Intel Celeron D 346 socket: LGA 775

What the Celeron D 346 is

The Intel Celeron D 346 is a 3.06 GHz single-core value processor from October 2004. It runs one NetBurst Prescott core at 3.06 GHz with no Hyper-Threading, so 1 core gives 1 thread. Cache is 256 KB of L2 on a 90 nm process. Power is rated at 73 W in an LGA 775 package.

The 346 tops the early Celeron D 3xx line on LGA 775 with a 533 MT/s front side bus and a 23x multiplier. Intel kept the 73 W rating from slower Celeron D parts despite higher clocks, using later G1 steppings with improved power handling. The chip supports MMX, SSE, SSE2 and SSE3. A Celeron D 345 at the same 3.06 GHz covers Socket 478 with the same cache, so socket separates the two numbers at identical frequency.

Late steppings explain the flat power. The G1 revision trims leakage against early D0 parts, which lets the 346 hold 3.06 GHz at 73 W while earlier 84 W parts needed more current at lower clocks. That efficiency is why the 346 suited quiet value towers with small coolers.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Celeron D 346 fits LGA 775 value desktops with a 533 MT/s bus and Prescott Celeron support. It needs a land grid board with G1 stepping support. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers pairing rules.

Quiet DDR towers are the natural match. Boards listing the 346 accept the chip with a 73 W cooler, which runs quieter than 84 W Celeron D parts. Socket 478 Celeron D 345 parts at the same clocks need pin grid boards instead.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory is DDR or DDR2 through the board chipset. The board sets speed and capacity.

A 533 MT/s bus ties the CPU to the chipset, while graphics hangs off the chipset. No PCIe lanes originate on the die. Cooling uses the LGA 775 plate with a 73 W heatsink. Modest power keeps fan speeds low with normal airflow.

Upgrade paths

On LGA 775 the steps are Celeron D 351 parts at 3.2 GHz with the same cache. Pentium 4 519 parts at 3.06 GHz add Hyper-Threading and 1 MB of cache as a larger lift on the same socket. Beyond NetBurst a move to Core Celeron parts needs new chipset support. The 346 lifts with the load plate, so swaps need no solder work.