About Celeron Intel Processors

by Stephen Byron Cooper, Demand Media

Find a Celeron processor on the motherboard of a Celeron computer.

The Celeron processor is a product of Intel. The processor is the central part of a computer. It is the component that does all the "thinking" -- running programs and calculating results -- and is like a box containing other elements, including a storage area. The processor communicates with the rest of the components of the computer by a number of pins that connect to wires on the motherboard.

History

Intel produces a series of processors following a numeric naming convention: 286, 386 and 486 -- each progression in the numbering sequence signified a better processor. They then moved over to names and created Pentium. Newer versions of the Pentium were given version numbers: Pentium, Pentium 2, Pentium 3 and Pentium 4. Again, as the version increases, the capabilities of the processor improves. Intel still sells Pentium processors. It then designed the Celeron processor. The Celeron processor was not intended to replace the Pentium. Instead, it is the discounted version of the Pentium. It has the same core, but with slower elements. Both chips are marketed simultaneously.

Purpose

The Celeron chip occupies a niche in the market place catering to consumers who do not need all the processing power of the Pentium and are not prepared to pay top dollar for features they are unlikely to use. The types of applications that require the capacity of the Pentium are interactive, graphics-intensive applications like video games or 3-D modeling software. These applications require a lot of fast calculations to identify movement prompted by the user and redraw the screen accordingly. Users who simply want to pick up email and write documents don't need that power, and so would be more likely to buy a cheaper computer with the Celeron processor.

Development

Celeron does not have version numbers, though its capabilities have been upgraded over the years in step with advancements in the Pentium design. It was first released in 1998, based on the Pentium 2 core. As each newer version of the Pentium processor came out, so too did a newer Celeron processor. Each time, the Celeron core is taken from the contemporary Pentium version.

Differences

Although the actual chip in a Celeron is the same as in a Pentium, other elements inside the processor reduce the power of the Celeron. It has a slower clock speed. This dictates the rate at which data moves within the processor. It has a slower bus speed, which is the rate at which data travels in and out of the processor. It also has less cache. This is the temporary memory within the processor. These three factors make the Celeron considerably slower than the Pentium.

References

About the Author

Stephen Byron Cooper began writing professionally in 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computing from the University of Plymouth and a Master of Science degree in manufacturing systems from Kingston University. A career as a programmer gives him experience in technology. Cooper also has experience in hospitality management with knowledge in tourism.