i7-3540M vs PRO A12-8870

#ad 
Buy on Amazon
VS

Aggregate performance score

PRO A12-8870
2016
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
2.50
+29.5%

PRO A12-8870 outperforms i7-3540M by a substantial 30% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking17251937
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
Seriesno dataIntel Core i7
Architecture codenameCarrizo (2015−2018)Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release dateOctober 2016 (7 years ago)1 January 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$349

Detailed specifications

PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads44
Base clock speed3.7 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed4.2 GHz3.7 GHz
Bus rateno data5 GT/s
L1 cacheno data128 KB
L2 cache2048 KB512 KB
L3 cacheno data4 MB
Chip lithography28 nm22 nm
Die size250 mm2118 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data105 °C
Number of transistors3,100 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibilityno data-

Compatibility

Information on PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M 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
SocketAM4FCBGA1023,FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® AVX
AES-NI++
FMA+-
AVX++
FRTC+-
FreeSync+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+
Statusno dataDiscontinued

Security technologies

PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection-+
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M are enumerated here.

AMD-V++
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-2400DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card
Compare
AMD Radeon R7 GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 4000
iGPU core count8no data
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Enduron/a-
Switchable graphics+-
Graphics max frequencyno data1.3 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data3
eDPno data+
DisplayPortn/a+
HDMI-+
SDVOno data+
CRTno data+

Graphics API support

APIs supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXDirectX® 12no data
Vulkan+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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.

PRO A12-8870 2.50
+29.5%
i7-3540M 1.93

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.

PRO A12-8870 3869
+29.9%
i7-3540M 2978

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.50 1.93
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 28 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 35 Watt

PRO A12-8870 has a 29.5% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.

i7-3540M, on the other hand, has a 27.3% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.

The PRO A12-8870 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3540M in performance tests.

Note that PRO A12-8870 is a desktop processor while Core i7-3540M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between PRO A12-8870 and Core i7-3540M, 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.


AMD PRO A12-8870
PRO A12-8870
Intel Core i7-3540M
Core i7-3540M

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.3 216 votes

Rate PRO A12-8870 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4 163 votes

Rate Core i7-3540M on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about PRO A12-8870 or Core i7-3540M, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.