Intel Celeron J4105 socket: BGA 1090

What the Celeron J4105 is

The Celeron J4105 is a quad core, four thread desktop system on chip from Gemini Lake. It launched in December 2017 with a 1.5 GHz base and up to 2.5 GHz burst at 10 W. Four Goldmont Plus cores cover office multitasking, classroom PCs and light file servers where four threads keep background tasks off the foreground.

The lower 1.5 GHz base reflects the quad core layout in a 10 W envelope. Burst to 2.5 GHz lifts interactive work, while sustained all core loads settle near base. Four megabytes of shared L2 cache feed browsing with several tabs plus updates.

UHD Graphics 600 with 12 execution units from 250 MHz to 750 MHz drives office monitors and 4K signs. Hardware video decode keeps CPU load low during playback. The chip suits buyers who need four cores without a fan.

Built on 14 nm, the J4105 solders to mini PC boards for fanless service. Intel sells J parts at desktop power against N parts at mobile power. The J4105 sits between the dual core J4005 and the faster Pentium Silver J5005 in the same lineup.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The J4105 solders to BGA 1090 and ships in mini PCs and embedded boards. There is no LGA version and no boxed retail part. Makers tune passive cases around the 10 W envelope.

Boards pair the SoC with DDR4 SODIMM slots or soldered LPDDR4, plus M.2 and SATA for storage. Linux and Windows thin client images both support Gemini Lake graphics and networking. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers why SoC fit follows board design rather than chipset series.

For more graphics headroom on the same package, the Pentium Silver Intel Pentium Silver J5005 adds UHD 605 execution units. The dual core Intel Celeron J4005 is the lower cost alternative where single task terminals dominate.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory support is DDR4 or LPDDR4 up to 2400 MT/s in two channels up to 8 GB. The 8 GB ceiling rules out heavy virtualization, but office images fit in 4 GB. Matched modules in two channels help the graphics block most.

PCIe 2.0 with 6 lanes from the SoC wires NVMe or SATA SSDs plus Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Typical mini PCs give two lanes to M.2 storage. Speeds suit boot images and documents rather than large scratch disks.

Cooling is a flat spreader in a ventless case. No fan means no dust failures in shops and schools. Service means storage or Wi-Fi module swaps where the board allows them.

Upgrade paths

No CPU swap exists on soldered BGA 1090. The processor stays with the board for its life. Buyers choose core count and graphics tier at order time, since later changes need a new device.

Inside the family the path is sideways to the Intel Celeron J4125 Refresh part for higher burst, or up to the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 for UHD 605 graphics. Past Gemini Lake, a Core based mini PC is the next tier. The LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explained guide frames soldered upgrade limits.