i3-540 vs Xeon X5450
Aggregate performance score
Xeon X5450 outperforms Core i3-540 by an impressive 57% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2286 | 2643 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.10 | 0.11 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 1.21 | 1.26 |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | Intel | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Harpertown (2007−2008) | Clarkdale (2010−2011) |
| Release date | 11 November 2007 (17 years ago) | 7 January 2010 (15 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $851 | $45 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i3-540 has 10% better value for money than Xeon X5450.
Performance to price scatter graph
Detailed specifications
Xeon X5450 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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 3 GHz | 3.06 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3 GHz | 0.07 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 2.5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 6 MB (per die) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 12 MB L2 Cache | 4 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 2x 107 mm2 | 81 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 73 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 63 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 820 million | 382 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| VID voltage range | 0.85V-1.35V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon X5450 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Socket | LGA771 | FCLGA1156 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 120 Watt | 73 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon X5450 and Core i3-540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.2 |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Demand Based Switching | + | - |
| PAE | no data | 36 Bit |
| FDI | no data | + |
| FSB parity | + | no data |
Security technologies
Xeon X5450 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 X5450 and Core i3-540 are enumerated here.
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | - | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon X5450 and Core i3-540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 16.38 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 21 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | Intel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Xeon X5450 and Core i3-540 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 2 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon X5450 and Core i3-540.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 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.
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. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.51 | 0.96 |
| Recency | 11 November 2007 | 7 January 2010 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 120 Watt | 73 Watt |
Xeon X5450 has a 57.3% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.
i3-540, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 64.4% lower power consumption.
The Intel Xeon X5450 is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Core i3-540 in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon X5450 is a server/workstation processor while Core i3-540 is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
