Celeron Processor

Intel Celeron processor is the low-end (and low cost) member of the family of microprocessors from Intel that is based on its P6 architecture. Although it is based on the same architecture as the Pentium II, it lacks some high- performance features of the Pentium II line.

       Celeron models later than the 300. A include an L1 and L2 cache on the microchip, meaning that the cache is accessed at the same clock speed that the processor operates with. The Celeron L2 cache is smaller (128 kilobyte’s) than the Pentium II's (512 KB). However, because the Celeron L2 cache is on the processor chip and the Pentium II's is not, their effective L2 speeds are closely comparable. With clock speeds up to 466 MHz, Celeron processors are attractive to power users at first glance, but they should be compared to the Pentium II's computing power in order to get an idea of their useful application.

 

In ZDNet's CPU mark 99 benchmark tests, the Celeron processors compared favorably with Pentium II processors. Intel is marketing the processor as a chip for the basic PC. They view it as providing performance Good enough for home and business users doing word processing and Internet surfing. Power users and serious gamers may want to think about spending more for the Pentium II's top performance.

Celeron can be mounted in a Slot 1 motherboard or in a Socket 370 motherboard. Like Intel's other P6 microprocessors, the Celeron can be used for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP).