Pentium B950 vs Celeron N2930

Pentium B950

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.1 GHz2011

Celeron N2930

4 Cores4 Thrd7 WWMax: 2.16 GHz2014

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium B950

2 / 2

1,022

0.0%

1,032

+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 B950 is positioned at rank 1142 and the Celeron N2930 is on rank 1087, so the Celeron N2930 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 B950

#1130

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3845%

#1131

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3789%

#1132

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3478%

#1133

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3463%

#1134

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3431%

#1136

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3313%

#1137

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3177%

#1138

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3172%

#1139

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3087%

#1142

Pentium B950

MSRP: $134|Avg: $35

100%

#1143

Celeron 220

MSRP: $42|Avg: $42

100%

#1144

Pentium B960

MSRP: $134|Avg: $15

100%

#1146

Pentium 957

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

99%

#1147

Core 2 Duo SL9400

MSRP: $284|Avg: N/A

99%

#1149

Pentium N3540

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

98%

#1150

Core i7-3555LE

MSRP: $300|Avg: $280

98%

#1151

Core i3-2377M

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

97%

#1152

Core 2 Duo E8435

MSRP: $150|Avg: $74

96%

#1153

Celeron M 723

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

96%

#1154

Core M-5Y51

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1155

Core i7-3517UE

MSRP: $330|Avg: $35

95%

#1156

Pentium N3530

MSRP: $161|Avg: $20

94%

#1157

Core i3-330E

MSRP: $177|Avg: $89

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron N2930

#1075

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3044%

#1076

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2999%

#1077

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2753%

#1078

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2741%

#1079

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2716%

#1081

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2622%

#1082

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2515%

#1083

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2510%

#1084

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2443%

#1087

Celeron N2930

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#1089

Core i5-3610ME

MSRP: $276|Avg: $22

100%

#1090

Core m3-7Y32

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

100%

#1091

Celeron B720

MSRP: $70|Avg: $10

99%

#1093

Celeron 847

MSRP: $134|Avg: $15

98%

#1094

Core i7-2630QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1096

Core i7-2635QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1097

Celeron 877

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

97%

#1098

Celeron Dual-Core SU2300

MSRP: $134|Avg: $50

97%

#1099

Core i5-3337U

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1100

Core i5-2450M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1101

Core i5-7Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1102

Core i5-7Y54

MSRP: $281|Avg: $100

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium B950 leads in gaming performance. However, the Celeron N2930 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 1% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Pentium B950	Celeron N2930
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium B950	Celeron N2930
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)	✅ 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 B950 Benchmark Check

Celeron N2930 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium B950 and Celeron N2930

Pentium B950

The Pentium B950 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 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 2.1 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: 1,022 points. Launch price was $134.

Celeron N2930

The Celeron N2930 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.83 GHz, with boost up to 2.16 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: 1,032 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium B950 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Celeron N2930 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Celeron N2930 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.1 GHz on the Pentium B950 versus 2.16 GHz on the Celeron N2930 — a 2.8% clock advantage for the Celeron N2930 (base: 2.1 GHz vs 1.83 GHz). The Pentium B950 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Celeron N2930 uses Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium B950 scores 1,022 against the Celeron N2930's 1,032 — a 1% lead for the Celeron N2930. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 379 vs 170, a 76.1% lead for the Pentium B950 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 671 vs 502 (28.8% advantage for the Pentium B950). L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium B950 vs 0 kB on the Celeron N2930.

Feature	Pentium B950	Celeron N2930
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.1 GHz	2.16 GHz+3%
Base Clock	2.1 GHz+15%	1.83 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)
PassMark	1,022	1,032
Geekbench 6 Single	379+123%	170
Geekbench 6 Multi	671+34%	502

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium B950 uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron N2930 uses FCBGA1170 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR3-1333 memory speed. The Pentium B950 supports up to 16 GB of RAM compared to 8 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Pentium B950) vs 4 (Celeron N2930) — the Pentium B950 offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM65,HM67 (Pentium B950) and SoC (Celeron N2930).

Feature	Pentium B950	Celeron N2930
Socket	PGA988	FCBGA1170
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1333	DDR3L-1333
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB+100%	8 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	16+300%	4

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x (Pentium B950) vs Yes (Celeron N2930). Both include integrated graphics — Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) (Pentium B950) and Intel HD Graphics (Celeron N2930) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Pentium B950 targets Budget.