Pentium N3540 vs Core 2 Duo P8600
Aggregate performance score
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by a considerable 42% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 2730 | 2533 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core 2 Duo | Intel Pentium |
| Architecture codename | Penryn (2008−2011) | Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) |
| Release date | 15 July 2008 (15 years ago) | 22 May 2014 (10 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $209 | $251 |
| Current price | $31 (0.1x MSRP) | $404 (1.6x MSRP) |
Detailed specifications
Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 2 (Dual-core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 2 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.16 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.66 GHz |
| Bus support | 1066 MHz | no data |
| L1 cache | 128 KB | 224 KB |
| L2 cache | 3 MB | 2 MB |
| L3 cache | 3 MB L2 Cache | 2 MB L2 Cache |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 81 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 105 °C | 100 °C |
| Number of transistors | 274 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
| VID voltage range | 1.05V-1.15V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | no data | 1 |
| Socket | BGA479,PBGA479,PGA478 | FCBGA1170 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 25 Watt | 7.5 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | no data | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | - |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| Smart Connect | no data | + |
| FSB parity | - | no data |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Anti-Theft | no data | - |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | - |
| VT-x | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3L-1333 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 8 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 21.32 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | no data | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel® HD Graphics for Intel Atom® Processor Z3700 Series |
| Quick Sync Video | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 896 MHz |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 2 |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 11.2 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540.
| PCIe version | no data | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 4 |
| USB revision | no data | 3.0 and 2.0 |
| Total number of SATA ports | no data | 2 |
| Number of USB ports | no data | 5 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by 42% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by 43% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core 2 Duo P8600 outperforms Pentium N3540 by 44% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by 21% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core
Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.
Benchmark coverage: 20%
Core 2 Duo P8600 outperforms Pentium N3540 by 92% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.
Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core 2 Duo P8600 outperforms Pentium N3540 by 3% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Benchmark coverage: 18%
Core 2 Duo P8600 outperforms Pentium N3540 by 58% in wPrime 32.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by 39% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by 33% in Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core.
Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core
Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Core 2 Duo P8600 outperforms Pentium N3540 by 55% in Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core.
Geekbench 3 32-bit multi-core
Benchmark coverage: 5%
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by 41% in Geekbench 3 32-bit multi-core.
Geekbench 3 32-bit single-core
Benchmark coverage: 5%
Core 2 Duo P8600 outperforms Pentium N3540 by 26% in Geekbench 3 32-bit single-core.
Geekbench 2
Benchmark coverage: 5%
Pentium N3540 outperforms Core 2 Duo P8600 by 1% in Geekbench 2.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.55 | 0.78 |
| Recency | 15 July 2008 | 22 May 2014 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 4 |
| Threads | 2 | 4 |
| Cost | $209 | $251 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 25 Watt | 7 Watt |
The Pentium N3540 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo P8600 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo P8600 and Pentium N3540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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