Core i3-540 vs Xeon Gold 6126

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	606	2377
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	20.02	0.11
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Xeon Gold	no data
Architecture codename	Skylake (server) (2017−2019)	Clarkdale (2010−2011)
Release date	25 April 2017 (7 years ago)	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,776	$45
Current price	$304 (0.2x MSRP)	$43 (1x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon Gold 6126 has 18100% better value for money than i3-540.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 6126 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	12 (Dodeca-Core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	24	4
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	3.06 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	0.07 GHz
Bus support	4 × 8 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	768 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	12 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	19.25 MB	4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Die size	no data	81 mm2
Maximum core temperature	86 °C	73 °C
Number of transistors	no data	382 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 6126 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	4 (Multiprocessor)	1
Socket	FCLGA3647	FCLGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)	125 Watt	73 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	no data
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	no data
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	no data	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
PAE	no data	36 Bit
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	no data
FDI	no data	+
Status	Launched	Discontinued

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	-
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2666	DDR3
Maximum memory size	768 GB	16.38 GB
Max memory channels	6	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	128.001 GB/s	21 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors
Clear Video HD	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	48	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.

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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.

Xeon Gold 6126 outperforms Core i3-540 by 1104% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	11.92	0.99
Recency	25 April 2017	7 January 2010
Physical cores	12	2
Threads	24	4
Cost	$1776	$45
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	125 Watt	73 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 6126 and Core i3-540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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