Xeon Gold 5218B vs Core i3-540

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	2377	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.11	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	no data	Intel Xeon Gold
Architecture codename	Clarkdale (2010−2011)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	2 April 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$45	$1,273
Current price	$43 (1x MSRP)	$2216 (1.7x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B 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)	16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads	4	32
Base clock speed	3.06 GHz	2.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	0.07 GHz	3.9 GHz
Bus support	no data	4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	1 MB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	16 MB
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	22 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	81 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	87 °C
Number of transistors	382 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B 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	4 (Multiprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1156	FCLGA3647
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	no data	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	no data	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	-	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	-
FDI	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Launched

Security technologies

Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B 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 Xeon Gold 5218B. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4-2667
Maximum memory size	16.38 GB	1 TB
Max memory channels	2	6
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	128.001 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	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	48

Pros & cons summary

---

Recency	7 January 2010	2 April 2019
Physical cores	2	16
Threads	4	32
Cost	$45	$1273
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	125 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Xeon Gold 5218B, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---