i7-2960XM Extreme vs i3-540
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2451 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.11 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Intel Core i7EE |
| Architecture codename | Clarkdale (2010−2011) | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) |
| Release date | 7 January 2010 (14 years ago) | 4 September 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $45 | $1,096 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme 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 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 3.06 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 0.07 GHz | 2.7 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 2.0 |
| Bus rate | 2.5 GT/s | 4 × 5 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 27 |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | 4 MB (shared) | 8 MB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 81 mm2 | 216 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 382 million | 1160 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme 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 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCLGA1156 | Socket G2 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 73 Watt | 55 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2 | no data |
| AES-NI | - | + |
| FMA | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| PAE | 36 Bit | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Status | Discontinued | no data |
Security technologies
Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | + |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3-1600 |
| Maximum memory size | 16.38 GB | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | 25.598 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors | Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 7 January 2010 | 4 September 2011 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 4 |
| Threads | 4 | 8 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 73 Watt | 55 Watt |
i7-2960XM Extreme has an age advantage of 1 year, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and 32.7% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core i3-540 is a desktop processor while Core i7-2960XM Extreme is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Core i7-2960XM Extreme, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
