Core 2 Duo E6540 vs Core i3-2120

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2308	2871
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.14	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Power efficiency	1.79	0.74
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	no data
Release date	20 February 2011 (13 years ago)	1 July 2007 (17 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$95	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540 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	4	no data
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.33 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	no data
Bus rate	5 GT/s	1333 MHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	no data
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	4 MB L2 Cache
Chip lithography	32 nm	65 nm
Die size	131 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	69 °C	72 °C
Number of transistors	504 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
VID voltage range	no data	0.85V-1.5V

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540 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	1	no data
Socket	FCLGA1155	PLGA775
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
FSB parity	no data	-

Security technologies

Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540 are enumerated here.

VT-d	-	no data
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	no data
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 2000	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

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	1.23	0.51
Recency	20 February 2011	1 July 2007
Chip lithography	32 nm	65 nm

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-2120 and Core 2 Duo E6540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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