The Celeron was introduced as a budget alternative to the Pentium, and it’s been through countless revisions to end up as the Celeron D. Predominantly based on the Prescott core, the misleading “D” suffix doesn’t signify a dual-core architecture – it still has a single core.
All models support Intel’s EM64T technology (apart from the rare 3xxJ models) and XD-bit. The majority have 256KB of Level 2 cache, although the newest revision has double that. Based on the Cedar Mill core and produced using the 65nm process, the 352 and 356 (and 360 when released) are the top-end Celeron Ds.
The range begins with the 2.53GHz Celeron D 326 for just £25, and climbs up to the 3.33GHz 356 for £45. That’s an incredible nine steppings in the space of just £20, emphasising just how precise you can be with your budget.
Price and performance are fairly proportional, and the top models are so closely priced you’d be mad not to buy the 356. It’s just £2 more than the 355 and £3 more than the 352. Other than that, the graph on p94 speaks for itself. If you’re looking for the cheapest processor for a socket LGA 775 board, the Celeron D 326 performs adequately for little outlay.
But at the top end, the dual-core Pentium D 805 costs just £10 more than the Celeron D 356. It lags behind the rest of the Pentium D family, but the two cores give a boost over the Celerons when multitasking, making it a great upgrade.
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Original publication by David Bayon: Source article