Pentium 997 vs Celeron M U3400

Pentium 997

2 Cores2 Thrd17 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2012

Celeron M U3400

2 Cores2 Thrd512 WWMax: 1.06 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 997

2 / 2

1,215

+0.8%

1,205

0.0%

Celeron E1200

Celeron 877

Pentium Dual-Core E2180

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 997 is positioned at rank 1104 and the Celeron M U3400 is on rank 998, so the Celeron M U3400 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 997

#1092

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3235%

#1093

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3187%

#1094

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2926%

#1095

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2913%

#1096

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2886%

#1098

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2787%

#1099

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2673%

#1100

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2668%

#1101

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2596%

#1104

Pentium 997

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1105

Pentium A1018

MSRP: $132|Avg: $15

99%

#1106

Core i5-2430M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1108

Pentium Dual Core T4500

MSRP: $150|Avg: $30

98%

#1109

Celeron B820

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

#1110

Pentium B980

MSRP: $125|Avg: $35

97%

#1111

Celeron 867

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

97%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

96%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

95%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

95%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

94%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron M U3400

#986

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2094%

#987

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2064%

#988

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1894%

#989

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1886%

#990

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1869%

#992

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1804%

#993

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1730%

#994

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1727%

#995

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1681%

#998

Celeron M U3400

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

100%

#999

3015Ce

MSRP: $150|Avg: $40

100%

#1000

Core i7-4700MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

100%

#1001

Athlon II M340

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

100%

#1005

Pentium P6000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $90

98%

#1007

Core i7-3630QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1008

Core i7-3610QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1009

Core i3-1115GRE

MSRP: $338|Avg: $480

97%

#1010

Pentium A1020

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

97%

#1011

Core i7-4702MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

97%

#1012

Pentium N4200

MSRP: $161|Avg: $30.89

96%

#1013

Pentium J2900

MSRP: $94|Avg: $20

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Pentium 997 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Celeron M U3400 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.8% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium 997	Celeron M U3400
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ More affordable ($5)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Arrandale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Celeron M U3400 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $5 (vs $10), it costs 50% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 98% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Pentium 997.

Insight	Pentium 997	Celeron M U3400
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+98%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)	✅ More affordable ($5)

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 997 Benchmark Check

Celeron M U3400 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 997 and Celeron M U3400

Pentium 997

The Pentium 997 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 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 1.6 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: 1,215 points. Launch price was $134.

Celeron M U3400

The Celeron M U3400 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 1.06 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1288. Thermal design power (TDP): 512 kB + 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,205 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium 997 and Celeron M U3400 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.6 GHz on the Pentium 997 versus 1.06 GHz on the Celeron M U3400 — a 40.6% clock advantage for the Pentium 997. The Pentium 997 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Celeron M U3400 uses Arrandale (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 997 scores 1,215 against the Celeron M U3400's 1,205 — a 0.8% lead for the Pentium 997. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 997 vs 2 MB on the Celeron M U3400.

Feature	Pentium 997	Celeron M U3400
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.6 GHz+51%	1.06 GHz
Base Clock	1.6 GHz	—
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	2 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB+100%
Process	32 nm	32 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Arrandale (2010−2011)
PassMark	1,215	1,205

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 997 uses the BGA1023 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron M U3400 uses BGA1288 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 997	Celeron M U3400
Socket	BGA1023	BGA1288
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium 997 launched at $134 MSRP, while the Celeron M U3400 debuted at $86. At current prices ($10 vs $5), the Celeron M U3400 is $5 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium 997 delivers 121.5 pts/$ vs 241.0 pts/$ for the Celeron M U3400 — making the Celeron M U3400 the 65.9% better value option.