Pentium 957 vs Celeron 3205U

Pentium 957

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.2 GHz2011

Celeron 3205U

2 Cores2 Thrd512 WWMax: 1.5 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 957

2 / 2

1,015

0.0%

1,025

+1.0%

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 Pentium 957 is positioned at rank 1146 and the Celeron 3205U is on rank 279, so the Celeron 3205U 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 Pentium 957

#1134

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3876%

#1135

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3819%

#1136

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3506%

#1137

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3490%

#1138

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3458%

#1140

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3339%

#1141

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3202%

#1142

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3197%

#1143

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3111%

#1146

Pentium 957

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1147

Core 2 Duo SL9400

MSRP: $284|Avg: N/A

100%

#1149

Pentium N3540

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

99%

#1150

Core i7-3555LE

MSRP: $300|Avg: $280

99%

#1151

Core i3-2377M

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

98%

#1152

Core 2 Duo E8435

MSRP: $150|Avg: $74

97%

#1153

Celeron M 723

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

97%

#1154

Core i7-3517UE

MSRP: $330|Avg: $35

95%

#1155

Core M-5Y51

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1156

Pentium N3530

MSRP: $161|Avg: $20

95%

#1157

Core i3-330E

MSRP: $177|Avg: $89

94%

#1159

Core i7-2640M

MSRP: $346|Avg: N/A

93%

#1160

Core M-5Y71

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 3205U

#82

Core i7-11700B

MSRP: $323|Avg: $311

98%

#83

Core i7-13700HX

MSRP: $485|Avg: N/A

97%

#266

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

429%

#267

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

423%

#268

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

388%

#269

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

387%

#270

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

383%

#272

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

370%

#273

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

355%

#274

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

354%

#275

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

345%

#279

Celeron 3205U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Celeron 3205U delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Pentium 957 in both compute-intensive tasks (1% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium 957	Celeron 3205U
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Broadwell-U (2015) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium 957	Celeron 3205U
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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.

Pentium 957 Benchmark Check

Celeron 3205U Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 957 and Celeron 3205U

Pentium 957

The Pentium 957 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 June 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.2 GHz, with boost up to 1.2 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: 1,015 points. Launch price was $134.

Celeron 3205U

The Celeron 3205U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 March 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-U (2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 1.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,025 points. Launch price was $107.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium 957 and Celeron 3205U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.2 GHz on the Pentium 957 versus 1.5 GHz on the Celeron 3205U — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Celeron 3205U (base: 1.2 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Pentium 957 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Celeron 3205U uses Broadwell-U (2015) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 957 scores 1,015 against the Celeron 3205U's 1,025 — a 1% lead for the Celeron 3205U. Both processors carry 2 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Pentium 957	Celeron 3205U
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.2 GHz	1.5 GHz+25%
Base Clock	1.2 GHz	1.5 GHz+25%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	14 nm-56%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Broadwell-U (2015)
PassMark	1,015	1,025
Geekbench 6 Single	—	287
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	483

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 957 uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron 3205U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 957	Celeron 3205U
Socket	BGA1023	FCBGA1168
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3L-1600
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium 957) / VT-x (Celeron 3205U). The Celeron 3205U includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics (Broadwell)), while the Pentium 957 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron 3205U targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 3205U rivals Pentium 2117U.