Pentium B970 vs Celeron E3200

Pentium B970

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2012

Celeron E3200

2 Cores2 Thrd65 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2009

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium B970

2 / 2

1,093

+0.3%

1,090

0.0%

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 B970 is positioned at rank 1112 and the Celeron E3200 is on rank 683, so the Celeron E3200 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 E3200

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

12296%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

11619%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

8436%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

2541%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

2013%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

1761%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1009%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

996%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

906%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

906%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

896%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

872%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

860%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

856%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

849%

#683

Celeron E3200

MSRP: $43|Avg: $5

100%

#684

Core i5-3470

MSRP: $184|Avg: $55

100%

#685

Core i5-3450S

MSRP: $174|Avg: $20

100%

#686

Core i7-5820K

MSRP: $389|Avg: $103

100%

#687

Core i3-4330

MSRP: $138|Avg: $60

100%

#689

Core i7-7700T

MSRP: $303|Avg: $75

98%

#690

Core i3-4150T

MSRP: $117|Avg: $30

98%

#691

Core i7-3770S

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

97%

#692

Core i7-6800K

MSRP: $434|Avg: $120

97%

#693

Core i5-4670S

MSRP: $213|Avg: $30

97%

#694

Core i5-3550

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

97%

#695

Core i3-7300

MSRP: $184|Avg: $46

97%

#696

FX-4300

MSRP: $122|Avg: $25

97%

#697

Core i5-3450

MSRP: $184|Avg: $95

97%

#698

Celeron G550

MSRP: $52|Avg: $15

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Celeron E3200 leads in gaming performance. However, the Pentium B970 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.3% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Pentium B970	Celeron E3200
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)	✅ More affordable ($5)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Wolfdale (2008−2010) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Celeron E3200 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 87% cheaper ($5 vs $39) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Pentium B970	Celeron E3200
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+678%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)	✅ 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 B970 Benchmark Check

Celeron E3200 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium B970 and Celeron E3200

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 E3200

The Celeron E3200 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 30 August 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Wolfdale (2008−2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,090 points. Launch price was $52.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium B970 and Celeron E3200 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.3 GHz on the Pentium B970 versus 2.4 GHz on the Celeron E3200 — a 4.3% clock advantage for the Celeron E3200 (base: 2.3 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Pentium B970 uses the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Celeron E3200 uses Wolfdale (2008−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium B970 scores 1,093 against the Celeron E3200's 1,090 — a 0.3% lead for the Pentium B970. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium B970 vs 0 kB on the Celeron E3200.

Feature	Pentium B970	Celeron E3200
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.3 GHz	2.4 GHz+4%
Base Clock	2.3 GHz	2.4 GHz+4%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (total)+300%
Process	32 nm-29%	45 nm
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Wolfdale (2008−2010)
PassMark	1,093	1,090
Geekbench 6 Single	—	340
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	610

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium B970 uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron E3200 uses LGA775 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium B970	Celeron E3200
Socket	PGA988	LGA775
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0+82%	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR2-800
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium B970) / VT-x (Celeron E3200). Primary use case: Celeron E3200 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron E3200 rivals Pentium E5200.

Feature	Pentium B970	Celeron E3200
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	VT-x
Target Use	—	Budget

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium B970 launched at $125 MSRP, while the Celeron E3200 debuted at $43. At current prices ($39 vs $5), the Celeron E3200 is $34 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium B970 delivers 28.0 pts/$ vs 218.0 pts/$ for the Celeron E3200 — making the Celeron E3200 the 154.4% better value option.