i5-13420H vs i3-540

Place in the ranking	2496	683
Place by popularity	not in top-100	69
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.11	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Raptor Lake-H
Power efficiency	1.26	24.25
Architecture codename	Clarkdale (2010−2011)	Raptor Lake-H (2023)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	4 January 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$45	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H 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)	8 (Octa-Core)
Threads	4	12
Base clock speed	3.06 GHz	2.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	0.07 GHz	4.6 GHz
Bus rate	2.5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	2 MB (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	12 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	81 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	382 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H 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	FCBGA1744
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	-	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
FDI	+	no data
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR4x-4267
Maximum memory size	16.38 GB	96 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors	Intel UHD Graphics for 13th Gen Intel Processors
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.4 GHz
Execution Units	no data	48

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12.1
OpenGL	no data	4.6

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H.

PCIe version	2.0	5.0
PCI Express lanes	16	8

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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.

i3-540 0.97

i5-13420H 11.53
+1089%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i3-540 1540

i5-13420H 18307
+1089%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	0.97	11.53
Integrated graphics card	0.77	5.58
Recency	7 January 2010	4 January 2023
Physical cores	2	8
Threads	4	12
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	45 Watt

i5-13420H has a 1088.7% higher aggregate performance score, 624.7% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 12 years, 300% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and 62.2% lower power consumption.

The Core i5-13420H is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-540 in performance tests.

Note that Core i3-540 is a desktop processor while Core i5-13420H is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Core i5-13420H, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.