Intel Celeron N2830 / N2840 / N2820 CPU Review with Benchmark, Gaming, and Specs

The Intel Celeron N2830 and N2840, alongside the less frequently used N2820, are among the lowest-end processors you can find in laptops these days. But, they are also among the widest adopted ones, since they’re included in numerous budget notebooks.

You can find the Celeron N2830, N2840, and N2820 dual-core chips in the 250-dollar systems such as the Acer Aspire E 15 ES1-511-C590, Asus X551MAV-RCLN06, or Lenovo G50-30. With arrival of laptop PCs with Windows 8.1 Bing edition, you can expect even greater number of available choices with these “Bay Trail” based chips.

Intel’s “Bay Trail” processor family is known for its affordability and low power consumption. The N2830, N2840 and N2820 are no exception. They consume only up to 7.5 Watts of power. For comparison, the popular Intel Core i5-4200U/4210U/4300U which are the typical mid-range mainstream laptop processors consume up to 17W.

But, for the average home laptop user performance is more important than power-efficiency of a processor. On the N2830 / N2840 / N2820 it’s sacrificed big time for the interest of lower costs and power saving. To be honest, low power consumption doesn’t mean that laptops with these Celerons will have a great battery life, since PC makers often put smaller-capacity batteries in them in order to further lower the cost and decrease weight a bit. For instance, the Lenovo G50-30 with the N2830 has a low-capacity 32 Whr battery in it, resulting in a mediocre battery life of the laptop of up to four hours.

PassMark Performance Test and Real World Use

PassMark has a comprehensive and pretty much accurate database of CPU benchmark results. According to the tests done by users on various Windows machines, the N2830, N2840, and N2820 score about 1,000-1,100 benchmark points. With these results, their speed is in line with the Intel Atom processors used in affordable Windows tablets. In comparison to the Intel Core i5 with scores of more than 3000 points, the Celerons lag a lot.

Intel Celeron N2830 N2840 N2820 Benchmark Results

In the real world use, the Celerons are satisfactory only for the usual daily chores, such as web surf with a handful of browser tabs opened, writing essays in Word, Excel calculations, and video and music playback. For more complex duties like video production or professional photography editing, the Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 series are the way to go.

In the video below, you can see the N2830 running in real time Windows 8.1 and some random programs, with multitasking involved. The test was done on an Acer Aspire ES1-series 15.6″ notebook with 4GB RAM and a mechanical 5,400rpm hard drive. Check out 1080p YouTube video playback in Internet Explorer, some basic editing of a 5-megapixel photo in Paint.net application, rich text processing in WordPad, and switching between apps via ALT+TAB key combination. Everything worked pretty much smoothly. In everyday work, I experienced occasional slowdowns, but they were rather caused by the slow hard drive than the CPU.

 

Gaming

MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) are the most popular type of games on the PC platform. We have tested some of them on the N2830, namely League of Legends and DOTA 2. These titles don’t require exceptional hardware, so they run nicely on 720p resolution which is close to 1366×768 pixel count on the usual laptop display. LoL can be played at frame rates of about 25 fps on medium graphics settings, while in DOTA 2 you have to dial down settings to low to achieve ~25fps.

 

 

Another very popular game which can be played on the reviewed processor is Minecraft. It should be put on lower settings to achieve a fair smoothness at 720p. Still, some serious frame rate drops to ~15fps occur occasionally.

 

When it comes to first person shooters, the Intel HD is capable of running some less demanding titles, such as those based on the Source 3D engine. For instance, Counter Strike: Global Offensive at 720p and low graphics details can be played mostly at about 25 fps, with occasional drops to ~20, depending on the scene. You can set Team of Fortress 2 on medium and get between 25 and 40 fps (around 30 fps most of the time).

 

 

By the way, simple non-3D games such as Plants vs Zombies or Angry Birds run without a glitch.

Overall, the included Intel HD graphics processing unit performs about the same as the Intel HD of the Intel Atom processors. They’re far cry from the popular HD 4400 series which can run even the latest demanding 3D games on lower settings.

Temperatures

As expected, the tested processor ran quite cool. On our Acer Aspire ES1 laptop, the temperature of the CPU when idle was about 40 degrees Celsius. Under heavy load, in particular LoL gameplay, the temperatures never exceeded 62 degrees. This helped the laptop stay almost inaudible even under high stress, since the cooling fans didn’t need to kick in at high rotating speeds.

Specs and Differences

As for differences between the N2830, N2840 and N2820, they’re minor. The 2830 and 40 run at speeds of between 2.16-2.41 GHz and 2.16-2.58 GHz, respectively while the 2820 runs at 2.13-2.39 GHz. Furthermore, the N2830 and N2840 support DDR3L RAM memory at up to 1,333MHz, while the N2820 supports up to 1,066MHz. These differences however don’t noticeably affect benchmark results and overall performance. As a side note, Intel’s specs sheets of the N2830 and N2840 say they support QuickSync technology, which speeds up video editing if done in QuickSync-compatible programs. But, since the cores of the CPUs are under-powered, it still can’t be recommended for video editing on daily basis.

Besides the Intel HD graphics, the chips have 1MB of cache and support 64-bit operating systems and software. As same as the other Bay Trail chips, they are built using 22-nanometer technology.

Here are the CPU-Z and GPU-Z infos for the tested 2830:

Intel Celeron N2830 CPU-Z Specs

Intel HD Graphics on Celeron N2830 GPU-Z Specs

Note: This review was originally posted in early August and updated with new info late September and October.

Check out laptops the Intel Celeron N2820, N2830, and N2840.

Note: The benchmark scores of the listed processors are averages measured across various devices with these processors. The scores and real-world performance of the Intel Celeron N2830 / N2840 / N2820 and compared CPUs may vary depending on the notebooks' other components, settings, cooling, and other factors. However, the benchmark results are good indicators of the processors' performance.

Specifications of the Intel Celeron N2830 / N2840 / N2820

Here are the most important specs of the Intel Celeron N2830 / N2840 / N2820:

Processor Name

Intel Celeron N2830 / N2840 / N2820

CPU Family

Intel Celeron "Bay Trail"

Number of Cores

Dual-core / 1 computing thread per core

CPU Clock Speed

N2830: 2.16-2.41 GHz / N2840: 2.16-2.58 GHz / N2820: 2.13-2.39 GHz

Cache Size

1MB

Memory Support

DDR3 (1333 MHz max. speed)

Integrated Graphics

Intel HD

Power Consumption

7.5W

Production Technology

22-nanometer

Notable Technologies

Intel QuickSync Video (speeds up conversion of video files)
VT-x virtualization

Typical Use

Affordable laptops & 2-in-1 PCs

Published on August 7, 2014

User Reviews and Q&A on the Intel Celeron N2830 / N2840 / N2820

Below you can read and submit user reviews, questions, and answers about the processor. Thank you for your contribution.

Current rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  1. Question

    Rahul

    should i upgrade my acer es1-111 with celeron 2840 ,2gb ram and 500HDD running on win 7 OS to 4gb ram and 250ssd for the same win 7?

    what kind of different will it make ?

    • Dan

      Although the N2840 is a slow processor by today’s standards, 2 to 4GB RAM, and HDD to SSD upgrade are huge. The difference will be very noticeable in everyday work, although the laptop itself is still on the low end and noticeably slower than the mid-range mainstream laptops with Intel Core / AMD Ryzen series processors and 8 or more GB RAM.

    • Pratik

      What if I upgrade my acer es1 512 laptop to 8 gb ram will it work faster

  2. Question

    Memeyang

    We bought a second hand laptop which is Acer Intel celeron n2830, is it good to be installed Autocad softwares? Or is it possible to upgrade the RAM from 2GB to 4GB? Thank you, hoping for your response.

    • Dan

      Unfortunately, it isn’t a good processor for Autocad and similar programs. It is a very entry-level processor. In addition, the latest Autocad has 8GB RAM as the basic requirement. Some older Autocad versions can run on 4GB and even 2GB RAM. You can check that info here: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/System-requirements-for-AutoCAD.html

      I can’t tell whether your notebook’s RAM is upgradable, since many N2830-based models have fixed RAM that’s soldered onto the motherboard.

      Nevertheless, in all cases N2830 won’t perform well in Autocad, even if you manage to run it.

  3. Question

    Kenosha

    Would the intel Celeron n2840 work with roblox and games like jailbreak and mm2 at 2GB of ram

    • Dan

      Hi, these aren’t heavy games, but the N2840 is a weak processor with weak integrated graphics. You can expect barely playable performance on low graphics detail settings, if you don’t encounter problems because of your small 2GB RAM.

  4. Peter Weremito

    I wish i knew all this before i purchased my laptop. I went and bought a slim nice looking slow piece of trash! Lenovo g50-30 with 2GB of RAM.

    • Alex

      Some people still use laptops just for word processing and email 😉

  5. mark

    can I play blur the racing game on my Acer extensa 2508 intel inside?

    • Danijel Z

      Hi can you tell what exact Intel processor is inquestion?

  6. Aye Aye Moe

    Can I install virtualbox in Acer Aspire E14 E5-411-C6ZI Intel Celeron Processor N2840 , 2GB DDR3L Memory, 500GB HDD , windows 10

    • Danijel Z

      The Celeron N2840 supports virtualization (so it supports VirtualBox). But, I think the hardware – N2840 / 2GB RAM, is too weak for running any modern operating system inside VirtualBox or other virtualization software. So, most likely, you can install VirtualBox on that laptop, but you won’t be able to use it for standard operating systems like Windows 10 or Ubuntu. Maybe some very light OS will run, but even that is questionable because of the weak specs.

    • Ahmet

      Windows 10 Home kur bir sıkıntın olmaz bende de lenovo b50-30 var bi sıkıntı çıkarmıyor

  7. Vivek tiwari

    I like your post, I have a question which I came here to get solved. I have asus x200ma laptop which has Celeron N2840, with 2gb ram. I find lag here and there and planning to upgrade it with 2gb ram + 2gb ram(4gb ram) would I find any difference after upgrading it?

    • Danijel Z

      If your RAM usage exceeds 2GB (depends on number of opened programs and their RAM usage), then upgrading to 4GB will make the laptop faster.
      More info here: https://laptoping.com/laptop-pc-ram-size-and-performance-explained.html
      That will solve RAM bottleneck, unless you use more than 4GB. But still, the N2840 is among the slowest chips. So you will still have only basic performance. Also, make sure there’s an actual RAM slot inside your notebook models. Many of the N2840- based models have RAM soldered onto the motherboard, without upgrade possibility.

  8. 5 out of 5

    payday

    Hello!

  9. ali

    hello i just bought toshiba celeron n2830. i just wanted to knw what generation it has?

    • Danijel Z

      The Celeron N2830 is from the previous Celeron generation released in 2014. In 2015 Intel released its successor, the Celeron N3050, which is in 2016 replaced by N3060.

    • luislast

      Danijel Z’s reply is not very helpful for Ali’s question. I think that he wants to know if the CPU is a 1st generation processor, a 2nd generation processor, etc. Year of release is AN answer, but not THE answer.

    • Dan

      Hi, Luislast. I think he saw generation prefixes on the Intel Core processor series (the current is 10th Generation Intel Core) and wanted to know what generation is the Celeron N2830 in that manner. But, the Intel Celeron processor series don’t have attached generation to the processor name, as opposed to the Intel Core series. That’s why I put at least the year instead and said it’s from the previous Celeron “generation” (meaning it is not the latest version.)

      Intel had been releasing new Intel Celerons for laptops approximately once a year since 1998. Sometimes quite different processors under the budget-class Celeron brand overlap chronologically, like the low-power 6-Watt Celeron N4000-series and 15-Watt Intel Celeron 4205U (so how to tell if they the same generation or not). That’s why I think there’s no way to tell for sure what exact generation is the N2830.

  10. Mark

    how about n2840 in cs go is it the same with the youtube video?

    • Danijel Zivkovic

      Yes, it should be the same since the difference between the N2830 and N2840 is marginal. But keep in mind that single or dual channel RAM makes a noticeable difference. This is an old review, but I’m pretty much sure the tested laptop had single channel RAM. Dual channel (such as having dual 2x2GB RAM modules in your laptop instead of a single 1x4GB) will noticeably increase performance, so it will be faster than showed in the CS GO video. Unfortunately, the majority of laptops with the N2830/40 come with a single memory module, meaning single channel RAM.

  11. Steve

    I have a N2840 HP laptop and am about to travel overseas with an airline that doesn’t have movies. I can take a stick with movies but am not sure how long my battery will last unplugged Does anyone know the battery life on this laptop once fully charged and using it for movies?

  12. Ann

    Does this computer have bluetooth? I have searched and searched….can’t find it.

  13. willi

    does the intel celeron 2830 run fifa 14

  14. Yash

    Can i expand RAM memory 2G to 6G? My laptop is HP N3050 intel celeron 1.6ghz.

    • Danijel Z

      What’s your HP laptop model? A name like HP 15-ac000, HP Stream 11…?

  15. Asif

    Presently I have a laptop with Core i7 processor and 6 GB RAM. I am Masters student, and my use is only limited to working with documents, doing lots of net surfing/ downloading for research work, bit of programming.
    I want to switch to this laptop with Celeron N2830 4th generation processor, 2GB RAM. Will that be of any trouble, keeping in view nature of my work??

    • Danijel Z

      The Core i7 is much faster than the Celeron N2830 so you’ll definitely notice the difference. The Celeron can handle the tasks you mentioned, but you’ll notice lags here and there.

      Having only 2GB of RAM under Windows OS is troublesome, especially if you do “lots of net surfing”, which probably means many tabs opened. That consumes a lot of RAM so at least 4GB is advised.

  16. Leana

    Good day

    I have a HP Intel Celeron N2830, I bought it with windows 8 but now my printer and scanner doesn’t work on it because it is not compatible with windows 8 and I really struggle with windows 8 is it possible to downgrade to windows 7 and which windows 7 will be the best option for the PC. I have Office 365 so it needs to work with that as well. Any help would be appreciated.

    Thank you

    • Danijel Z

      The all Windows 7 versions will work equally good on a laptop with the Celeron N2830. Getting the cheapest Windows 7 Home Premium seems to be an optimal choice, unless you use your laptop in a large corporate environment where the Win 7 Pro will probably be a batter choice. The N2830 is a 64-bit processor, so you’ll want to install a 64-bit Win 7 version, but you should make sure 64-bit Win 7 drivers for your printer / scanner exist. Otherwise, they won’t work. If there are no 64-bit drivers available, you should then install 32-bit Win 7, but keep in mind in that case the system won’t support more than 3GB of system memory.

      Office 365 works just fine under Windows 7.

  17. chantal

    Hi,
    I am limited to how much I spend on a laptop and can only go to Target.
    I am looking at the acer intel celeron n2830 at the moment, this is what I need to use it for:
    – job hunting
    – learning new software programs, ie word, excel, acrobat pro etc…
    This is basically what I need it for, is this laptop going to be adequate for my needs?

    what does microsoft office trial mean?

    can I upgrade to Microsoft 10?

    Your opinion is very much appreciated/
    thank you

    • Danijel Z

      The tasks you mentioned are pretty much basic, so a laptop with the Celeron N2830/2840 will be suitable. True, notebooks with the Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 CPUs provide a more responsive experience, but the Celerons will do the job, too. I don’t know what Acer model you’re considering, but make sure it has at least 4GB of RAM, so you can multi-task comfortably.

      As for Office, some laptop makers include a 1-month Office trial after which you can purchase or stop using it.

      If the notebook comes with Windows 7 or 8 / 8.1 it eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10.

  18. Aaron Taylor

    I own a Toshiba Satellite with the Intel Celeron N2830, and with only 2.16 GHz processor speed, I still manage to run games such as Left 4 Dead 2, Dead Island 2, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, as well as other somewhat demanding games at a comfortable FPS speed with very small drawbacks as far as performance with everything else.

  19. sam pambero

    Intel, regardless of top end and bottom end cpu’s they churn out quality. You cant loose.My N2830 with 2GB of ram works great cant fault it.Its built into a HP250.It cost under $300.yeeha.

    • Osinack

      How good is it in gaming……pls tell me games that can run on it

    • Danijel Z

      You can see under the Description tab it can play League of Legends, Dota 2 and similar MMORPGs as well as non-demanding first person shooters like Counter Strike and Team Fortress 2.

  20. Josh

    How many fps did you get in minecraft while not recording?

  21. Spencer

    Would this laptop be any good if I were to use it for recording/streaming Call of Duty on the Xbox One?? Pls answer!!!!

  22. John S

    Pretty big change in using a i7 and going to a Celeron duel core Ultra low powered chip. I understand your cost reductions and agree a core i7 is probably overkill. I would consider a Pentium or core i3 before a Celeron though.

  23. John S

    Having had some experience with one of these chips. I think they are decent for basic data crunching like audio. I would say video is another story such as doing large amounts of video encoding. Everything I did with it when I was setting it up ran fine unless I did multiple heavy tasks at the same time. Its far better then any Netbook I ever used mostly because of the duel core and many of these chip have a burst speed mode. My only question about them really is that most of them appear to be passive cooled. I wonder how intensive data will affect the heat on these low powered chips?

×

Related CPUs