Intel Celeron 3205U

The Intel Celeron 3205U is a mobile Broadwell-U processor released on February 28, 2015. It has 2 cores and 2 threads, with a base clock of 1500.00 MHz and no boost clock listed. Built on Intel's 14 nm process, it uses 1,300 million transistors on an 82 mm² die, and its part number is SR215. In this database, the processor holds the 4th percentile position among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 385. The nearest rivals listed are the Intel Core i3-3217U, the AMD Athlon II X3 400e, the Intel Pentium 3805U, and the AMD Athlon II X2 270.

Benchmark Performance

The listed Geekbench results are a multicore score of 494 and a single-core score of 276. The average benchmark score for the Celeron 3205U is 385, which is the arithmetic midpoint of those two results. That detail matters because it shows how the summary figure relates to the actual workload scores: the processor does not have a single dominant strength, but rather sits in one low performance band across both single-thread and multi-thread tests.

Against the nearest rivals, the Celeron 3205U is tightly clustered. The Intel Core i3-3217U has an average score of 386, which puts the Celeron 0.2% behind. The AMD Athlon II X3 400e also averages 386, and the Celeron trails by 0.3%. The Intel Pentium 3805U averages 383, and the Celeron is 0.5% ahead of it. The AMD Athlon II X2 270 averages 387, giving the Celeron a 0.6% deficit. The largest delta among all four nearest rivals is 0.6%, so in terms of average benchmark score these parts are effectively interchangeable.

Despite the near-tie with immediate rivals, the 4th percentile position is a strong statement about the broader positioning of this chip. It means the Celeron 3205U is near the bottom of the performance distribution tracked in this database. The immediate rivals are themselves low-scoring processors, so being nearly equal to them does not pull the Celeron upward in the global ranking. The data suggests a small, consistent performance tier occupied by several older low-power parts, with the Celeron placed inside that tier rather than above or below it.

Platform and Compatibility

The Celeron 3205U uses the Intel BGA 1168 socket and belongs to Intel's Broadwell architecture, with the codename Broadwell-U and the generation label Celeron (Broadwell-U). The process node is 14 nm, and the die size is 82 mm². The transistor count is listed as 1,300 million, a large number for a chip with only 2 cores and 2 threads, but the architecture is clearly oriented toward low power rather than high throughput.

The cache layout is modest: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 2 MB of shared L3. Memory support is DDR3 over a dual-channel bus, with a memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. ECC memory is not supported. The PCIe implementation is Gen 2 with 12 lanes (CPU only), which is a limited external interface for a mobile processor. Integrated graphics are Intel HD. The multiplier is not unlocked, meaning the chip does not offer a user-accessible overclocking path. The production status is end-of-life, and the market segment is Mobile.

The BGA 1168 socket and the end-of-life status together define the upgrade reality. This is a board-level mobile part, and the data does not indicate any alternative socket or platform pathway. For a system built around this Celeron, the processor itself is not a modular upgrade component in the way that a desktop socketed part might be. The platform is fixed by the BGA package, and the end-of-life status means the product is no longer in active production.

Power and Thermals

The thermal design power is 15 watts. That is a low-power figure for a processor, and it is consistent with the mobile market segment. On a 14 nm process, a 15W TDP places this chip in a class where cooling requirements are modest. The absence of a boost clock reinforces this: the 1500.00 MHz base clock is the only clock figure listed, so the thermal envelope does not need to accommodate a higher transient frequency.

Because the multiplier is not unlocked, there is no overclocking path within the processor's listed capabilities. This keeps the power and thermal behavior tied to the 15W specification. The data provides no cooler package details, but the TDP alone is a clear signal that this is not a high-current part. A compact cooling solution in a thin mobile chassis would be the expected application, though the exact cooler type is not listed in the fact pack.

Who Should Consider It

The benchmark scores suggest a narrow set of suitable workloads. A single-core score of 276 and a multicore score of 494 are enough for basic office tasks, web browsing, and light document work. The 2-thread design and 1500.00 MHz base clock are acceptable for simple interactive workloads, but the 4th percentile standing warns against expecting more.

For creation workloads that rely on many threads, this processor is not a reasonable fit. A 2-thread chip with 2 MB of shared L3 and a 4th percentile overall ranking will struggle with render-heavy or multi-step creative tasks. The dual-channel DDR3 memory interface provides 25.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is useful for ordinary system responsiveness but not for memory-hungry applications.

Gaming is a cautious topic because the fact pack lists integrated graphics as Intel HD but does not include any graphics benchmark. The CPU scores alone are low, and without a graphics score, the gaming behavior of this processor cannot be established from the data. The safest reading is that this is not a performance-oriented gaming part, and any gaming use would have to be evaluated through the missing iGPU benchmark rather than the CPU scores.

How It Compares

The Intel Core i3-3217U is a nearest rival with an average benchmark score of 386. The Celeron 3205U is 0.2% behind it, which is a negligible difference in average score. The two are effectively at parity in this database.

The AMD Athlon II X3 400e also averages 386. The Celeron trails this part by 0.3%. The gap is small, and on any given workload the ordering could shift. The Celeron does not gain a meaningful advantage from its newer architecture in this comparison.

The Intel Pentium 3805U averages 383, and the Celeron is 0.5% ahead of it. This is the only listed nearest rival where the Celeron has a positive deltaPct. Even so, the lead is small and does not move the processor into a higher performance class.

The AMD Athlon II X2 270 averages 387, the highest average score among the four nearest rivals. The Celeron is 0.6% behind it, making this the largest gap in either direction in the nearest-rival list. The difference is still tiny, and all four rivals occupy the same general performance tier as the Celeron 3205U.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The single-core score of 276 and the multicore score of 494 define the workload profile. With 2 cores and 2 threads, the multicore score represents the best case for parallel execution. The gap between the two scores shows that dual-thread scaling has some benefit, but the absolute values remain low.

Single-thread performance is the more important number for many everyday applications. Interactive software, spreadsheet tasks, and web browsing tend to rely on a single main thread, and the 276 score is the relevant figure for those workloads. Because no boost clock is listed, the 1500.00 MHz base clock is the only clock reference available. There is no turbo frequency to raise single-thread performance when only one core is active.

The multicore score of 494 gives a fuller picture for software that can use both threads. With only 2 threads, though, the parallel capacity is inherently limited. The average benchmark score of 385 sits between the two Geekbench results, which reflects the balanced weighting of the summary metric. For a user, the split means that responsiveness in light single-threaded tasks will be determined by the 276 score, while throughput in dual-threaded tasks will approach the 494 score. Neither number indicates a high-performance result, but the relationship between them is consistent with a small dual-core mobile chip.

FAQ

Q: What socket does the Intel Celeron 3205U use?

A: It uses the Intel BGA 1168 socket.

Q: What memory type is supported?

A: The processor supports DDR3 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. ECC memory is not supported.

Q: Does the Celeron 3205U have an unlocked multiplier?

A: No, the multiplierUnlocked field is false, so the multiplier is not unlocked.

Q: What is the thermal design power?

A: The TDP is 15 watts.

Q: When was it released and what is its production status?

A: It was released February 28, 2015, and its production status is end-of-life.

Q: What was the launch MSRP?

A: The launch MSRP was $107.