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Intel Celeron 887

Intel Celeron 887: Budget Processor for Basic Tasks in 2025

An analysis of the capabilities and relevance of an outdated chip in the era of modern technologies.

1. Architecture and Manufacturing Process: The Legacy of Sandy Bridge

The Intel Celeron 887 processor, released in 2011, is based on the Sandy Bridge architecture—the second generation of Intel Core. This is a 32nm dual-core chip without Hyper-Threading support, which means it has 2 threads. The processor's base frequency is 1.5 GHz, and there is no turbo mode, as Turbo Boost technology was disabled in the Celeron line to reduce costs.

Integrated graphics are represented by Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) with 6 execution units (EUs) and a frequency of up to 1000 MHz. This allows for the processing of 1080p video, but the power is insufficient for gaming or rendering. The L3 cache is limited to 2 MB, significantly lower than the Core i3/i5 of the same generation (3–6 MB).

Example: In 2025, such specifications appear archaic. In comparison, modern budget chips, like the Intel Celeron N5100 (Jasper Lake, 10nm), feature 4 cores, 4 threads, and a 4 MB L2 cache.

2. Power Consumption and TDP: Savings through Limitations

The TDP of the Celeron 887 is 17W, typical for mobile processors from the Sandy Bridge era. This allowed the chip to be used in thin laptops and netbooks, but even by 2025 standards, its energy efficiency leaves much to be desired. Modern counterparts, like the AMD Athlon Silver 7120U (6nm, TDP 15W), demonstrate twice the performance at a similar thermal package.

Tip: Laptops with the Celeron 887 were often equipped with passive cooling, reducing noise but limiting performance under sustained loads.

3. Performance: Real Tasks and Limitations

Results from Geekbench 6 (Single-Core: 259, Multi-Core: 372) show that the processor can only handle the simplest tasks:

- Office work: Word, Excel, and a browser with 2-3 tabs.

- Multimedia: Watching YouTube videos (1080p) is possible, but streaming 4K or HDR is not.

- Gaming: Only older 2D games (like Stardew Valley) or early 2000s games at low settings.

Example: Running Zoom + a browser + a messenger will lead to noticeable lags.

4. Use Cases: Who Is the Celeron 887 Suitable for in 2025?

- Students for typing and working with PDFs.

- Older users who need a cheap laptop for communication and reading news.

- Office "workhorses" with pre-installed Linux for basic tasks.

Important: Do not consider this processor for graphic work, video editing, or modern applications like Figma.

5. Battery Life: Battery vs. Architectural Limitations

With a TDP of 17W and no modern power-saving technologies (such as those found in Intel's 7nm Alder Lake-U), laptops with the Celeron 887 in 2025 can run for 3-5 hours with a new battery. Features like SpeedStep dynamically adjust the frequency, but the outdated 32nm manufacturing process lags behind modern chips in efficiency.

Tip: Replace HDD with SSD and upgrade RAM to 8 GB—this will extend battery life by reducing the load on the processor.

6. Comparison with Competitors: Who Are the Leaders?

- AMD E2-9000 (2017, 28nm): A weak APU but supports more modern video codecs.

- Intel Celeron N4020 (2019, 14nm): 2 cores, 2 threads, but is 30% faster in multi-threaded tasks.

- Apple M1 (2020, 5nm): A system-on-chip that outperforms by 5-7 times.

Conclusion: Even budget modern processors (starting from $300) surpass the Celeron 887 in all parameters.

7. Pros and Cons: Is It Worth Buying?

Pros:

- Very low price (laptops starting from $200, if new models are still available).

- Support for basic operating systems: Windows 10 LTSC, Linux (Lubuntu).

Cons:

- No support for AVX, AES-NI, and other modern instructions.

- Maximum 16 GB DDR3-1333 MHz — a bottleneck for multitasking.

8. Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

If you still decide to buy a device with a Celeron 887, pay attention to:

- Type of Device: Budget laptops (Acer Aspire ES1, Lenovo IdeaPad 100).

- SSD instead of HDD: A must! This will significantly speed up the system.

- Display: IPS matrix with a resolution of 1366x768—minimum for comfort.

Warning: Do not buy models with 2 GB RAM—they are unsuitable even for browsing in 2025.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Is This Processor For?

The Intel Celeron 887 in 2025 is suitable for those who:

- Are looking for an ultra-budget device under $250 for typing and internet use.

- Do not plan to use modern applications.

- Are willing to compromise with limitations for the price.

Alternative: For $300-400, you can buy a laptop based on the Intel Celeron N4500 or AMD Athlon Silver 3050U with support for Wi-Fi 6, NVMe SSD, and a Full HD display.

Conclusion: The Celeron 887 is a relic of the past, maintaining relevance only in the niche of "digital minimalism." In a world where even budget Chromebooks offer more, such a processor should only be chosen in extreme cases.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

July 2012

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.

887

Code Name

Sandy Bridge

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.

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.

FCBGA1023

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.

32 nm

Max. Operating Temperature

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

100C

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.

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

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

PCI Express Configurations

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

1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8 2x4

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.

DDR3 1066/1333

Max Memory Size

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

16 GB

Memory Channels

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

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).

21.3 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

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel® Processors

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.

1.00 GHz

Graphics Base Frequency

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

350 MHz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

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

eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

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.

Instruction Set Extensions

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

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.

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.

Intel Clear Video Technology

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel Quick Sync Video

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

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

259

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

372

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

277

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

509

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

703

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

754

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Celeron 2950M

360 +39%

Core i3-2348M

314 +21.2%

Celeron 887

259

Athlon 5150

182 -29.7%

C-50

72 -72.2%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Celeron 3865U

693 +86.3%

Pentium B980

601 +61.6%

Core i3-2377M

500 +34.4%

Celeron 887

372

Xeon E7-4809 v2

58 -84.4%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

A10-4600M

356 +28.5%

Opteron 3320 EE

319 +15.2%

Celeron 887

277

Xeon E7-4809 v2

215 -22.4%

Atom E3826

129 -53.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Celeron G530

725 +42.4%

A4-5000

623 +22.4%

Celeron 887

509

Celeron G460

393 -22.8%

E1-1500

198 -61.1%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Celeron 2980U

929 +32.1%

A6-3430MX

822 +16.9%

Celeron 887

703

Pentium U5600

588 -16.4%

E1-2500

458 -34.9%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

E2-3800

1139 +51.1%

Celeron 1037U

989 +31.2%

Celeron 887

754

Sempron 130

511 -32.2%

Atom E3826

304 -59.7%