Intel Core i5-2540M: specs and benchmarks

Summary

Intel started Intel Core i5-2540M sales 1 February 2011 at a recommended price of $266. This is Sandy Bridge architecture notebook processor primarily aimed at office systems. It has 2 cores and 4 threads, and is based on 32 nm manufacturing technology, with a maximum frequency of 3300 MHz and a locked multiplier.

Compatibility-wise, this is PPGA988, FCBGA1023 processor with a TDP of 35 Watt. It supports DDR3 memory.

General info

Of Core i5-2540M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and pricing.

Place in performance rating	1778
Market segment	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	1 February 2011 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$266	of 305 (Core i7-870)
Price now	$111 (0.4x MSRP)	of 14999 (Xeon Platinum 9282)

Technical specs

Basic microprocessor parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters can generally indicate CPU performance, but to be more precise you have to review its test results.

Physical cores	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	of 4.7 (FX-9590)
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	of 5.5 (Core i9-12900KS)
L1 cache	64K (per core)	of 1536 (EPYC Embedded 3401)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	of 12288 (Core 2 Quad Q9550)
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	of 32 (Ryzen Threadripper 1998)
Chip lithography	32 nm	of 5 (Apple M1)
Die size	149 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	of 110 (Atom x7-E3950)
Number of transistors	624 million	of 57000 (Apple M1 Max)
64 bit support	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-
Unlocked multiplier	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2540M compatibility with other computer components and devices: 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	of 8 (Opteron 842)
Socket	PPGA988, FCBGA1023
Thermal design power (TDP)	35 Watt	of 400 (Xeon Platinum 9282)

Technologies and extensions

Technological capabilities and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2540M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+
FMA	+
AVX	+
vPro	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+
My WiFi	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+
Idle States	+
Thermal Monitoring	+
Flex Memory Access	+
Demand Based Switching	-
FDI	+
Fast Memory Access	+

Security technologies

Processor technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+
EDB	+
Identity Protection	+
Anti-Theft	+

Virtualization technologies

Supported virtual machine optimization technologies. Some are specific to Intel only, some to AMD.

AMD-V	+
VT-d	+
VT-x	+
EPT	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel number of RAM supported by Core i5-2540M's memory controller. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequency may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	of 4800 (Ryzen 9 6980HX)
Maximum memory size	16 GB	of 786 (Xeon E5-2670 v3)
Max memory channels	2	of 12 (Xeon Platinum 9221)
Maximum memory bandwidth	21.3 GB/s	of 281.6 (Xeon Platinum 9221)
ECC memory support	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of GPU integrated into Core i5-2540M.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video	+
Clear Video HD	+
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz
InTru 3D	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2540M's integrated GPU.

Number of displays supported	2
eDP	+
DisplayPort	+
HDMI	+
SDVO	+
CRT	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection types of supported peripherals.

PCIe version	2.0	of 3 (Core i7-7700K)
PCI Express lanes	16	of 128 (EPYC 7551P)

Benchmark performance

Single-core and multi-core benchmark results of Core i5-2540M. Overall benchmark performance is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Overall 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.

Mining hashrates

Cryptocurrency mining performance of Core i5-2540M. Usually measured in megahashes per second.

Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)

2 Mh/s

Relative perfomance

Overall Core i5-2540M performance compared to nearest competitors among notebook CPUs.

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