Core i3-540 vs Core 2 Duo T9500

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2382	2482
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	3.06	1.26
Architecture codename	Penryn (2008−2011)	Clarkdale (2010−2011)
Release date	10 January 2008 (16 years ago)	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$530	$45

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo T9500 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	2.6 GHz	3.06 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.6 GHz	0.07 GHz
Bus rate	800 MHz	2.5 GT/s
L1 cache	128 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	6 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	6 MB L2 Cache	4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	45 nm	32 nm
Die size	107 mm2	81 mm2
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	73 °C
Number of transistors	410 Million	382 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
VID voltage range	1V-1.25V	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo T9500 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	BGA479,PBGA479,PGA478,PPGA478	FCLGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	73 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo T9500 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	+	+
Demand Based Switching	-	-
PAE	no data	36 Bit
FDI	no data	+
FSB parity	-	no data

Security technologies

Core 2 Duo T9500 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 T9500 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 T9500 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 T9500 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo T9500 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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	1.13	0.97
Recency	10 January 2008	7 January 2010
Threads	2	4
Chip lithography	45 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	73 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo T9500 and Core i3-540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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