Pentium B970 vs Celeron 2980U

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 B970 is positioned at rank 1112 and the Celeron 2980U is on rank 392, so the Celeron 2980U 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 B970

#1100

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3357%

#1101

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3308%

#1102

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3037%

#1103

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3023%

#1104

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2995%

#1106

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2892%

#1107

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2773%

#1108

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2769%

#1109

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2695%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

100%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

99%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

99%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

98%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

97%

#1119

VIA Nano U2250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

97%

#1121

Core i5-560M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

96%

#1123

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

95%

#1126

Core i5-5350U

MSRP: $315|Avg: N/A

94%

#1127

Core i3-4100E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 2980U

#119

Ryzen 7 PRO 250

MSRP: $400|Avg: $380

100%

#120

Core i7-11850HE

MSRP: $400|Avg: $75

98%

#380

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

537%

#381

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

529%

#382

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

486%

#383

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

484%

#384

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

479%

#386

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

463%

#387

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

444%

#388

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

443%

#389

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

431%

#392

Celeron 2980U

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 Pentium B970 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Celeron 2980U in both compute-intensive tasks (0.1% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium B970	Celeron 2980U
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium B970	Celeron 2980U
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)	✅ 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 B970 Benchmark Check

Celeron 2980U Benchmark Check

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Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium B970 and Celeron 2980U

Pentium B970

The Pentium B970 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 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: 1,093 points. Launch price was $125.

Celeron 2980U

The Celeron 2980U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) 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 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,092 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium B970 and Celeron 2980U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.3 GHz on the Pentium B970 versus 1.6 GHz on the Celeron 2980U — a 35.9% clock advantage for the Pentium B970 (base: 2.3 GHz vs 1.6 GHz). The Pentium B970 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Celeron 2980U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium B970 scores 1,093 against the Celeron 2980U's 1,092 — a 0.1% lead for the Pentium B970. Both processors carry 2 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Pentium B970	Celeron 2980U
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.3 GHz+44%	1.6 GHz
Base Clock	2.3 GHz+44%	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	22 nm-31%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	1,093	1,092
Geekbench 6 Single	—	354
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	694

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium B970 uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron 2980U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium B970	Celeron 2980U
Socket	PGA988	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	—	12

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium B970) / VT-x (Celeron 2980U). The Celeron 2980U includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Haswell)), while the Pentium B970 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron 2980U targets Low Power. Direct competitor: Celeron 2980U rivals AMD A4-5000.