Ryzen 3 3250U vs Core i3-540

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2374	1669
Place by popularity	not in top-100	67
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.11	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	AMD Ryzen 3
Architecture codename	Clarkdale (2010−2011)	Picasso (2019−2020)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	6 January 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$45	no data
Current price	$29 (0.6x MSRP)	$430

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U 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	2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	0.07 GHz	3.5 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	192 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	1 MB
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	81 mm2	246 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	95 °C
Number of transistors	382 million	4500 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U 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	FP5
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	15 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	DDR4-2400 RAM, PCIe 3, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, SMT, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SME
AES-NI	-	+
FMA	no data	+
AVX	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	-	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	-	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 Ryzen 3 3250U 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 Ryzen 3 3250U are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4
Maximum memory size	16.38 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	38.397 GB/s
ECC memory support	no data	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors	AMD Radeon RX Vega 3
Clear Video HD	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	12

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.

Ryzen 3 3250U outperforms Core i3-540 by 152% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	0.99	2.49
Recency	7 January 2010	6 January 2020
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	15 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Ryzen 3 3250U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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