Intel Processor N100 vs Intel Celeron N5095 vs Intel Pentium Silver N6005

Intel Processor N100

The Intel Processor N100 is an entry-level mobile CPU for thin and light laptops from the Alder Lake-N series. It was announced in early 2023 and offers no performance cores and 4 of the 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The chip does not support HyperThreading and clocks with 1 to 3.4 GHz. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 6 MB L3-cache.

Performance

The average N100 in our database delivers unimpressive multi-thread benchmark scores that are most similar to those of the Core i3-1115G4. The chip is fast enough for many day-to-day tasks, but not much more than that; the other thing to keep in mind is that of the two N100-toting systems tested by us as of October 2023, both have rather high CPU power limits. The chip will be noticeably slower if limited to just six or seven Watts.

Features

The Alder Lake-N chips only support single channel memory with up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 or LPDDR5-4800. The chip also supports Quick Sync and AV1 decoding (most likely same engine as in Alder Lake). Furthermore, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 are partly integrated (but no Thunderbolt). External chips can be connected via PCIe Gen3 x9 (via the PCH).

The integrated graphics adapter is based on the Xe-architecture and offers only 24 of the 32 EUs (Execution Units) operating at only 450 - 750 MHz. Due to the single channel memory, low clock speeds, and low shader count, the gaming performance of the iGPU is very limited.

Power consumption

The N100 has a base power consumption of only 6 W and is therefore suited for fanless cooling. The CPU is built with a further improved 10nm SuperFin process at Intel (called Intel 7).

Intel Celeron N5095

The Intel Celeron N5095 is a quad-core SoC of the Jasper Lake product family designed for use in affordable SFF desktops and laptops. The Celeron was announced in early 2021. It features four Tremont CPU cores running at 2 GHz (base clock speed) Boosting up to 2.9 GHz (single-core Boost) with 1.5 MB of L2 and 4 MB of L3 cache but no thread-doubling Hyper-Threading technology. This processor is manufactured on Intel's first-gen 10 nm process to be not unlike the Ice Lake-U Core-series processors. The faster Celeron N5105 is notable for being more energy efficient (10 W TDP vs N5095's 15 W) yet featuring a faster iGPU model (24 EU UHD Graphics versus 16 EU UHD Graphics, with a higher clock rate to boot).

Architecture

Tremont architecture brings many improvements over the outgoing Goldmont architecture we know from Pentium N5030 and so many other N-class CPUs. According to Intel, the new architecture brings a 30% boost in single thread performance (+10% to +80% in SPECint and SPECfp depending on the test).

While the older N-class Celerons and Pentiums had to be content with up to 8 GB of DDR4-2400 RAM, Celeron N5095 is officially compatible with up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2933 or quad-channel LPDDR4x-2933 memory. Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) support is partially baked into the chip. The Celeron supports up to 8 PCI-Express 3.0 lanes, up to 14 USB 3.2 ports and up to two SATA III ports. Four PCI-Express 3.0 lanes allow for read/write rates of up to 3.9 GB/s, provided a suitably fast NVMe SSD is used.

Jasper Lake processor package is larger compared to what Gemini Lake models had (35 x 24 mm vs. 25 x 24 mm). Please note that the Celeron gets soldered on to the motherboard (BGA1338 socket interface) and is thus not user-replaceable.

Performance

The average N5095 in our database matches the Core i3-10110U, Core i3-1005G1, Celeron N5105 and also the Ryzen 3 3200U, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned.

Even if the cooling system is great and the Power Limits are high as the sky, some slight architectural improvements together with the updated manufacturing node and higher-than-usual wattage of the Celeron are not nearly enough to let it compete with modern Core and Ryzen-series processors. It's a good option for basic day-to-day tasks, but anything beyond that will be a struggle.

Graphics

The CPU features the DirectX 12-capable 16 EU UHD Graphics iGPU running at 450 MHz to 750 MHz. The graphics adapter is capable of driving up to 3 displays with resolutions up to 4096x2160@60; it will happily decode HEVC, AVC, VP9, MPEG-2 and other popular video codecs. The latest AV1 codec is not supported, though. (You can still play such a video but it will be software-decoded rather than hardware-decoded which puts a hard limit on the watchable resolution as the CPU cores are not very fast here.)

This is not a gaming GPU by any stretch of imagination. It is just as fast as an HD Graphics 515; it will let you play the least demanding titles (like Dota 2 Reborn) provided you are OK with 720p resolution and lowest quality preset possible.

Power consumption

Most N-class Celerons and Pentiums have a 6 W TDP (also known as the long-term Power Limit). The Celeron N5095 on the other hand has a 15 Watt TDP to mimic much faster U-class Core i3/i5/i7 processors. This basically means that passively cooled designs are out of the question with this chip.

This Intel processor is manufactured on Intel's first-gen or second-gen 10 nm process [no precise data available] for OK, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.

Intel Pentium Silver N6005

The Intel Pentium Silver N6005 is a quad-core SoC of the Jasper Lake series that is primarily intended for inexpensive and small desktop and was announced in early 2021. The four Tremont CPU cores clock between 2 and 3.3 GHz (single core Burst) and offer no HyperThreading (SMT). The N6005 uses 1.5 MB L2 and 4 MB L3 cache. The chip is manufactured in 10nm at Intel (most likely in the same process as Ice Lake).

CPU Architecture

The processor architecture is called Tremont and a complete redesign compared to the old Golmont Plus cores in the predecessor. According to Intel, the single thread performance of a core could be improved by 30% on average (10 - 80% in all tests of SPECint and SPECfp).

Features

In addition to the quad-core CPU block, the SoC integrates a 32 EU Intel UHD Graphics GPU clocked from 450 - 900 MHz and a LPDDR4(x) dual channel memory controller (up to 16 GB and 2933 MHz). The chip now also partly integrates Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+), 8 PCIe 3.0 lanes, 14 USB 2.0 / 3.2 ports and two SATA 6.0 ports. The package got bigger and measures 35 x 24 mm (compared to 25 x 24 mm for the N5030 e.g.). The SoC is directly soldered to the mainboard (BGA) and can't be easily replaced.

Performance

The average N6005 in our database is in the same league as the Core i3-1110G4, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is enough to enjoy Web browsing and watch videos online without noticeable slowdowns, as of mid 2023 - which is what most consumers want.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 15 W, the Intel NUC11ATKPE is among the fastest systems built around the N6005 that we know of. It can be about 50% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Power Consumption

Similar to the predecessor, Intel specifies the TDP with 10 Watts (versus the 6 W of the mobile N6000). The chip can therefore be cooled passively in theory, but SKUs with fans are possible as well.