Athlon 64 X2 3600+ vs Core i3-540

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-540 and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2381	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.11	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Clarkdale (2010−2011)	Manchester (2005−2006)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	31 May 2005 (19 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$45	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-540 and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ 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	2
Base clock speed	3.066 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	0.07 GHz	2 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	32 nm	90 nm
Die size	81 mm2	156 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	no data
Number of transistors	382 million	154 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-540 and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ 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	1156	939
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	89 Watt

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Athlon 64 X2 3600+ are enumerated here.

VT-x

+

no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Athlon 64 X2 3600+. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR1
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

Intel HD

On certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Athlon 64 X2 3600+.

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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Pros & cons summary

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Recency	7 January 2010	31 May 2005
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	32 nm	90 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	89 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Athlon 64 X2 3600+, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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