Intel Celeron G6900E vs Intel Core i5-6500T Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Celeron G6900E and Intel Core i5-6500T split their strengths along a clear line: the i5-6500T dominates in multithreaded and multi-core workloads, while the Celeron G6900E takes a decisive single-thread victory in at least one major benchmark suite. The recorded data shows 7 wins for the i5-6500T against 1 win for the Celeron G6900E across the eight head-to-head tests.

The i5-6500T wins every Cinebench test (R15, R20, R23) in both single-core and multi-core variants, plus Geekbench multi-core. Its margins in Cinebench are consistent, ranging from 10.3% to 10.5% ahead of the Celeron. This makes the i5-6500T the clear choice for productivity workloads that scale across cores, such as video encoding, 3D rendering, or compilation tasks.

The Celeron G6900E's only win is in Geekbench single-core, where it posts a score of 1561 versus 1016 for the i5-6500T, a 53.6% advantage. This is a substantial single-thread performance lead, suggesting the Celeron has superior per-core efficiency in that specific workload. For applications that are lightly threaded but sensitive to single-core speed, such as certain legacy software or interactive scripting, the G6900E holds an edge.

However, the overall average benchmark score favors the i5-6500T: 1362 versus 1321 for the Celeron. The i5-6500T also sits at the 36th percentile among all CPUs in the database, while the Celeron sits at the 35th percentile, a marginal difference in overall standing. The i5-6500T's nearest rivals include the Core i5-8365UE (0% delta) and Core i7-3820QM (-0.3%), while the Celeron's nearest rivals include the Celeron G6900T (0% delta) and Core i5-4570R (0.2%), confirming both parts occupy a similar mid-low tier of desktop performance.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in multi-core Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-6500T scores 4054 versus 3632 for the Intel Celeron G6900E, a 10.4% advantage in the R23 multi-core test.

Q: Does the Celeron G6900E win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins Geekbench single-core by a large margin: 1561 versus 1016 for the i5-6500T, which is a 53.6% difference in favor of the Celeron.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The i5-6500T has an average benchmark score of 1362, while the Celeron G6900E averages 1321, giving the i5-6500T a 3% higher average across the database's recorded tests.

Q: Which CPU has a higher base clock speed?

A: The Celeron G6900E has a base clock of 3.00 GHz, while the i5-6500T has a base clock of 2.50 GHz. The i5-6500T also offers a boost clock of 3.10 GHz, which the Celeron lacks entirely.

Q: How do the two CPUs compare in Geekbench multi-core?

A: The i5-6500T scores 2843 versus 2702 for the Celeron G6900E, a 5% difference in the i5-6500T's favor. This is the narrowest multi-core margin in the head-to-head results.

Q: Are both CPUs still in production?

A: No. The Celeron G6900E is listed as Active, while the i5-6500T is listed as End-of-life.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic result in the comparison is Geekbench single-core. The Celeron G6900E scores 1561 against the i5-6500T's 1016, a 53.6% lead. This is an outlier in an otherwise consistent pattern of i5-6500T superiority. It suggests the Celeron's Alder Lake architecture delivers exceptionally strong per-thread performance in that workload, despite having only 2 cores versus the i5-6500T's 4.

Across all Cinebench tests, the i5-6500T wins by nearly identical margins. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i5-6500T scores 408 versus 366 for the Celeron, a 10.3% gap. In R15 single-core, the scores are 57 and 51, a 10.5% gap. The pattern repeats in R20: multi-core 1702 versus 1525 (10.4% gap), single-core 240 versus 215 (10.4% gap). In R23, multi-core 4054 versus 3632 (10.4% gap) and single-core 572 versus 512 (10.5% gap). This consistency indicates the i5-6500T's advantage is not workload-specific but rather a general throughput advantage, likely due to its 4 physical cores versus the Celeron's 2.

Geekbench multi-core narrows the gap considerably. The i5-6500T scores 2843 versus 2702 for the Celeron, a 5% difference. The Celeron's strong single-core showing in Geekbench partially compensates for its lack of cores in the multi-core version of that test. This suggests Geekbench's multi-core workload does not scale perfectly with core count, allowing the Celeron's higher per-core efficiency to close some distance.

The overall win count is one-sided: 7 wins for the i5-6500T, 1 for the Celeron G6900E. Yet the single Celeron win is the largest margin in the entire comparison. For users prioritizing single-thread performance in Geekbench-like workloads, the G6900E is the better part; for everything else in the recorded benchmarks, the i5-6500T is ahead.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Celeron G6900E | Intel Core i5-6500T |

|----------------|----------------------|----------------------|

| Cores | 2 | 4 |

| Threads | 2 | 4 |

| Base clock | 3.00 GHz | 2.50 GHz |

| Boost clock | None | 3.10 GHz |

| TDP | 46 W | 35 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1700 | Intel Socket 1151 |

| Process node | 10 nm | 14 nm |

| L1 cache (per core) | 80 KB | 64 KB |

| L2 cache (per core) | 1.25 MB | 256 KB |

| L3 cache (shared) | 4 MB | 6 MB |

| Memory support | DDR4, DDR5 | DDR3, DDR4 |

| Memory bandwidth | Not recorded | 34.1 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 5 | Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated graphics | UHD Graphics 710 | HD Graphics 530 |

| Release date | 2022-01-03 | 2015-07-01 |

| Production status | Active | End-of-life |

| Die size | Not recorded | 122 mm² |

The Celeron G6900E has a higher base clock (3.00 GHz versus 2.50 GHz) and a smaller process node (10 nm versus 14 nm). The i5-6500T compensates with a boost clock of 3.10 GHz, which the Celeron does not offer. The i5-6500T has more cores, more threads, and a larger L3 cache (6 MB versus 4 MB). The Celeron has larger per-core L1 and L2 caches, though it has fewer cores to share them.

Memory support differs: the Celeron supports DDR4 and DDR5, while the i5-6500T supports DDR3 and DDR4. The i5-6500T has a recorded memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s, while the Celeron's bandwidth is not recorded in the database. PCIe generation also differs: the Celeron supports Gen 5, while the i5-6500T supports Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only).

Architecture Differences

The two CPUs come from different architectural families and generations. The Celeron G6900E is based on Alder Lake (codename Alder Lake-S), part of the Celeron line within that generation. The i5-6500T is based on Skylake, part of the Core i5 line within that generation. The Celeron is built on Intel's 10 nm process, while the i5-6500T uses the older 14 nm process. The Celeron's die size is not recorded; the i5-6500T has a die size of 122 mm².

The Celeron G6900E has 2 cores and 2 threads, while the i5-6500T has 4 cores and 4 threads. This core difference is the primary architectural driver of the multi-core benchmark results. The Celeron's per-core cache structure is larger: 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 per core, versus 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core for the i5-6500T. The i5-6500T has more shared L3 cache: 6 MB versus 4 MB.

Both CPUs have integrated graphics, but different models: the Celeron uses UHD Graphics 710, while the i5-6500T uses HD Graphics 530. Neither CPU supports ECC memory, and neither has an unlocked multiplier. The Celeron supports PCIe Gen 5, a newer standard than the i5-6500T's Gen 3. Memory support also reflects the architectural gap: the Celeron supports DDR5 alongside DDR4, while the i5-6500T is limited to DDR3 and DDR4.

The i5-6500T has a part number (SR2L8) recorded in the database, while the Celeron does not. The i5-6500T was released in 2015 and is now end-of-life; the Celeron was released in 2022 and remains active. These architectural differences explain the benchmark pattern: the i5-6500T leverages more cores for consistent multi-thread wins, while the Celeron's newer process and per-core cache design give it a single-thread advantage in specific tests.