So, is Celeron N4100 better than Phenom II X4 850?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Phenom II X4 850 is ahead with a 3.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Celeron N4100 pulls ahead with 0.5% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Celeron N4100 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

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

Celeron N4100 still makes the most sense overall. Celeron N4100 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.5% better PassMark.

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

Celeron N4100 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2017 vs 2011) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Celeron N4100 vs Phenom II X4 850 Technical Specifications

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

Celeron N4100

The Celeron N4100 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 December 2017 (7 years ago). It is based on the Goldmont Plus (2017) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1090. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,453 points. Launch price was $107.

Phenom II X4 850

The Phenom II X4 850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 1 June 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Propus (2009−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,441 points. Launch price was $111.

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Processing Power

Both the Celeron N4100 and Phenom II X4 850 share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the Celeron N4100 versus 3.3 GHz on the Phenom II X4 850 — a 31.6% clock advantage for the Phenom II X4 850 (base: 1.1 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Celeron N4100 uses the Goldmont Plus (2017) architecture (14 nm), while the Phenom II X4 850 uses Propus (2009−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Celeron N4100 scores 2,453 against the Phenom II X4 850's 2,441 — a 0.5% lead for the Celeron N4100. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Celeron N4100 vs 0 kB on the Phenom II X4 850.

Feature	Celeron N4100	Phenom II X4 850
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 4
Boost Clock	2.4 GHz	3.3 GHz+38%
Base Clock	1.1 GHz	3.3 GHz+200%
L3 Cache	4 MB	0 kB
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	512 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm-69%	45 nm
Architecture	Goldmont Plus (2017)	Propus (2009−2011)
PassMark	2,453	2,441

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Memory & Platform

The Celeron N4100 uses the FCBGA1090 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Phenom II X4 850 uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.