Intel Core i3-540

Tech Specs Tech Specs

Reviews Reviews

Compare Compare

Intel Core i3-540
2
Cores
4
Threads
3.06 GHz
Base Clock
Socket LGA 1156
Socket
73 W
TDP
Intel HD Graphics
Integrated Graphics
CPU Snapshot
Release date:Jan 7, 2010Price at Launch:$133
Type:DesktopSocket:Socket LGA 1156
Cores:2Threads:4
Multithreading:Yes
Clocks & Cache
Base Clock:3.06 GHzL2 Cache:512 KB
L3 Cache:4 MB
Platform
Codename:ClarkdaleProcess Size:32 nm
Memory Support:DDR3-1333TDP:73 W
PCIe Support:PCIe 2.0, 16 lanesBox Cooler:Yes
Integrated Features
Integrated Graphics:YesiGPU Model:Intel HD Graphics
NPU:No

Reviews and Ratings

80

Average Score

Based on 8 reviews

Reviewers Liked

  • "Northbridge" module integration
  • New 32 nm process node
  • Low power consumption and heat output
  • Exceptional performance for a Dual Core processor
  • Overclocking potential

Reviewers Didn't Like

  • Quad core price tag for dual core processor
  • Memory and PCIE controller not in processor core
  • Older generation memory controller
  • No IGP control on P55 boards
  • Half of the Clarkdale chip is pure waste for gamers
73

Not a good...

By Atomic MPC on
80

The Intel range The Core i3 500 range arrived in January 2010, and is made up of dual-core processors with Hyper-threading.Based on the Clarkdale architecture, they have 4 MB of L3 cache and use an 1156 socket. Engineered at 32 nm, their Thermal...

By DigitalVersus on
87

Whether you're hunting for a solid all-round pc, a gaming experience that will bring a smile on your face, or a new heart for the living room media center, the Intel Core i3 is capable of delivering what you need. We thought that Intel's...

By Tweak.dk on
84

Core i3 540 is logically faster, but the additional 130 MHz come with a $15 price tag, and that brings this processor into the upper market class, ruled by quad core processors. There's little room here for Core i5 600, let alone Core i3 540, which...

By techPowerUp! on
60

Tick-tock goes the Intel PC processor...

By TechRadar on

Confusion lurks within Intel's Core processor lineup. Case in point: The Core i3-540 beats the general performance of the otherwise higher-class Core i5-750!...

By Techworld on

When we first heard about Clarkdale processors we were mightily skeptical since a dual-core/four-thread processor design had never been attempted before and Intel was not exactly known for their top-notch integrated graphics processor (IGPs). However,...

By Hardware Canucks on

With these new processors, Intel is offering an LGA1156 platform with performance/energy consumption ratios never seen before! The Clarkdales are as fast as the entry level Socket 775 quad cores, but with energy consumption on a par with entry level...

By BeHardware on

I swear this is the longest it’s taken for an Intel architecture to penetrate the market. We first met Nehalem on November 3rd, 2008. It came to us as a high end quad-core processor and took a full year to make it to more affordable motherboards...

By AnandTech on

These Clarkdale processors are complex beasts. To get a handle on what we think of them, we should break things down into several pieces. As a CPU technology, Clarkdale is excellent. I can't get over how the Core i5-661 kept nearly matching the Core...

By The Tech Report on

For the new Clarkdale models Intel wants to have between 113 and 284 USD. So the Euro prices are most likely to stay at the same level, but are expected to drop into the area between 90 to 240 Euros soon. For gamers the quad-core Core i5-750, which...

By PC Games Hardware on

Summing up everything we have just said, we can only state that the launch of new LGA1156 processors has significantly expanded the application field for this platform. It became a truly mainstream and universal platform, because now there are almost...

By X-bit Labs on
Load More Reviews…