With the Celeron's debut, Intel has entirely dropped the Pentium MMX processor from its desktop offerings. The initial Celeron processor, available in 266- and 300-MHz versions, is nothing more than a Pentium II without an L2 cache. The Celeron uses the same Slot 1 connector as the Pentium II, but there are no chips on the module other than the processor itself. Because it lacks an L2 cache, the Celeron processor is significantly slower than a Pentium II processor at the same speed. Unless you need to cut costs to the bone, you're far better off with a Pentium II/266 than with a Celeron/300.

The Celeron line is about to become much more interesting as Intel rolls out the new Mendocino in mid-August, which has 128K of L2 cache right on the processor chip. Although this cache is only one-fourth the size of the 512K cache in a Pentium II, it is twice as fast. On many applications, the Mendocino will come close to the performance of a Pentium II at the same clock speed.

The Mendocino-based Celerons will initially be offered at 300 and 333 MHz. To distinguish between 300-MHz Celerons with and without integrated L2 cache, the Mendocino version will be called the Celeron/300a. The original Celerons will quickly disappear from the market.

The Pentium II line takes up where Celeron leaves off. In the long run, Intel probably will eliminate any clock-speed overlap; the slowest Pentium II will be one speed grade above the fastest Celeron, simplifying the positioning. This fall, however, there will be overlap. The 233- and 266-MHz Pentium II chips are likely to disappear quickly, but the 300- and 333-MHz versions will persist through the end of the year. Deciding between these and a Celeron system (with integrated L2) of the same speed may be difficult; the Pentium II will deliver better performance but not necessarily much better. In many cases, though, PC makers will bundle faster graphics cards, larger hard disks, and more memory with the Pentium II systems, helping to differentiate them.

From the September 22, 1998 issue of PC Magazine