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Intel Pentium 997

Intel Pentium 997

Intel Pentium 997: A Budget Processor for Everyday Tasks in 2025

April 2025

Introduction

In an era dominated by multi-core processors and neural network accelerators, even budget chips continue to find their audience. The Intel Pentium 997, released in the early 2010s based on the Sandy Bridge architecture, remains relevant in 2025 for users who value reliability and low cost. Let’s explore who this processor is suitable for today and how it compares to modern alternatives.

Architecture and Manufacturing Process

The Heart of Sandy Bridge

The Pentium 997 is built on a 32nm manufacturing process and belongs to the Sandy Bridge generation (2011–2013). Its key specifications include:

- 2 cores, 2 threads — the lack of Hyper-Threading limits multitasking capabilities.

- Base frequency: 2.4 GHz — Turbo Boost is not supported.

- Integrated graphics: Intel HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) — 6 execution units, frequency up to 1000 MHz.

The Sandy Bridge architecture brought improvements in IPC (instructions per cycle) by 10–15% compared to the previous Nehalem generation. However, the integrated GPU is weaker than modern solutions: it supports DirectX 10.1 and 1080p video playback, but struggles with 4K streaming or contemporary APIs like Vulkan.

Power Consumption and TDP

The TDP of the processor is 35W, which is typical for mobile chips of its class. In idle mode, power consumption drops to 3–5W thanks to Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology, which dynamically adjusts frequency and voltage.

For comparison, modern Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) processors have TDP ranging from 9W (for ultrabooks) to 28W, but they provide vastly superior performance.

Performance in Real-World Tasks

Office Work

- Microsoft Office, browser with 10 tabs: the processor manages, but simultaneous running of Zoom and Excel can cause stuttering.

- Rendering PDFs or working with large spreadsheets: noticeable delays (2–3 seconds).

Multimedia

- 1080p Video: playback is smooth.

- 4K Video: not supported natively — third-party codecs and resolution reduction are required.

Gaming

- CS:GO (on low settings): 25–30 FPS at 720p resolution.

- Minecraft (without shaders): 40–50 FPS.

- Modern AAA titles (2025): unplayable even on minimum settings.

Usage Scenarios

The Pentium 997 is suitable for:

1. Basic tasks: web surfing, online documents, video playback.

2. Education: laptops for students and schoolchildren (typing, Zoom).

3. Office sector: cash register systems, terminals.

Not suitable for:

- Video editing, 3D modeling.

- Modern games and VR.

- Working with neural network tools (e.g., Stable Diffusion).

Battery Life

With a battery capacity of 40–50 Wh, the operating time reaches 4–5 hours under mixed usage (browser + office applications). This is made possible by:

- Power Saving BIOS mode: limits CPU frequency.

- Adaptive screen dimming.

- Disabling unused peripheral controllers.

However, compared to modern processors with TDPs of 9–15W (e.g., AMD Ryzen 3 7320U), the Pentium 997's battery life appears modest.

Comparison with Competitors

AMD A6-9220 (2017)

- AMD Pros: more powerful Radeon R4 graphics.

- Cons: higher power consumption (15W TDP) with worse optimization.

Apple A14 Bionic (in MacBook Air 2020)

- Apple Pros: 3–4 times higher performance, 18 hours of battery life.

- Cons: prices starting at $999 compared to $300–400 for laptops with Pentium 997.

Intel Celeron N5100 (2021)

- Celeron Pros: 4K support, 6W TDP.

- Cons: weaker in single-threaded tasks.

Pros and Cons of the Pentium 997

Strengths:

- Price: laptops starting at $300.

- Sufficient for basic tasks.

- Repairability: CPU replacement is possible (unlike BGA chips).

Weaknesses:

- No support for modern instructions (AVX2, AI accelerators).

- Limited multitasking.

- Outdated ports: often lacks USB-C and Wi-Fi 6.

Recommendations for Choosing a Laptop

Where to look for the Pentium 997 in 2025?

- Budget models: HP 250 G10, Lenovo IdeaPad 1.

- Devices for educational institutions: Acer TravelMate B3.

What to pay attention to:

1. Display: IPS matrix with a resolution of 1920×1080 (HD+ is outdated).

2. Storage: needs an SSD (at least 128 GB).

3. RAM: 8 GB for Windows 11.

4. Ports: HDMI, USB 3.0, SD card slot.

Avoid:

- Versions with HDD and 4 GB RAM.

- Laptops without warranty (risk of component failure).

Final Conclusion

The Intel Pentium 997 in 2025 is a choice for:

- Budget-conscious users who do not need high performance.

- Corporate sectors where the priority is minimum cost of ownership.

- The secondary market, where used devices can be found for $150–200.

Key advantages:

- Reliability of a proven architecture.

- Availability of spare parts and repair options.

- Compatibility with lightweight operating systems (Linux Lite, Windows 11 LTSC).

However, for most users in 2025, modern processors like the Intel N100 or AMD Ryzen 3, which offer better performance and battery life even in the budget segment, will be preferable.

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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.
997
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.
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.
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 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
2
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.
No
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
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 5
Single Core Score
257
Geekbench 5
Multi Core Score
466
Passmark CPU
Single Core Score
746
Passmark CPU
Multi Core Score
809

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 5 Single Core
Pentium B980
345 +34.2%
A8-6500T
307 +19.5%
Pentium 997
257
A4-5000
189 -26.5%
Atom D2550
105 -59.1%
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
A6-5400B
688 +47.6%
A4-6320
588 +26.2%
Pentium U5600
471 +1.1%
Pentium 997
466
Atom Z2480
94 -79.8%
Passmark CPU Single Core
Core i3-3227U
946 +26.8%
Xeon E5503
845 +13.3%
Pentium 997
746
Pentium 987
621 -16.8%
Celeron N2810
512 -31.4%
Passmark CPU Multi Core
Celeron 3965Y
1194 +47.6%
A4-3420
1054 +30.3%
Pentium 997
809
E1-2500
591 -26.9%
Celeron 807
392 -51.5%