Pentium N3540 vs Core i3-330E

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-330E and Pentium N3540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2476	2511
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	Intel Pentium
Architecture codename	Westmere (2010−2011)	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	22 May 2014 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$177	$251
Current price	$353 (2x MSRP)	$404 (1.6x MSRP)

Detailed specifications

Core i3-330E 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	4	4
Base clock speed	2.13 GHz	2.16 GHz
Boost clock speed	0.03 GHz	2.66 GHz
Bus support	1 × 2.5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	224 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	2 MB
L3 cache	3 MB	2 MB L2 Cache
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Die size	81 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	90 °C for rPGA,105 °C for BGA	100 °C
Number of transistors	382 Million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-330E 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	1	1
Socket	BGA1288	FCBGA1170
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	7.5 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-330E and Pentium N3540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2	no data
AES-NI	-	-
FMA	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
Smart Connect	no data	+
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i3-330E 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 i3-330E and Pentium N3540 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-330E and Pentium N3540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-800, DDR3-1066	DDR3L-1333
Maximum memory size	8.79 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	17.1 GB/s	21.32 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors	Intel® HD Graphics for Intel Atom® Processor Z3700 Series
Quick Sync Video	no data	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	667 MHz	896 MHz

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-330E and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

2

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-330E and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX

no data

11.2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-330E and Pentium N3540.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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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.

Core i3-330E outperforms Pentium N3540 by 4% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	0.81	0.78
Recency	7 January 2010	22 May 2014
Physical cores	2	4
Cost	$177	$251
Chip lithography	32 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	7 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-330E and Pentium N3540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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