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Intel Celeron B820

Intel Celeron B820

Intel Celeron B820: A Budget Processor for Basic Tasks in 2025

Architecture, Performance, and Laptop Selection Recommendations

Architecture and Process Technology

Dual-Core Sandy Bridge Foundation

The Intel Celeron B820 processor, released in 2012, is built on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. Despite its age, it can still be found in budget entry-level laptops in 2025. The manufacturing process is 32 nm, which is considered outdated by modern standards (compared to Apple's 5-nm M3 chips or AMD's 4-nm Ryzen 8040).

- Cores and Threads: 2 cores, 2 threads — a minimal configuration for simple tasks.

- Clock Frequencies: Base clock of 1.7 GHz, with no Turbo Boost.

- iGPU: Integrated Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) with a base frequency of 650 MHz and a maximum of 1.05 GHz. Supports DirectX 10.1, but struggles with modern games.

Architecture Features:

- Supports SSE4.2 instructions, but lacks AVX, limiting performance in demanding applications.

- L3 cache is 2 MB. For comparison, modern entry-level processors have L3 cache starting from 4 MB.

Power Consumption and TDP

Modest Appetite

The TDP (thermal design power) of the Celeron B820 is 35 W. This is higher than that of modern ultrabook processors (for example, the Intel Core i3-N305 has a TDP of 15 W), but lower than gaming chips (45–65 W).

- Cooling: Passive or simple cooler systems.

- Energy Efficiency: The absence of technologies like Intel Adaptix Dynamic Tuning makes power management primitive.

Performance in Real-World Tasks

Sufficient for Office and Web Use

Office Work:

- Running Microsoft Office 2025 and Google Workspace — without issues.

- Multitasking with 5–10 tabs in Chrome is possible, but with delays.

Multimedia:

- Playback of Full HD (H.264) video — smooth.

- 4K video or high-resolution streaming services — not supported.

Gaming:

- Older games (e.g., Half-Life 2, Minecraft on low settings) — 20–30 FPS.

- Modern titles (even Among Us) — low performance due to weak graphics.

Turbo Mode: Not available.

Usage Scenarios

Who is the Celeron B820 Suitable For?

- Students: For note-taking, online courses, and Zoom conferences.

- Office Workers: Working with Excel, Word, and email.

- Seniors: Browsing the internet and viewing photos.

Not Suitable For:

- Video editing, 3D modeling.

- Gaming, except for retro projects.

Battery Life

Modest but Adequate

The battery life of a laptop with the Celeron B820 depends on the battery capacity:

- With a 40 Wh battery — 4–5 hours of web browsing.

- With a 60 Wh battery — up to 7 hours.

Power-Saving Technologies:

- Intel SpeedStep — dynamic frequency management.

- C-states — reduced power consumption during idle.

Tip: Disable background applications and use browsers like Edge (optimized for low-end hardware).

Comparison with Competitors

Budget Segment: Who Are the Leaders?

- AMD Athlon Silver 3050U (2023): 2 cores/2 threads, 15 W TDP, Zen architecture. Best performance in multi-threading.

- Intel Pentium Gold 7505 (2024): 2 cores/4 threads, 15 W TDP, DDR4 support.

- Apple M1 (2020): Not a competitor due to price, but in 2025 even a used MacBook Air with M1 will outpace the Celeron B820 by 5 times in speed.

Conclusion: The Celeron B820 lags behind modern counterparts but wins on price.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Low cost of laptops (starting at $200).

- Sufficient performance for basic tasks.

- Simple cooling.

Weaknesses:

- No support for modern standards (USB-C, Wi-Fi 6).

- Small cache size.

- Outdated graphics.

Laptop Selection Recommendations

What to Look For in 2025?

1. Type of Device:

- Budget Laptop: For example, Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (price — $229).

- Chromebook: Suitable for web applications (HP Chromebook 14 — $199).

2. Specifications:

- RAM: Minimum 8 GB (models with 4 GB are common — avoid them!).

- Storage: Only SSD (128 GB is enough for the OS).

- Display: IPS matrix with a resolution of 1366x768.

3. Extras:

- Check for HDMI and USB-A ports — they will be useful for connecting peripherals.

Final Verdict

The Intel Celeron B820 is a processor for those who need a max cheap laptop for basic tasks. It is suitable for:

- Studying and working with documents.

- As a secondary device for travel.

- Elderly users who don't need complex programs.

Key Benefits:

- Price starting at $200 for a new laptop.

- Reliability (architecture proven over the years).

- Low cooling requirements.

Alternative: If your budget allows for $300–400, consider models with AMD Athlon Silver or Intel Pentium Gold — they will last longer.

P.S. In 2025, the Celeron B820 is a choice for those who value economy over performance. But remember: such a laptop won't receive updates for Windows 12 and won't handle future software versions.

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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.
B820
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).
2
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
2
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.
No
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.
No
CPU Socket
?
The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.
FCPGA988 | PGA988
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.
16
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.
2
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.
No

GPU Specifications

GPU Name
Intel® HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel® Processors
Graphics Base Frequency
?
Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.
650 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.
1.05 GHz
Number of Displays Supported
2
Graphics Output
?
Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.
eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

Miscellaneous

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.
No
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
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.
No
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.
No
Intel InTru 3D Technology
No
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.
No

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6
Single Core Score
287
Geekbench 6
Multi Core Score
483
Geekbench 5
Single Core Score
276
Geekbench 5
Multi Core Score
498
Passmark CPU
Single Core Score
750
Passmark CPU
Multi Core Score
811

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core
A4 PRO-7300B
375 +30.7%
Celeron N4000
339 +18.1%
Celeron B820
287
Celeron G465
234 -18.5%
Celeron N3060
115 -59.9%
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
Celeron 3865U
693 +43.5%
Pentium B980
601 +24.4%
Core i3-2377M
500 +3.5%
Celeron B820
483
Xeon E7-4809 v2
58 -88%
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Xeon L5609
354 +28.3%
A6-4455M
316 +14.5%
Celeron B820
276
Celeron N2820
207 -25%
C-70
122 -55.8%
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
Celeron 1037U
713 +43.2%
Core M-5Y10a
618 +24.1%
Celeron B820
498
E2-3800
383 -23.1%
E1-1200
193 -61.2%
Passmark CPU Single Core
Core i3-2310M
948 +26.4%
Celeron J3455E
846 +12.8%
Celeron B820
750
Core i3-2365M
623 -16.9%
Celeron 847
520 -30.7%
Passmark CPU Multi Core
Opteron 2222
1198 +47.7%
Celeron 2980U
1056 +30.2%
Celeron B820
811
Celeron N2840
592 -27%
E1-1500
402 -50.4%