Pentium B970 vs Celeron N3050

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 N3050 is on rank 744, so the Celeron N3050 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 N3050

#731

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1068%

#732

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1052%

#733

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

966%

#734

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

961%

#735

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

953%

#737

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

920%

#738

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

882%

#739

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

881%

#740

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

857%

#743

Pentium 6805

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

100%

#744

Celeron N3050

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#748

Ryzen 3 7320C

MSRP: $299|Avg: $200

100%

#756

Core i7-11370H

MSRP: $426|Avg: N/A

99%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium B970 leads in gaming performance. However, the Celeron N3050 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.5% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Pentium B970	Celeron N3050
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Braswell (2015−2016) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium B970	Celeron N3050
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 N3050 Benchmark Check

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Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium B970 and Celeron N3050

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 N3050

The Celeron N3050 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 April 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Braswell (2015−2016) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 2.16 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1170. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,099 points. Launch price was $107.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium B970 and Celeron N3050 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.3 GHz on the Pentium B970 versus 2.16 GHz on the Celeron N3050 — a 6.3% 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 N3050 uses Braswell (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium B970 scores 1,093 against the Celeron N3050's 1,099 — a 0.5% lead for the Celeron N3050. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium B970 vs 0 kB on the Celeron N3050.

Feature	Pentium B970	Celeron N3050
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.3 GHz+6%	2.16 GHz
Base Clock	2.3 GHz+44%	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	32 nm	14 nm-56%
Architecture	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Braswell (2015−2016)
PassMark	1,093	1,099
Geekbench 6 Single	—	221
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	440

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium B970 uses the PGA988 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron N3050 uses FCBGA1170 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium B970	Celeron N3050
Socket	PGA988	FCBGA1170
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3L-1600
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	4

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium B970) / VT-x / EPT (Celeron N3050). The Celeron N3050 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Braswell)), while the Pentium B970 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron N3050 targets Netbook. Direct competitor: Celeron N3050 rivals AMD E2-7110.