Is Intel i3 better than Celeron?

Intel Core i3 vs Intel Celeron

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The core i3 and Celeron are two processor series we commonly hear about from Intel. Both of these series are generally considered at the lower end of the performance and price spectrum.

They’re usually featured in laptops, and it’s rare to find a modern-day prebuilt PC that features either.

Still, due to the affordability of both i3 and Celeron processors, those looking to build a PC without breaking the bank often gravitate toward them. If you’re in a similar situation, you may be wondering which of the two is better.

Intel i3

The Intel Core i3 series features Intel’s lowest-end processors within the “core” CPU series. Core i3 processors these days have four cores and eight threads, meaning they’re quad-core processors with hyperthreading enabled. They feature max clock speeds upwards of 4GHz, which isn’t too shabby, even by modern-day standards.

The older i3 processors (8th gen and below, to be more specific), used to have 2 cores and far lower clock speeds, often barely above 3GHz. But they’ve long been discontinued, and you won’t find them in markets anymore.

The Intel core i3-13100 is the latest i3 processor. Since it’s the newest generation, it also has the best specs for an i3 and is probably your best option within the said series.

Intel Core i3-13100

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Core i3

Cores (Threads)

4 (8)

CPU Speed

4.5 GHz

CPU Socket

LGA 1151

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• Cores: 4
• Threads: 8
• Base clock: 3.4GHz
• Boost clock: 4.5Ghz
• TDP: 60 watts

Celeron

Celeron processors don’t belong to Intel’s core series, but they have much of the same architecture. It’s just that they differ massively in performance.

Celeron processors typically feature two cores – without hyperthreading. Yup, that’s pretty bad.

They also have much lower clock speeds; most of them sit at a 1GHz clock. That’s about as low as it gets.

As I’m sure you can tell, Celeron processors were really only intended to be used in laptops and notebooks for browsing and light applications. You can’t game or do anything CPU-intensive on most of them.

A select few Celeron processors do come equipped with higher clock speeds, though, such as the G5905. Here are its specs:

Intel Celeron G5905

Brand

Intel

CPU Model

Celeron_M

CPU Speed

3.5 GHz

CPU Socket

Socket LGA-1200

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• Cores: 2
• Threads: 2
• Core clock: 3.5GHz
• TDP: 58 watts

Intel i3 vs. Celeron – which is better?

The stats speak for themselves: i3 processors outperform Celeron processors by a considerable margin in most, if not all, performance-determining specs: Core count, thread count, clock speed, and even power efficiency.

Yes, Celeron CPUs do consume less power, but they also offer bare-bones performance. Core i3 processors consume somewhat more power but are highly power-efficient because of their comparatively high performance.

In most cases, the i3 will be the better option – by a long shot. Celeron processors only have a use case in laptops and notebooks designed for browsing, reading, and learning, where battery life is the single-largest concern. You won’t be able to game on a Celeron processor, unfortunately.

Core i3 processors – even though they pale in comparison to their i5, i7, and i9 cousins – can still let you game on 60FPS.

Final thoughts

Intel i3 and Celeron series CPUs both consist of Intel’s budget offerings. However, between the two, the i3 series is the clear winner in performance and value.

Celeron only comes out on top when power consumption is the only important metric. While core i3 processors have better power efficiency, Celeron CPUs consume less power overall.