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This new entry-level Celeron chip could still beat the Core i9-10900K

Intel Celeron G6900 was recently added to the Intel Alder Lake family alongside several other processors. The CPU, sporting just two cores, is the most entry-level option to be found in Intel’s 12th-gen lineup.

Although it’s a budget CPU, the Celeron G6900 still managed to outperform the high-end Intel Core i9-10900K in a single-core test.

Intel Alder Lake pin layout.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In terms of specifications, the Celeron G6900 is obviously on the far low-end of the Alder Lake lineup. The processor comes with just two cores and two threads. Both of the cores are of the 10nm Golden Cove (performance) variety. It also has 4MB of L3 cache and 2.5 MB of L2 cache and it still manages to have a fairly impressive clock speed of up to 3.4GHz combined with a modest 46W TDP.

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The 10th-generation Comet Lake Intel Core i9-10900K may not be the latest that Intel has to offer, but it’s still a very solid, expensive CPU. Sporting 10 cores, 20 threads, and a maximum 5.30GHz clock, it’s a high-end processor that came out with a near $500 price tag. It’s the Core i9-12900K of Intel’s 10th-gen processors.

Compared to the recommended price of $42 for the Celeron G6900, it’s clear to see which CPU should be the winner here. And obviously, in most cases, the Core i9-10900K is far superior — there is no way that the Celeron G6900 can ever compete in multi-core operations. However, in single-core, it actually managed to outperform its older sibling by a small margin.

Pins on Core i9-12900K.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

In the Geekbench test that leaked today, the Celeron G6900 was tested on an ASRock Z690M Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard. The clock speed was brought up to 4.40GHz, presumably also raising the power requirements for the duration of the test. This was combined with 16GB of DDR4 memory.

The CPU scored 1,408 points in single-core and 2,610 points in multi-core operations in the Geekbench test. This puts it inches above the Core i9-10900K in single-core performance since the 10th-generation processor scored 1,393 in that same test. Unsurprisingly, the Core i9-10900K beats the Celeron G6900 in multi-threaded tests.

As Wccftech reports, the G6900 scored on par with a Ryzen 3 3200G, AMD FX-9370, and Core i5-4690K in multi-core tests. While the CPU is mostly suited for some light computing, it definitely manages to show off the power of Intel’s Golden Cove cores by being able to compete with the Core i9-10900K in any shape or form.

Monica J. White
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
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