The best cheap laptops will get even better if new Alder Lake benchmarks are real

Chromebook lifestyle shot
(Image credit: Asus)

Intel's Alder Lake lineup continues to impress, and the latest benchmark to pop up online should make Chromebook and Windows 11 S-mode laptop fans very excited.

A new benchmark for the Intel Celeron G6900, a dual-core Alder Lake chip that is on the very entry-level end of the processor generation, recently turned up in the GeekBench database

The results of a Geekbench 5 benchmark for the Intel Celeron G6900

(Image credit: Geekbench)

The results state that the entry-level chip scored a 1,403 in single-core performance and 2,577 in Geekbench 5's multi-core tests. While the multi-core score isn't about to break any records, the single core performance is especially impressive.

According to Wccftech, this puts the G6900 ahead of the Intel Core i9-10900K in terms of single-core performance, and we can confirm that this beats out the single-core performance of the Intel Core i9-10980HK, which we've seen in a lot of high end gaming laptops and mobile creative workstations as recently as the middle of last year. 

It even tops the Ryzen 7 5800H and comes within striking distance of the Ryzen 9 5900HS in Geekbench 5's single-core tests.

As a dual-core processor, the G6900 gets absolutely blown away in multi-core performance across the board, obviously. But single-core performance like this would mean that individual apps on their own should run very well on this processor.

Of course, the Intel Celeron G6900 isn't available yet, and there is a lot that could change, so a benchmark like this needs to be treated with some skepticism. We hope it's legit though, since we'd love to see some power in the budget space.


Analysis: budget laptops are going to see the biggest benefit

While the multi-core score of the Intel Celeron G6900 isn't all that hot, the single core performance should make individual apps like Chrome run especially well. 

This will definitely help with day-to-day, general computing performance that is the bread and butter of cheaper Chromebooks and Windows 11 S-mode laptops.

And since this is an entry-level chip, we can definitely expect to see it popping up in some of the best cheap laptops this year, which is something we love to see. 

Budget products usually have to make some big sacrifices to get the price down, and while a Celeron chip will never be able to hold a candle to a Core i9 of the same generation, seeing a huge step up in performance on the budget-end of the computing market is something to celebrate.

TOPICS
John Loeffler
Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.

Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.

You can find him online on Bluesky @johnloeffler.bsky.social

Read more
A mockup of the Intel Core Ultra 200HX die against a blue swoosh background
Intel announces new Core Ultra 200 series mobile CPUs at CES 2025, targeting enthusiasts and edge users
An Intel Arc B580 on a table
Intel is taking the budget GPU market by storm - leaked Arc B570 benchmark shows solid performance for a very reasonable price
The socket interface of the Intel Core Ultra processor
Intel unveils its most powerful AI PCs yet - new Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors pack in vPro for lightweight laptops and high-performance workstations alike
One of the best processor picks against a golden TechRadar background
The best processor in 2025: top picks from AMD and Intel
Ryzen 9000 promotional material
AMD's most powerful processor ever actually runs better on Windows 10 than Windows 11
A man riding a rocket with the AMD Ryzen logo on the side.
AMD raises the bar for gaming on lightweight laptops – its new Strix Halo chip could run games better than an Nvidia RTX 3060
Latest in Laptops
Apple MacBook Air M3 on yellow background with lowest price text overlay
Need a new MacBook Air? Well I've found 9 discounts you'll not want to miss, including a MacBook Air M4 Amazon deal
Assorted Apple and Asus laptops on orange background with big savings text overlay
These are the 16 laptop deals I'd recommend to anybody in the spring sales – including MacBooks and gaming laptops
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) on a pink background with text saying Big Savings next to it.
Trust me – don’t bother buying any other laptop while the M2 MacBook Air is at this incredible price for Amazon’s Spring Sale
Asus Vivobook S laptop on yellow background with price cut text overlay
I've looked through hundreds of laptop deals in the Spring sales - this $599 Asus Vivobook has them all beat
The Surface Laptop 7 on a cyan background with a TechRadar deals badge.
This Windows laptop is 31% off in Amazon's Spring Sale and we scored it 5 stars – so why is Amazon putting a warning label on it?
Image of M4 MacBook Pro
Apple MacBooks are in the spotlight during Amazon's Spring Sale: you can save up to $400 right now
Latest in News
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge colors seemingly revealed in new video, and there’s another sign of an imminent launch
Group of people meeting
Inflexible work policies are pushing tech workers to quit
A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.
I’ll admit, Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update surprised me with its usefulness, providing accessibility fixes, a gamepad keyboard layout, and PC spec cards
Youtube
YouTube Premium could be getting a new time-saving perk, showing you recommended videos directly in your playback queue
inZOI promotional material.
inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype
Xbox Series X and Xbox wireless controller set to a green background
Xbox Insiders are currently testing a new Game Hub feature that looks useful, but I've got mixed feelings about it