Pentium N3510 vs Celeron 2981U

CPU

GPU

Pentium N3510

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 2 GHz2013

Celeron 2981U

2 Cores2 Thrd512 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2014

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium N3510

4 / 4

1,040

+0.4%

1,036

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 N3510 is positioned at rank 1180 and the Celeron 2981U is on rank 426, so the Celeron 2981U 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 N3510

#1168

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

4542%

#1169

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

4475%

#1170

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

4108%

#1171

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

4090%

#1172

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

4052%

#1174

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3913%

#1175

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3752%

#1176

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3746%

#1177

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3646%

#1180

Pentium N3510

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

100%

#1181

Core i7-7Y75

MSRP: $393|Avg: $285

100%

#1183

Core i7-4500U

MSRP: $398|Avg: N/A

97%

#1185

Athlon Neo X2 L325

MSRP: $100|Avg: $5

95%

#1186

Core i3-2370M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

94%

#1187

Core i3-3217UE

MSRP: $225|Avg: $35

94%

#1188

Celeron T3000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $54

93%

#1189

Core m7-6Y75

MSRP: $393|Avg: $393

93%

#1190

Core M-5Y10

MSRP: $281|Avg: $20

91%

#1193

Celeron 900

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

87%

#1194

Pentium T3400

MSRP: $150|Avg: $90

87%

#1195

Core 2 Solo SU3500

MSRP: $262|Avg: $15

87%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Celeron 2981U

#414

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

566%

#415

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

558%

#416

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

512%

#417

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

510%

#418

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

505%

#420

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

488%

#421

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

468%

#422

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

467%

#423

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

455%

#426

Celeron 2981U

MSRP: $137|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 N3510 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Celeron 2981U in both compute-intensive tasks (0.4% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium N3510	Celeron 2981U
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($161)	✅ More affordable ($137)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Celeron 2981U holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $137 (vs $161), it costs 15% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 17% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Pentium N3510.

Insight	Pentium N3510	Celeron 2981U
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+17%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($161)	✅ More affordable ($137)

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 N3510 Benchmark Check

Celeron 2981U Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium N3510 and Celeron 2981U

Pentium N3510

The Pentium N3510 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 December 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1170. Thermal design power (TDP): 7.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3L-1333. Passmark benchmark score: 1,040 points. Launch price was $161.

Celeron 2981U

The Celeron 2981U 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. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,036 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium N3510 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Celeron 2981U offers 2 cores / 2 threads — the Pentium N3510 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2 GHz on the Pentium N3510 versus 1.6 GHz on the Celeron 2981U — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Pentium N3510 (base: 2 GHz vs 1.6 GHz). The Pentium N3510 uses the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Celeron 2981U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium N3510 scores 1,040 against the Celeron 2981U's 1,036 — a 0.4% lead for the Pentium N3510. Both processors carry 2 MB of L3 cache.

Feature	Pentium N3510	Celeron 2981U
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2 GHz+25%	1.6 GHz
Base Clock	2 GHz+25%	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	512 kB
Process	22 nm	22 nm
Architecture	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	1,040	1,036

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium N3510 uses the FCBGA1170 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Celeron 2981U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium N3510	Celeron 2981U
Socket	FCBGA1170	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 N3510) / VT-x (Celeron 2981U). The Celeron 2981U includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics (Haswell)), while the Pentium N3510 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Celeron 2981U targets Budget. Direct competitor: Celeron 2981U rivals Pentium 2117U.