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Intel Celeron 3855U

Intel Celeron 3855U: A Budget Processor for Basic Tasks in 2025

Overview of Capabilities, Use Cases, and Recommendations

Architecture and Process Technology: What's Inside?

The Intel Celeron 3855U processor, released in 2016, is based on the Skylake microarchitecture (6th generation Intel Core) and is manufactured using a 14nm process. It is a dual-core CPU without Hyper-Threading support, meaning it has only 2 threads. The base clock frequency is 1.6 GHz, and there is no turbo mode. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 510 (with 12 execution units and a frequency of up to 900 MHz) provides basic visualization, but it is not designed for serious workloads.

Architecture Features:

- Energy Efficiency: Optimized for mobile devices with low TDP.

- Outdated Platform: Lack of support for DDR4-2400 in favor of DDR3L, which is a downside for modern laptops.

- iGPU: Supports 4K through HDMI 1.4, but only at 24 Hz, which limits its use for multimedia.

Power Consumption and TDP: Balancing Performance and Battery Life

The processor has a TDP of 15W, typical for entry-level ultrabooks. This allows for the use of passive cooling or compact heat sinks, reducing noise and weight of the device. However, the absence of turbo mode limits peak performance while ensuring stable temperatures even under prolonged load.

Power-saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep: Dynamic frequency adjustment based on workload.

- C-states: Reducing power consumption in idle mode.

Performance: What Can the Celeron 3855U Do in 2025?

Geekbench 6 test results (340/525) indicate that the processor is suitable only for basic tasks:

Office Work

- Examples: Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, a browser with 5-10 tabs.

- Nuances: Delays when running Zoom and Chrome simultaneously, but sufficient for text typing or spreadsheet work.

Multimedia

- Video: Streaming 1080p (YouTube, Netflix). 4K video at 24 Hz is possible, but with stutters.

- Photo Editors: Only basic retouching in Lightroom or Canva.

Gaming

- Games: Minecraft (30-40 FPS on low settings), Dota 2 (720p, ~25 FPS), browser games.

- Recommendation: For gaming, it’s better to choose a laptop with discrete graphics (e.g., NVIDIA MX450).

Use Cases: Who Is This CPU Suitable For?

1. Students: For lectures, document work, and online courses.

2. Seniors: Simple interface for viewing photos and social media communication.

3. Backup Laptop: A compact device for travel.

Not Suitable For:

- Video editing, 3D modeling.

- Modern gaming and professional tasks.

Battery Life: How Long Will It Last?

With a battery capacity of 40-45 Wh, the usage time reaches 6–8 hours with moderate use (web surfing, office work). In idle mode, it can last up to 10 hours.

Tips for Extending Battery Life:

- Reduce screen brightness to 50%.

- Disable background applications.

- Use the "Battery Saver" mode in Windows.

Comparison with Competitors: Context of AMD, Apple, and Others

Cores/Threads:

- AMD A6-9220e: 2/2

- Intel Pentium 4415U: 2/4

- Apple M1 (in base iPad): 4/4

TDP:

- AMD A6-9220e: 6W

- Intel Pentium 4415U: 15W

- Apple M1 (in base iPad): 10W

Geekbench 6 (Single/Multi):

- AMD A6-9220e: 290/480

- Intel Pentium 4415U: 380/720

- Apple M1 (in base iPad): 1700/4500

Notebook Price (2025):

- AMD A6-9220e: $250–$300

- Intel Pentium 4415U: $350–$400

- Apple M1 (in base iPad): $599 (iPad)

Conclusions:

- Pros of Celeron 3855U: Cheaper than AMD A6-9220e, but with comparable performance.

- Cons: Inferior to Pentium 4415U in multi-thread performance and significantly weaker than Apple M1.

Pros and Cons of the Processor

Strengths:

- Low cost of laptops ($250-$400).

- Energy efficiency and silence.

- Adequate for basic tasks in 2025.

Weaknesses:

- No AVX2 support, limiting performance with modern software.

- Outdated graphics.

- 4 GB of RAM in most configurations is insufficient for Windows 11.

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

1. Type of Device: Ultrabook or compact laptop with a screen size of 11–14 inches (e.g., Lenovo IdeaPad 1 or HP Stream 14).

2. Minimum Specifications:

- RAM: 8 GB (4 GB is critically low).

- Storage: 256 GB SSD (HDD will slow down the system).

- Display: IPS matrix with a resolution of 1920×1080.

3. Avoid: Laptops without SSDs, with Windows 10 (support will end in 2025).

Final Conclusion: Who Should Buy This?

The Celeron 3855U is a choice for those looking for a cheap, portable laptop for:

- Working with documents and browsing.

- Watching videos and socializing.

- Using as a secondary device.

Key Benefits:

- Price below $400.

- Compactness and long battery life.

Alternatives: If your budget allows $500+, consider laptops with Intel Core i3-1215U or AMD Ryzen 3 7320U for more future-proof performance.

Conclusion: In 2025, the Celeron 3855U remains a niche solution for undemanding users. Its main advantage is the price, but beyond basic tasks, it quickly shows its age. Choose it only if other options are unavailable, and be sure to upgrade the SSD and RAM.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

October 2015

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

3855U

Code Name

SkyLake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

1.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1356

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

15 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

2.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

1x4 | 2x2 | 1x2+2x1 and 4x1

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-1866/2133 | LPDDR3-1600/1866 | DDR3L-1333/1600

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

32 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

4 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

34.1 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® HD Graphics 510

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

300 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

900 MHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

32 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096x2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (VGA)

N/A

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

2 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel OS Guard

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.4

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

340

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

525

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

327

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

554

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

956

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

1274

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E5-2609

408 +20%

Celeron 5205U

376 +10.6%

Celeron 3855U

340

A10-6700T

289 -15%

A8-4555M

237 -30.3%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Athlon II X2 280

736 +40.2%

Core i3-2310M

640 +21.9%

Celeron 3855U

525

A4-3300M

393 -25.1%

A4-1250

188 -64.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Athlon X4 840

394 +20.5%

Xeon Gold 5218

363 +11%

Celeron 3855U

327

Opteron 2222

287 -12.2%

Pentium N3710

232 -29.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

PRO A4-8350B

762 +37.5%

Xeon E5-2658 v4

661 +19.3%

Celeron 3855U

554

Xeon E5-2623 v4

417 -24.7%

E2-1800

262 -52.7%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon E5-2407 v2

1068 +11.7%

Celeron 1005M

1018 +6.5%

Celeron 3855U

956

Opteron 6274

871 -8.9%

Pentium P6300

772 -19.2%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Celeron G1620

1556 +22.1%

Celeron G1610T

1393 +9.3%

Celeron 3855U

1274

Pentium G640T

1139 -10.6%

Pentium B950

991 -22.2%