Core i5-540UM vs Celeron 2981U

Primary Details

Comparing Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2632	2622
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Celeron	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Haswell (2013−2015)	Arrandale (2010−2011)
Release date	1 January 2014 (10 years ago)	24 May 2010 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$250
Current price	no data	$350 (1.4x MSRP)

Detailed Specifications

Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	2	4
Base clock speed	1.6 GHz	1.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	1.6 GHz	2 GHz
Bus support	no data	2500 MHz
L1 cache	128 KB	128 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	512 KB
L3 cache	2 MB	3 MB
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	no data	81+114 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	105 °C
Number of transistors	no data	382+177 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Socket	FCBGA1168	BGA1288
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	18 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	-	+
FMA	no data	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	+
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	+
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
SIPP	-	no data
Smart Response	-	no data
PAE	no data	36 Bit
GPIO	+	no data
Smart Connect	+	no data
FDI	-	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+
AMT	9.5	no data
Matrix Storage	-	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued
HD Audio	+	no data
RST	+	no data

Security technologies

Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
Identity Protection	-	no data
OS Guard	-	no data
Anti-Theft	-	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	no data
VT-d	-	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	16 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	12.8 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® HD Graphics for 4th Generation Intel® Processors	Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors
Quick Sync Video	+	no data
Clear Video	+	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	1 GHz	500 MHz

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	2
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	no data
HDMI	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	12	16
PCI support	-	no data
USB revision	3.0	no data
Total number of SATA ports	2	no data
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	2	no data
Integrated IDE	-	no data
Number of USB ports	4	no data
Integrated LAN	-	no data
UART	+	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Core i5-540UM outperforms Celeron 2981U by 2% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & Cons Summary

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Performance score	0.63	0.64
Recency	1 January 2014	24 May 2010
Threads	2	4
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	18 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Celeron 2981U and Core i5-540UM, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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