Intel Celeron N4020

The Intel Celeron N4020 is an entry-level dual-core SoC of the Gemini Lake Refresh product family designed for affordable laptops and mini-PCs. The Celeron was announced in Q4 2019 and its CPU cores run at 1.1 GHz to 2.8 GHz. Compared to the predecessor, the Celeron N4000, the newer model offers a 200 MHz higher Boost clock.
Just like the Apollo Lake models such as the N3350, an N4020 is manufactured on a 14 nm process with FinFETs but with slightly improved processor cores, double the amount of L2 cache, all in a smaller package. Other than the two CPU cores, the chip also features a DirectX 12 capable UHD Graphics series iGPU as well as a DDR4/LPDDR4 memory controller (dual-channel, up to 2400 MHz). The SoC is not replaceable as it is supposed to be soldered to the motherboard.
Architecture
The processor architecture is still called Goldmont Plus. It features an enlarged 4 MB L2 cache for a marginally higher IPC compared to Gemini Lake's Goldmont. Still, Gemini Lake Refresh series processors are not designed to compete with full-featured Core CPUs such as a Core m3-8100Y.
An N4020 has 6 PCI-Express 2.0 lanes and Wi-Fi 5 support is partially built into the CPU. The Celeron supports up to 8 USB 3.0 ports and 2 SATA III ports.
Performance
An N4020 is somewhat faster than the outgoing Celeron N4000 due to 200 MHz higher Boost clock speed of the former. An N4120, a quad-core Celeron with a similar name, will easily leave the dual-core N4020 behind in multi-threaded tasks, while single-core performance is essentially the same between the two as their Boost clock speeds are nearly identical. The single-thread performance of Gemini Lake Refresh processors is nothing to write home about. They are only good for basic tasks such as word processing and web browsing with few tabs open.
Graphics
The UHD Graphics 600 (Gemini Lake) is based on Intel's Generation 9 architecture. The iGPU supports DirectX 12 and, as far as the capabilities go, is pretty much identical to UHD Graphics 520, UHD Graphics 615, HD Graphics 500 and other iGPUs with similar names from Apollo Lake, Whiskey Lake, Amber Lake, Coffee Lake, Kaby Lake, Skylake series CPUs. The aforementioned iGPUs do differ in terms of the clock speeds, however, and the lower-end models have less EUs as well.
Just like the HD Graphics 500 (Apollo Lake), the UHD 600 features 12 EUs clocked at up to 650 MHz. This is not a gaming GPU by any means. It will handle some older titles at resolution such as 1280x720, and very simple ones such as FIFA series games will run fine as well, but that's about it.
UHD 600 supports up to 3 monitors with resolutions of up to [email protected]
The UHD iGPU will have no trouble HW-decoding AVC, HEVC and VP9 videos. The newer AV1 codec will only be decoded via software, and the limited CPU horsepower will impose a significant limitation on the video resolution that can be played back without stuttering.
Power Consumption
The TDP is specified at 6 watts (the outgoing N4000 had exactly the same TDP). The Celeron will gladly accept a passive cooling solution, with actively cooled designs possible as well.
Series | Intel Gemini Lake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Codename | Gemini Lake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series: Gemini Lake Gemini Lake |
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Clock Rate | 1100 - 2800 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Level 2 Cache | 4 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Power Consumption (TDP = Thermal Design Power) | 6 Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manufacturing Technology | 14 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Socket | FCBGA1090 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Features | Intel UHD Graphics 600 (12 EUs, 200 - 650 MHz), Quick Sync, AES-NI, max. 8 GB Dual-Channel DDR4/LPDDR4-2400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 600 (200 - 650 MHz) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
64 Bit | 64 Bit support | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architecture | x86 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcement Date | 11/04/2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||