i3-540 vs m3-7Y32

Place in the ranking	2034	2481
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	0.11
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core m3	no data
Power efficiency	36.17	1.26
Architecture codename	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)	Clarkdale (2010−2011)
Release date	21 April 2017 (7 years ago)	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$281	$45

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540 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	1.1 GHz	3.06 GHz
Boost clock speed	3 GHz	0.07 GHz
Bus type	OPI	no data
Bus rate	4 GT/s	2.5 GT/s
Multiplier	11	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB	4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Die size	no data	81 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	73 °C
Number of transistors	no data	382 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	FCBGA1515	FCLGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)	4.5 Watt	73 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	no data
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
PAE	no data	36 Bit
FDI	no data	+

Security technologies

Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	-
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	16 GB	16.38 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	29.861 GB/s	21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 615	Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors
Max video memory	16 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	900 MHz	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	2
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	3840x2160@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	3840x2160@60Hz	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	10	16

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.

m3-7Y32 1.72
+77.3%

i3-540 0.97

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.

m3-7Y32 2733
+77.7%

i3-540 1538

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.72	0.97
Recency	21 April 2017	7 January 2010
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	4 Watt	73 Watt

m3-7Y32 has a 77.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 1725% lower power consumption.

The Core m3-7Y32 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-540 in performance tests.

Be aware that Core m3-7Y32 is a notebook processor while Core i3-540 is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core m3-7Y32 and Core i3-540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.