Intel Core i3-540 Benchmark, Test and specs

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CPU lineage

The Intel Core i3-540 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently. It was released in Q1/2010 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Intel Core i3 series. To use the Intel Core i3-540, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1156 socket.
Name: Intel Core i3-540
Family: Intel Core i3
Group: Intel Core i3 500
Segment: Desktop / Server
Generation: 1

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i3-540 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-540 is 3.06 GHz
CPU Cores: 2
Threads: 4
Cores: 2x
Core architecture: normal
Hyperthreading: Yes
Overclocking: No
Frequency: 3.06 GHz

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i3-540 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. Specifically, the Intel Core i3-540 uses the Intel HD Graphics (Westmere), which has 24 texture shaders and 12 execution units. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
GPU name: Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
GPU frequency: 0.5 GHz
GPU (Turbo): 0.73 GHz
Execution units: 12
Shaders: 24
Max. GPU Memory: 2.0 GB
Max. displays: --
Generation: 5
Direct X: 10.1
Technology: 32 nm
Release date: Q1/2010

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
h265 / HEVC (8 bit): No
h265 / HEVC (10 bit): No
h264: Decode
VP8: No
VP9: No
AV1: No
AVC: Decode
VC-1: No
JPEG: No

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 21.0 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
Memory type: DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
Max. Memory: 16.0 GB
Memory channels: 2
Bandwidth: 21.0 GB/s
ECC: Yes
PCIe: pci
AES-NI: No

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 73 W watts. TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
TDP (PL1 / PBP): 73 W
TDP (PL2): None
TDP up: None
TDP down: None
Tjunction max: --

Technical details

The Intel Core i3-540 is manufactured using a 32 nm process. A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU. In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache. A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
Technology: 32 nm
Chip design: Monolithic
Socket: LGA 1156
L2-Cache: 512.0 KB
L3-Cache: 4.0 MB
Architecture: Clarkdale
Operating systems: Windows 10, Linux
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-x EPT
Instruction set (ISA): x86-64 (64 bit)
ISA extensions: SSE4.1, SSE4.2
Release date: Q1/2010
Release price: 117 $
Part Number: --
Documents: Technical data sheet
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Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Intel Pentium 4405Y
2C 4T @ 1.5 GHz
1526
1526
Samsung Exynos 7884
NoneC NoneT @ --
1521
1521
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
1516
1516
Intel Celeron G1620T
2C 2T @ 2.4 GHz
1514
1514
Intel Celeron G1610
2C 2T @ 2.6 GHz
1510
1510

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i3-3220T
2C 4T @ 2.8 GHz
1141
1141
AMD A8-5500B
4C 4T @ 3.2 GHz
1141
1141
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
1141
1141
AMD A8-5500B
4C 4T @ 3.2 GHz
1141
1141
Intel Core i3-3220T
2C 4T @ 2.8 GHz
1141
1141

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

MediaTek Helio X20
NoneC NoneT @ --
958
958
Intel Pentium G3220
2C 2T @ 3.0 GHz
957
957
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
952
952
Samsung Exynos 850
8C 8T @ 2.0 GHz
942
942
MediaTek Helio X27
NoneC NoneT @ --
942
942

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

AMD A8-7600
4C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
693
693
Intel Pentium G3258
2C 2T @ 3.2 GHz
685
685
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
685
685
Intel Pentium G3258
2C 2T @ 3.2 GHz
685
685
Intel Core i5-2450M
2C 4T @ 2.5 GHz
682
682

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

AMD FX-8120
8C 8T @ 3.1 GHz
479
479
AMD Phenom II X4 975
4C 4T @ 3.6 GHz
478
478
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
478
478
AMD Phenom II X4 975
4C 4T @ 3.6 GHz
478
478
MediaTek Dimensity 720
8C 8T @ 2.0 GHz
477
477

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

MediaTek Helio P90
NoneC NoneT @ --
470
470
Intel Pentium G2010
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
470
470
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
470
470
Intel Pentium G2010
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
470
470
MediaTek Helio P90
NoneC NoneT @ --
470
470

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Intel Core i5-650
2C 4T @ 3.2 GHz
35
35
Intel Core i5-655K
2C 4T @ 3.2 GHz
35
35
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
35
35
Intel Core i5-660
2C 4T @ 3.33 GHz
35
35
MediaTek Helio A20
NoneC NoneT @ --
35
35