i3-2328M vs i7-3540M

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3540M
2013
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.88
+141%
Core i3-2328M
2012
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
0.78

Core i7-3540M outperforms Core i3-2328M by a whopping 141% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking19722620
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i7Intel Core i3
Power efficiency5.082.11
Architecture codenameIvy Bridge (2012−2013)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date8 January 2013 (11 years ago)1 September 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$349$225

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M 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 cores2 (Dual-core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads44
Base clock speed3 GHz2.2 GHz
Boost clock speed3.7 GHz2.2 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 2.0
Bus rate5 GT/s4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplierno data22
L1 cache64K (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256K (per core)
L3 cache4 MB (shared)3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography22 nm32 nm
Die size118 mm2149 mm2
Maximum core temperature105 °C85C (PGA); 100C (BGA)
Number of transistorsno data624 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M 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 configuration11 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCBGA1023,FCPGA988FCPGA988,PPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® AVXIntel® AVX
AES-NI+-
FMA-+
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFi++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access++
Demand Based Switching--
FDI++
Fast Memory Access++

Security technologies

Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++
Secure Key+no data
Identity Protection++
Anti-Theft++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GB16 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/s21.335 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
Intel HD Graphics 4000Intel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video++
Clear Video HD++
Graphics max frequency1.3 GHz1.1 GHz
InTru 3D++

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported32
eDP++
DisplayPort++
HDMI++
SDVO++
CRT++

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanes1616

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.

i7-3540M 1.88
+141%
i3-2328M 0.78

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.

i7-3540M 2980
+141%
i3-2328M 1238

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-3540M 571
+74.6%
i3-2328M 327

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-3540M 1168
+80.5%
i3-2328M 647

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i7-3540M 5030
+74.6%
i3-2328M 2880

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i7-3540M 10811
+67%
i3-2328M 6475

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i7-3540M 4320
+60.2%
i3-2328M 2697

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

i7-3540M 14.86
+69.4%
i3-2328M 25.17

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i7-3540M 3
+64.3%
i3-2328M 2

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i7-3540M 1.53
+73.9%
i3-2328M 0.88

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i7-3540M 1.7
+750%
i3-2328M 0.2

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

i7-3540M 20
+69.4%
i3-2328M 12

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

i7-3540M 105
+69.3%
i3-2328M 62

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

i7-3540M 2940
+46.8%
i3-2328M 2003

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.88 0.78
Integrated graphics card 1.18 0.66
Recency 8 January 2013 1 September 2012
Chip lithography 22 nm 32 nm

i7-3540M has a 141% higher aggregate performance score, 78.8% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 4 months, and a 45.5% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i7-3540M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-2328M in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3540M and Core i3-2328M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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