Celeron E1200 is the cheapest Intel processor on the market and even though the E1x00 series is based on the Core architecture, Celeron E1200 costs as little as $45-50. Less than what many pay for just the cooler. Intel has reduced the bus frequency to 800MHz and crippled the two processor cores with only 512KB L2 cache. The core frequency of this entry model is 1.6GHz. This means that the processor becomes somewhat handicapped in the face of its faster siblings, but over at Upgraderguides they’ve made an attempt to see if how much of a difference it really makes.
They’ve compared Intel’s dirt-cheap E1200 processor to an ol’ faithful Pentium D 940 (3.2GHz, NetBurst) and a Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13GHz, 2MB L2 cache). Not surprisingly, its the last of the three that wins the review, but Intel Celeron E1200 has nothing to be ashamed of even if the frequency of the Pentium D processor is too much in several tests.
However, using Intel’s stock cooler and a slight increase in voltage they managed to overclock their E1200 processor to 3.2GHz, entirely stable. This made a huge difference. The shrunk L2 cache is still a big bottleneck, but for a mere 50 bucks it’s still a very fun processor for those on a tight budget. Although, the slower performance is compensated by a lower power consumption, which should mean at least something in the ever-greener world of ours.
