i3-N300 vs Xeon E5540
Aggregate performance score
Core i3-N300 outperforms Xeon E5540 by a whopping 206% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2035 | 1178 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.64 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Laptop |
| Power efficiency | 2.07 | 72.28 |
| Architecture codename | Gainestown (2009−2010) | Alder Lake-N (2023) |
| Release date | 30 March 2009 (15 years ago) | 3 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $30 | $309 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300 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) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 8 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.53 GHz | 0.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.8 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 96 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 2 MB (per module) |
| L3 cache | 8 MB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 10 nm |
| Die size | 263 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 76 °C | 105 °C |
| Number of transistors | 731 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA1366 | Intel BGA 1264 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 80 Watt | 7 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 1.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | + | no data |
| PAE | 40 Bit | no data |
Security technologies
Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4, DDR5 4800 MHz Single-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 144 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 3 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | Intel UHD Graphics Xe 750 32EUs (Rocket Lake) ( - 1250 MHz) |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 9 |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.75 | 5.35 |
| Recency | 30 March 2009 | 3 January 2023 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 10 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 80 Watt | 7 Watt |
i3-N300 has a 205.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 13 years, 100% more physical cores, a 350% more advanced lithography process, and 1042.9% lower power consumption.
The Core i3-N300 is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E5540 in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5540 is a server/workstation processor while Core i3-N300 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5540 and Core i3-N300, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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