Atom Z540 vs Core i7-870

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-870 and Atom Z540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1831	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.95	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Atom
Architecture codename	Lynnfield (2009−2010)	Silverthorne (2008−2010)
Release date	September 2009 (14 years ago)	2 April 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$305	$160
Current price	$119 (0.4x MSRP)	$250 (1.6x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-870 and Atom Z540 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	4 (Quad-Core)	1 (Single-Core)
Threads	8	2
Base clock speed	2.93 GHz	1.86 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.6 GHz	0.07 GHz
Bus support	no data	533.33 MT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	56 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	45 nm	45 nm
Die size	296 mm2	24.18 mm27.8 mm × 3.1 mm
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	90 °C
Number of transistors	774 million	47 Million
64 bit support	+	-
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No
VID voltage range	no data	0.75 -1.1V

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-870 and Atom Z540 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,LGA1156	PBGA441
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	2.4 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-870 and Atom Z540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE2, Intel® SSE3, Intel® SSSE3
AES-NI	-	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Demand Based Switching	-	+
PAE	36 Bit	no data
FSB parity	no data	-
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-870 and Atom Z540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-870 and Atom Z540 are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	-
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-870 and Atom Z540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	no data
Maximum memory size	16 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-870 and Atom Z540.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

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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Pros & cons summary

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Physical cores	4	1
Threads	8	2
Cost	$305	$160
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	2 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-870 and Atom Z540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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