Pentium M 1.60 vs Celeron 540

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 M 1.60 is positioned at rank 1133 and the Celeron 540 is on rank 1212, so the Pentium M 1.60 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 M 1.60

#1120

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3622%

#1121

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3569%

#1122

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3277%

#1123

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3262%

#1124

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3232%

#1126

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3121%

#1127

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2993%

#1128

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2988%

#1129

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2907%

#1132

Core i3-2330E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $10

100%

#1133

Pentium M 1.60

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#1134

Core i5-4288U

MSRP: $342|Avg: N/A

96%

#1135

Core m3-6Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

96%

#1136

Core i3-2340UE

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

95%

#1137

Core i7-2820QM

MSRP: $568|Avg: N/A

95%

#1138

Core i5-520M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

95%

#1140

Celeron 807

MSRP: $70|Avg: $10

94%

#1141

Pentium B950

MSRP: $134|Avg: $35

94%

#1142

Celeron 220

MSRP: $42|Avg: $42

94%

#1143

Pentium B960

MSRP: $134|Avg: $15

94%

#1145

Pentium 957

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

93%

#1146

Core 2 Duo SL9400

MSRP: $284|Avg: N/A

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 540

#1200

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

6190%

#1201

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

6099%

#1202

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

5599%

#1203

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

5574%

#1204

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

5523%

#1206

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

5333%

#1207

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

5114%

#1208

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

5105%

#1209

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

4968%

#1212

Celeron 540

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

100%

#1213

Celeron U3600

MSRP: $134|Avg: $134

98%

#1216

Core 2 Quad Q9000

MSRP: $348|Avg: $15

97%

#1217

Core i5-2537M

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

97%

#1218

Core i7-720QM

MSRP: $364|Avg: N/A

96%

#1219

Pentium U5400

MSRP: $289|Avg: $214

94%

#1220

Pentium T2330

MSRP: $150|Avg: $7

93%

#1221

Z-01

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

91%

#1222

Pentium T2310

MSRP: $150|Avg: $14

88%

#1223

Celeron SU2300

MSRP: $134|Avg: $134

86%

#1224

Core i5-560UM

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

86%

#1225

Core i7-660UM

MSRP: $317|Avg: N/A

85%

#1226

C-30

MSRP: $50|Avg: $15

85%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium M 1.60 leads in gaming performance. However, the Celeron 540 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.7% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Pentium M 1.60	Celeron 540
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($5)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Banias (2003) / 130 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Legacy / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium M 1.60	Celeron 540
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($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 M 1.60 Benchmark Check

Celeron 540 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium M 1.60 and Celeron 540

Pentium M 1.60

The Pentium M 1.60 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Banias (2003) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 24 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 405 points. Launch price was $69.

Celeron 540

The Celeron 540 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. Base frequency: 1.86 GHz. L3 cache: 1 MB L2 Cache. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 30 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 408 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium M 1.60 is built on the Banias (2003) architecture. In PassMark, the Pentium M 1.60 scores 405 against the Celeron 540's 408 — a 0.7% lead for the Celeron 540. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Pentium M 1.60 vs 1 MB L2 Cache on the Celeron 540.

Feature	Pentium M 1.60	Celeron 540
Cores / Threads	1 / 1	—
Boost Clock	1.6 GHz	—
Base Clock	—	1.86 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	1 MB L2 Cache
L2 Cache	1 MB	—
Process	130 nm	65 nm-50%
Architecture	Banias (2003)	—
PassMark	405	408

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the PGA478 socket with PCIe 1.1.

Feature	Pentium M 1.60	Celeron 540
Socket	PGA478	PGA478
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR2-667
Max RAM Capacity	—	4 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium M 1.60) / No (Celeron 540). Primary use case: Celeron 540 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 540 rivals Pentium T2310.