AMD Phenom II X2 521 vs Intel Celeron 2961Y

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD Phenom II X2 521 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Celeron 2961Y
AMD Phenom II X2 521 Intel Celeron 2961Y

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the AMD Phenom II X2 521 and the Intel Celeron 2961Y and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the AMD Phenom II X2 521 2 core processor released in Q2/2011 with the Intel Celeron 2961Y which has 2 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2013.
AMD Phenom II (52) Family Intel Celeron (165)
AMD Phenom II - 500 (2) CPU group Intel Celeron 2000 (7)
1 Generation 4
Regor (K10) Architecture Haswell U
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Phenom II X2 521 is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.50 GHz. The processor can compute 2 threads at the same time. The Intel Celeron 2961Y clocks with 1.10 GHz, has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.

AMD Phenom II X2 521 Characteristic Intel Celeron 2961Y
2 Cores 2
2 Threads 2
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.50 GHz Frequency 1.10 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) --
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

AMD Phenom II X2 521 Characteristic Intel Celeron 2961Y
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

no iGPU GPU Intel HD Graphics (Haswell GT1)
GPU frequency 0.20 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.85 GHz
-- GPU Generation 7.5
Technology 22 nm
Max. displays 3
-- Compute units 10
-- Shader 80
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 2 GB
-- DirectX Version 11.1

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

no iGPU GPU Intel HD Graphics (Haswell GT1)
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode / Encode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode

Memory & PCIe

Up to GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the AMD Phenom II X2 521, while the Intel Celeron 2961Y supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s enabled.

AMD Phenom II X2 521 Characteristic Intel Celeron 2961Y
DDR3-1333, DDR2-1066 Memory LPDDR3-1600, DDR3L-1600
Max. Memory 16 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
21.3 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
2.00 MB L3 Cache 2.00 MB
-- PCIe version 2.0
-- PCIe lanes 12
-- PCIe Bandwidth 6.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The AMD Phenom II X2 521 has a TDP of 65 W. The TDP of the Intel Celeron 2961Y is 11.5 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

AMD Phenom II X2 521 Characteristic Intel Celeron 2961Y
65 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 11.5 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down 6 W
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The AMD Phenom II X2 521 has 2.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 45 nm. The cache of Intel Celeron 2961Y is at 2.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 22 nm.

AMD Phenom II X2 521 Characteristic Intel Celeron 2961Y
45 nm Technology 22 nm
Unknown Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE3, SSE4a ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2
AM3 Socket BGA 1168
AMD-V Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
No AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q2/2011 Release date Q4/2013
35 $ Release price --
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
AMD Phenom II X2 521 (100%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y (42%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
AMD Phenom II X2 521 (100%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y (40%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
AMD Phenom II X2 521 AMD Phenom II X2 521
2C 2T @ 3.50 GHz
2253 (100%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y Intel Celeron 2961Y
2C 2T @ 1.10 GHz
728 (32%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Phenom II X2 521 AMD Phenom II X2 521
2C 2T @ 3.50 GHz
92 (100%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y Intel Celeron 2961Y
2C 2T @ 1.10 GHz
39 (42%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Phenom II X2 521 AMD Phenom II X2 521
2C 2T @ 3.50 GHz
177 (100%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y Intel Celeron 2961Y
2C 2T @ 1.10 GHz
83 (47%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Phenom II X2 521 AMD Phenom II X2 521
2C 2T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y Intel Celeron 2961Y
2C 2T @ 1.10 GHz
252 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Phenom II X2 521 AMD Phenom II X2 521
2C 2T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y Intel Celeron 2961Y
2C 2T @ 1.10 GHz
484 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
AMD Phenom II X2 521 AMD Phenom II X2 521
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Celeron 2961Y Intel Celeron 2961Y
Intel HD Graphics (Haswell GT1) @ 0.85 GHz
136 (100%)

Devices using this processor

AMD Phenom II X2 521 Intel Celeron 2961Y
Unknown Unknown

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