Core i3-540 vs Core 2 Duo T6400
Primary details
Comparing Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | 2481 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.11 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core 2 Duo | no data |
| Power efficiency | no data | 1.25 |
| Architecture codename | Penryn (2008−2011) | Clarkdale (2010−2011) |
| Release date | 1 January 2009 (15 years ago) | 7 January 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $45 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 2 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2 GHz | 3.06 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2 GHz | 0.07 GHz |
| Bus rate | 800 MHz | 2.5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | no data | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 2 MB | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 2 MB L2 Cache | 4 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | no data | 81 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 105 °C | 73 °C |
| Number of transistors | no data | 382 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| VID voltage range | 1V-1.25V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540 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 | PGA478 | FCLGA1156 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 73 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.2 |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Demand Based Switching | - | - |
| PAE | no data | 36 Bit |
| FDI | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | - |
| EDB | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540 are enumerated here.
| VT-x | - | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 16.38 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 21 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 2 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540.
| PCIe version | no data | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 1 January 2009 | 7 January 2010 |
| Threads | 2 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 73 Watt |
Core 2 Duo T6400 has 108.6% lower power consumption.
i3-540, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, 100% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Core 2 Duo T6400 is a notebook processor while Core i3-540 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo T6400 and Core i3-540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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