Intel Celeron is among the weakest, if not THE weakest, line of CPUs in the market for laptop and desktop PCs. The biggest advantage they have to their side is their extremely budget price tag.
Anything that remotely requires a higher level of computing should look elsewhere. But for gamers on a budget out there, the question remains “is Intel Celeron good for gaming?”
Ideally, you should stay away from Celeron when it comes to gaming, however, there three important factors that determine whether you can game on Celeron or not.
- The model of the Intel Celeron CPU
- The games that you intend to play
- Whether you have dedicated GPU or not
The general notion is that the Intel Celeron CPUs are intended for very low demanding workloads such as writing reports, web surfing, email correspondence, social media use etc.
Gaming is among the most demanding work that you can do on a PC. However, there are levels of gaming. AAA gaming, for instance, requires a better CPU (at least a Core i3). Pro gaming may require even a more powerful CPU such as an Intel Core i5 or better.
But if you are a casual gamer you can get away with it particularly if you have one of the latest flagship Celeron models.
Generally though, Celeron based laptops are certainly a no go for gaming. However, with desktops you have the option to add in a dedicated graphics card with a Celeron CPU – this arrangement can work for gaming reasonably well.
Also Read: Is Core i7 Good for Gaming?
The Popular Intel Celeron Models for Desktop and Laptop PCs
The following table lists the popular latest gen Intel Celeron CPUs for desktop and laptop based PCs. I have also added in the flagship Pentium and Core i3 CPUs for comparison sake.
Note:
- Desktop based Intel Celeron CPUs have the ‘G’ Prefix
- Laptop based Intel Celeron CPUs have the ‘N’ Prefix
CPU | Passmark Score |
Type |
Remarks |
Intel Celeron N4020 (2c/2t) | 1.10-2.80 GHz |
1606 | Laptop | A popular Celeron CPU found on many laptops; released in 2019 |
Intel Celeron N4500 (2c/2t) | 1.10-2.80 GHz |
2060 | Laptop | Latest value based Celeron CPU; Not very popular |
Intel Celeron N5100 (4c/4t) | 1.10-2.80 GHz |
2540 | Laptop | Flagship; Rare and latest Celeron CPU with 4 core ; Not very popular |
Intel Celeron G5905 (2c/2t) | 3.50 GHz |
2846 | Desktop | Flagship and Popular desktop based Celeron CPU |
Intel Pentium Gold 6405U (2c/4t) | 2.4 GHz |
2359 | Laptop | Flagship and Popular laptop based Intel Pentium CPU – weaker than Intel Celeron N5100 |
Intel Pentium G6400 (2c/4t) | 4.0 GHz |
4155 | Desktop | Popular; desktop based Pentium CPU. |
Intel Core i3-10110U (2c/4t) | 2.1-4.1 GHz |
4064 | Laptop | Flagship and Popular laptop based Intel Core i3 CPU |
Intel Core i3 10100 (4c/8t) | 3.6-4.3 GHz |
8825 | Desktop | Popular; desktop based Core i3 CPU. |
Also Read: Is Intel Pentium Good for Gaming?
The table above shows a handful of latest popular and flagship Intel Celerons CPUs.
It is worth noting that just because a certain CPUs is flagship (i.e the most powerful in its series), does not mean that it is popular.
Take for instance, the Intel Celeron N5100 released in 2021. This is an excellent and a very powerful Laptop based CPU. Surprisingly, this is a rare Celeron specimen to feature 4 cores and 4 threads. However, it is NOT popular as of yet.
The most popular Celeron CPU for laptops at the moment is the Intel Celeron N4020 released back in 2019.
This fact is important to highlight because when buying a Intel Celeron PC for gaming, you have to make sure which models are readily available. This would form the basis for analysis.
Also, quite naturally, the desktop based variants are often much more powerful than the laptop based models. There can be exceptions.
Also Read: Difference Between Pentium and Core i3 Processors
CPU Requirements of Popular Gaming Titles
Knowing the system requirements of various gaming titles would help us understand if Celeron CPUs are suitable for gaming or not.
There are two types of games mostly:
- Popular Online Games / Esports Titles
- AAA Titles
CPU Requirements by Popular Online / Esports Titles
These are often intended to be played by the masses and hence have a lower hardware requirements compared to AAA titles.
Pay attention to the corresponding Passmark score for each processor.
Minimum Requirements |
Recommended Requirements |
|
Minecraft | Intel Core i3-3210 (2 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 2061 |
Intel Core i5-4690 (4 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 5583 |
Roblox | Single Core | Single Core |
Rocket League | 2.5 GHz Dual Core | 3.0+ GHz Quad Core |
Fortnite | Intel Core i3-3225 (2 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 2187 |
Intel Core i5-7300U (2 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 3746 |
CS:GO | Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2 Core / 2 Threads) Passmark: 873 |
|
League of Legends | 3.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz Dual Core |
For Popular Online Games Celeron Meets The CPU Requirements
Both laptop and desktop based Celeron CPU do meet the minimum requirements of most of the popular online titles judging by the Passmark scores.
CPU Requirement by AAA Titles
AAA titles often have a more robust system requirements and hence require a much more powerful CPU.
Pay attention to the corresponding Passmark score for each processor.
Minimum Requirements |
Recommended Requirements |
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | Intel Core i5-3570K (4 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 4915 |
Intel Core i7-4790 (4 Cores / 8 Threads) Passmark: 7213 |
Resident Evil Village | Intel Core i5-7500 (4 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 6061 |
Intel Core i7-8700 (6 Cores / 12 Threads) Passmark: 13080 |
Watch Dog Legions | Intel Core i5-4460 (4 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 4796 |
Intel Core i7-7700 (4 Cores / 8 Threads) Passmark: 8621 |
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | Intel Core i5-4460 (4 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 4796 |
Intel Core i7-6700 (4 Cores / 8 Threads) Passmark: 8056 |
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 | Intel Core i5-4460 (4 Cores / 4 Threads) Passmark: 4796 |
Intel Core i5-8400 (6 Cores / 6 Threads) Passmark: 9216 |
For AAA Games Celeron DOES NOT Meet The CPU Requirements
For the latest demanding AAA titles, the Celeron CPUs do not come close to meeting even the minimum requirements.
Also Read: Do Games Use Multiple Cores?
Celeron CPU Benchmark
- Results taken from cpubenchmark.net
Officially speaking, the laptop based Intel Celeron CPUs are truly weak. The Intel Celeron N4020 does not even meet the minimum requirements for Minecraft!
Also Read:
So Is Intel Celeron Good for Gaming?
The answer to this question again depends upon:
- Which games you Intend to play
- The model of your Celeron CPU
- Whether you have a decent dedicated graphics cards or not.
A laptop with a Celeron CPU should certainly be avoided for any manner of gaming.
As far as the desktop models go, for most popular online games like League of Legends, World of Warcraft or Minecraft the latest models such as the G5905 can suffice.
But in reality, the performance that you get also depends heavily upon the graphics card you have.
Celeron Based Laptops have Very Weak GPUs
For mobile based Celeron systems, the real issue lies with the graphics card.
As a rule of thumb, since Celeron based laptops are intended for the budget segment, they DO NOT offer a dedicated graphics card.
Instead Celeron based laptops only offer a very weak integrated GPU. The Intel N4020, for instance features the Intel UHD 600 – a GPU on the button rung of the graphics performance.
While this is good enough for very few games like League of Legends, but for anything more demanding like Fortnite, World of Warcraft, this would show serious limitations.
Also Read: What is a Good Processor Speed for Laptop?
Celeron Based Desktops Can be Coupled with Good Graphics Cards
Like the laptop based Celeron CPUs, the Desktop based models also feature a very weak integrated graphics card.
The Celeron G5905, for instance, features the Intel UHD 610 which is better than Intel UHD 600 found on the N4020, but still on the bottom rung of the performance.
However, with desktops you have the option to couple the Celeron CPU with a decent low to mid range graphics card such as the AMD RX 560, Nvidia GT 1050, or the NVIDIA GTX 1650 etc.
With a setup like this, you can get excellent results on not only for the popular online titles including the more demanding ones like Fortnite, Rocket League, but also on AAA titles.
Also Read: Difference Between Intel Celeron vs i3
GPUs and Their Relative G3D Performance Score
GPU | G3DMark |
Year of Release |
Remarks |
Intel UHD 600 | 331 | 2018 | As found on Intel Celeron N4020 |
Intel HD 4000 | 332 | 2012 | Launched in 2012 with 3rd Ivy Bridge CPUs |
Intel UHD 610 | 732 | 2018 | As found on Intel Celeron G5905 |
Intel UHD 630 |
1381 | 2017 | As found on 7th-10th Intel Core series CPUs |
Intel UHD 750 | 1688 | 2021 | – As found 11th Gen Intel CPUs |
AMD Radeon RX 560 | 3636 | 2017 | Budget dedicated GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 | 5409 | 2015 | Budget dedicated GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 | 6036 | 2015 | Budget dedicated GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 6329 | 2016 | Budget dedicated GPU |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 | 9875 | 2016 | Budget dedicated GPU |
As far as the performance of the integrated graphics found on Celeron CPUs go, they are abysmal to say the least. The Intel UHD 600 found on the Celeron N4020 is worse than the Intel HD 4000 released way back in 2012.
- Results taken from videocardbenchmark.net
Coupling an Intel Celeron G5905 with an AMD RX 560 can give you decent performance for almost ALL popular online titles.
Also Read: What is AMD Equivalent to Core i3?
Intel Celeron Gaming CPUs Recommendations Summary
Intel Celeron and gaming may sound like an oxymoron at this point.
Here are a few key points to note
- The Celeron based laptops are a no-go.
- The only way gaming on Celeron CPU is justifiable is if you are building a desktop with a low end dedicated graphics card.
Also Read: Difference Between Intel Atom vs Intel Celeron vs Intel Pentium
FAQ
Which Games Can I Run on Celeron?
Honestly, for laptop based Celeron CPUs, NONE of the popular games can be played at satisfactory performance.
As for desktop-based Celeron CPUs, you can play almost all of the games, online and AAA titles, IF you couple it with a decent graphics card.
Can Intel Celeron Run Fortnite?
Without a dedicated graphics card, no, Celeron cannot run Fortnite even on low settings.
Also Read: Intel Core i5 vs i7 for Video Editing – Which is Better?