Atom Z2560 vs i3-540
Aggregate performance score
Core i3-540 outperforms Atom Z2560 by a whopping 322% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2496 | 3184 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.11 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Power efficiency | 1.26 | 7.26 |
| Architecture codename | Clarkdale (2010−2011) | Clovertrail (2013) |
| Release date | 7 January 2010 (14 years ago) | 27 February 2013 (11 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $45 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560 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 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3.06 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 0.07 GHz | 1.6 GHz |
| Bus rate | 2.5 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 4 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 81 mm2 | 65 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | 90 °C |
| Number of transistors | 382 million | 140 million |
| 64 bit support | + | - |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560 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 | FCLGA1156 | FC-MB4760 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 73 Watt | 3 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® SSE2, Intel® SSE3, Intel® SSSE3 |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| PAE | 36 Bit | 32 Bit |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Smart Idle | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560 are enumerated here.
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR2 |
| Maximum memory size | 16.38 GB | 2 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | 8.5 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors | PowerVR SGX544MP2 (400 MHz) |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | 2 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | no data |
| USB revision | no data | 2.0 OTG, USB-SPH 2.0 |
| Number of USB ports | no data | 2 |
| UART | no data | 3 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.97 | 0.23 |
| Recency | 7 January 2010 | 27 February 2013 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 73 Watt | 3 Watt |
i3-540 has a 321.7% higher aggregate performance score.
Atom Z2560, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 3 years, and 2333.3% lower power consumption.
The Core i3-540 is our recommended choice as it beats the Atom Z2560 in performance tests.
Note that Core i3-540 is a desktop processor while Atom Z2560 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Atom Z2560, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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