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 Core 2 Quad Q6400
4C 4T @ 2.13 GHz
1529
1529
Intel Pentium 4405Y
2C 4T @ 1.5 GHz
1526
1526
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)

Intel Core i5-4300Y
2C 4T @ 1.6 GHz
967
967
MediaTek Helio X20
NoneC NoneT @ --
958
958
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
952
952
Intel Pentium G3250T
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
929
929
Intel Pentium G3440T
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
929
929

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i3-2100
2C 4T @ 3.1 GHz
738
738
Intel Core i7-3537U
2C 4T @ 2.0 GHz
713
713
Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz
685
685
AMD A8-7650K
4C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
665
665
Intel Celeron G4900
2C 2T @ 3.1 GHz
658
658

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Core2 Duo E8500
2C 2T @ 3.16 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
AMD Athlon II X2 270
2C 2T @ 3.4 GHz
477
477

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i7-870S
4C 8T @ 2.66 GHz
472
472
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
Intel Core i7-2637M
2C 4T @ 1.7 GHz
467
467

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

MediaTek Helio A20
NoneC NoneT @ --
35
35
Intel Core i5-660
2C 4T @ 3.33 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