Pentium N3540 vs i3-5020U

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2216	2645
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	Intel Pentium
Power efficiency	8.77	9.59
Architecture codename	Broadwell-U (2015)	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)
Release date	1 March 2015 (9 years ago)	22 May 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$281	$251

Detailed specifications

Core i3-5020U 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	2.2 GHz	2.16 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.2 GHz	2.66 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	224 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	2 MB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	2 MB L2 Cache
Chip lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Die size	82 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	105 °C	no data
Number of transistors	1,300 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-5020U 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	FCBGA1168	FCBGA1170
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	7.5 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	+	no data
Smart Connect	no data	+
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-
OS Guard	+	no data
Anti-Theft	no data	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3L-1333
Maximum memory size	16 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	21.32 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 5500	Intel® HD Graphics for Intel Atom® Processor Z3700 Series
Max video memory	16 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	900 MHz	896 MHz
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	2
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	2560x1600@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3840x2160@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	11.2/12	11.2
OpenGL	4.3	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	12	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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	1.39	0.76
Recency	1 March 2015	22 May 2014
Physical cores	2	4
Chip lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	7 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-5020U and Pentium N3540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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