Budget Laptop Chips: What an N150 or a Celeron Can Do

The budget chips side by side

Most entry-level Windows laptops and Chromebooks use one of a handful of low-power Intel chips. The table below lists each one exactly as Intel's own specification page states it. All five are in Intel's Mobile segment, and each is rated at a base power of 5 or 6 W, a small fraction of what a mainstream laptop chip draws.

The biggest divide is core count. The N150 and N100 have four cores, while the Celeron N4020 and N4500 have two cores and two threads. The Pentium Gold 6500Y sits in between with two cores that run four threads. More cores and threads let the laptop keep a browser, a music app and a video call running without everything slowing down at once.

What these chips handle well

These chips are built for light, everyday work. Think of a laptop you open to check mail, read the news, fill in a form, write a school paper or watch a show. For that kind of use, a four-core N150 or N100 is a sensible floor, and the guides for Intel N150 laptops and budget laptops collect machines built around this class of chip.

The two-core Celerons can do the same jobs but with less room to spare. They are best treated as single-purpose machines: one browser window with a few tabs, a document, or a video stream. They suit a child's homework laptop, a spare machine for travel, or a device that mostly lives on a kitchen counter.

• Web browsing with a moderate number of tabs
• Word processing, spreadsheets and presentations in a browser or office suite
• Email, chat and video calls
• Streaming video and music
• Online classes and web-based school or work tools

The limits to know before you buy

Memory is the first hard limit, and it is set by the chip, not the laptop. Intel lists a maximum memory size of 16 GB for the N150, N100, Celeron N4500 and Pentium Gold 6500Y, and only 8 GB for the Celeron N4020. The N150 and N100 also list a single memory channel. In practice, many budget laptops ship with less than the chip's maximum and solder the memory to the board, so what you buy is usually what you keep. Our guide on how much RAM a laptop needs explains how much is comfortable for each kind of use.

Storage is the second limit, and it comes from how these laptops are built rather than from the chip. Many machines in this class use eMMC flash storage instead of an NVMe SSD. As a rule of thumb, eMMC is slower to install updates and open large apps, and the capacity is often small. Check the storage type and size on the spec sheet, and leave room for system updates if the laptop runs Windows.

Graphics is the third limit. Every chip in the table relies on Intel integrated graphics. That is fine for video playback and the desktop, but these chips are not a choice for modern 3D games, video editing or design work. If you are unsure whether built-in graphics are enough for what you do, read is integrated graphics enough.

Do these chips run Windows 11?

Yes, all of them appear on Microsoft's supported processor list for Windows 11. Microsoft Learn's list of Intel processors that OEMs may use for new Windows 11, version 25H2 devices includes the Celeron N4000 Series (which covers the N4020 and N4500), the Intel Processor N100 Series, and the Pentium Gold 6000Y Series (which covers the 6500Y). The N150 is not named as its own row; the N100 Series entry links to Intel's Processor N-series family, and Microsoft states that subsequently released processors meeting the same principles will be considered as supported even if not explicitly listed.

The chip is only one part of the requirement. Microsoft's Windows 11 requirements page lists a processor with two or more cores, 4 GB or more of memory, and 64 GB or more of available storage, plus TPM 2.0 and UEFI with Secure Boot. Microsoft also notes that storage needs may grow over time for updates. That note matters most on the small eMMC drives common in this class, so a budget Windows laptop with the least storage can feel cramped quickly.

Some budget Windows laptops ship in S mode, which only runs apps from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft's page states that S mode is only supported on Windows 11 Home and that if you switch out of S mode, you can't switch back. The Windows 11 laptops guide lists machines by edition.

ChromeOS as an alternative

Many Chromebooks use the same N-series and Celeron chips. ChromeOS is built around the browser and web apps, so it asks less of a small chip and small storage than a full Windows install does. As advice: if you live in a browser, a Chromebook is a natural match for these chips; if you need desktop Windows apps, it is not.

The key figure to check is update support. Google's ChromeOS Auto Update policy states that ChromeOS devices receive 10 years of updates, counted from the platform release date, and that devices from before 2021 that get extended updates may not support some features and services. Google publishes each model's Auto Update Expiration date and tells buyers to check it before purchase. An older Celeron N4020 Chromebook may be close to that date, so look it up first.

If you are weighing the two systems, Chromebook or Windows laptop walks through the choice, and the ChromeOS laptops guide compares current Chromebooks on specs.

When to step up to a Core i5 or Ryzen 5

A budget chip is the wrong fit if your work is heavier than browsing and documents. A Core i5 or Ryzen 5 class chip is designed for mainstream laptops with more power to spend, so it has more room to keep up when several demanding apps run at once. Consider stepping up if any of these describe you:

• You edit photos or video, or work with large spreadsheets and databases.
• You write code, run virtual machines or use developer tools.
• You keep dozens of browser tabs open alongside a video call and office apps.
• You want to play games beyond simple browser and casual titles.
• You plan to keep the laptop for many years and want headroom for future software.
• You want 16 GB of memory or more, which the Celeron N4020 cannot take at all.

How to pick within the budget tier

Start with the chip, then check memory and storage. Among the chips here, a four-core N150 or N100 gives you the most room for everyday work, so prefer it over a two-core Celeron when both are on the table. Between the Celerons, the N4500 has a higher memory ceiling (16 GB) than the N4020 (8 GB) on Intel's pages, which is a reason to favor it.

Next, read the memory and storage lines on the spec sheet. As advice, look for as much memory as the tier offers and for SSD storage over eMMC where you have the choice. Finally, decide on the operating system: Windows if you need desktop apps, ChromeOS if you mostly work on the web and want low upkeep. For a broader walkthrough of spec sheets and chip names, see Intel Core Ultra names explained, which covers the chips one tier up.

What to pick for your use

Questions

Is an Intel N150 laptop good enough for everyday use?

For browsing, documents, email, video calls and streaming, yes. Intel lists the N150 with 4 cores, 4 threads, up to 3.6 GHz and a 16 GB memory ceiling. It is not suited to video editing, modern 3D games or heavy multitasking.

What is the difference between the N150 and the N100?

On Intel's pages both have 4 cores, 4 threads, a 6 W base power and a 16 GB memory ceiling. The N150 has a higher max turbo frequency (3.6 GHz against 3.40 GHz), launched in Q1 2025 rather than Q1 2023, and Intel names its graphics Intel Graphics rather than Intel UHD Graphics.

Is a Celeron N4020 still worth buying?

Only for very light, single-task use. Intel lists it with 2 cores, 2 threads and a maximum memory size of 8 GB, the lowest ceiling in this group. If you can, choose an N4500 or an N150 instead, and on a Chromebook check the Auto Update Expiration date first.

Can a Celeron or N150 laptop run Windows 11?

Yes. Microsoft's Windows 11, version 25H2 supported Intel processor list includes the Celeron N4000 Series and the Intel Processor N100 Series, and Microsoft states that later processors meeting the same principles are considered supported even if not listed. The laptop must also meet the rest of the Windows 11 requirements, including 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage.

Can I add more RAM to a budget laptop later?

Usually not. Many laptops in this class solder memory to the board, and the chip itself caps the total: 8 GB on the Celeron N4020 and 16 GB on the others in this article, per Intel. Buy the memory you need up front.