Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz

Benchmarks for the Intel Core i3-540 can be found below. Release dates, price and performance comparisons are also listed when available. This is made using thousands of PerformanceTest benchmark results and is updated daily.

The first graph shows the relative performance of the CPU compared to the 10 other common (single) CPUs in terms of PassMark CPU Mark.
The 2nd graph shows the value for money, in terms of the CPUMark per dollar.
The pricing history data shows the price for a single Processor. For multiple Processors, multiply the price shown by the number of CPUs.

Is the Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz Good for Gaming?

This is a fairly old CPU that is no longer competitive with newer CPUs. [More ...]

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Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz

Description:

Class: Desktop

Socket: LGA1156

Clockspeed: 3.1 GHz

Cores: 2 Threads: 4

Typical TDP: 73 W

Cache per CPU Package:
L1 Instruction Cache: 2 x 32 KB
L1 Data Cache: 2 x 32 KB
L2 Cache: 2 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 4 MB

Other names: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU 540 @ 3.07GHz, Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU 540 @ 3.07GHz

CPU First Seen on Charts: Q1 2010

CPUmark/$Price: 15.71

Overall Rank:
3832nd fastest in multithreading out of 5478 CPUs
3128th fastest in single threading out of 5478 CPUs
1102nd fastest in out of 1484 Desktop CPUs

Last Price Change: $98.95 USD (2025-11-24)

Average CPU Mark rating

Multithread Rating

1555

Single Thread Rating

1262

Samples: 1624*
*Margin for error: Low

PerformanceTest V9
CPU Mark: 2,626
Thread: 1,241

CPU Test Suite Average Results for Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz

Integer Math	8,037 MOps/Sec
Floating Point Math	3,495 MOps/Sec
Find Prime Numbers	10 Million Primes/Sec
Random String Sorting	4,483 Thousand Strings/Sec
Data Encryption	287.5 MBytes/Sec
Data Compression	33,676 KBytes/Sec
Physics	184 Frames/Sec
Extended Instructions	955 Million Matrices/Sec
Single Thread	1,262 MOps/Sec

From submitted results to PerformanceTest V10 as of 8th of December 2025.

CPU Mark Distribution for Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz

Submitted Baseline Distribution Graph as of 2nd of December 2025

From submitted results since PerformanceTest V10 as of 2nd of December 2025.
For distribution graph only: Results are trimmed to exclude outliers by disregarding the bottom 1% and top 1% of submissions.

Merchant	Price	Purchase
	$98.95 USD	Buy Now!
	NA	CPU Not Available. See Other Models
	NA	CPU Not Available. See Other Models

Note: PassMark Software may earn compensation for sales from links on this site through affiliate programs.

Pricing History

CPU Mark Relative to Top 10 Common Desktop CPUs
As of 8th of December 2025 - Higher results represent better performance
Processor	Average CPU Mark
Intel Core i9-14900K		58,548
Intel Core i9-13900K		58,360
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X		38,954
Apple M1 Max 10 Core 3200 MHz		22,147
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X		21,845
Intel Core i5-12400F		19,538
Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz		18,110
AMD Ryzen 5 3600		17,685
Apple M2 8 Core 3500 MHz		15,654
Apple M1 8 Core 3200 MHz		14,144
Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz		1,555

CPU Value (CPU Mark / $Price )
As of 8th of December 2025 - Higher results represent better value
Processor	CPU Mark / $Price
AMD Ryzen 5 3600		263.95
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X		161.81
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X		149.85
Intel Core i9-14900K		132.51
Intel Core i5-12400F		112.52
Intel Core i9-13900K		106.11
Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz		53.75
Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz		15.71
Apple M1 8 Core 3200 MHz		NA
Apple M2 8 Core 3500 MHz		NA
Apple M1 Max 10 Core 3200 MHz		NA

Single Thread Rating
As of 8th of December 2025 - Higher results represent better performance
Processor	Average Thread Rating
Intel Core i9-14900K		4,696
Intel Core i9-13900K		4,601
Apple M2 8 Core 3500 MHz		3,890
Apple M1 Max 10 Core 3200 MHz		3,833
Apple M1 8 Core 3200 MHz		3,678
Intel Core i5-12400F		3,487
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X		3,467
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X		3,364
Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz		2,915
AMD Ryzen 5 3600		2,561
Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz		1,262

Last 5 Baselines for Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz
Most recent listed first
Baseline	CPU Mark
BL3108497 - Dec 05 2025		1732
BL3100280 - Dec 02 2025		1513
BL3096537 - Dec 01 2025		1696
BL3089341 - Nov 28 2025		1253
BL3069082 - Nov 20 2025		1701

Additional baselines can be obtained using Windows version of PerformanceTest's Manage Baselines feature.

Popular comparisons for Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz
As of 8th of December 2025 - Higher results represent better performance
Processor	Average CPU Mark
Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz		1,555
Intel Core2 Quad Q8300 @ 2.50GHz vs Intel Core i3-540		1,917 (+23.3%)
AMD Phenom II X4 910 vs Intel Core i3-540		1,776 (+14.2%)
AMD Phenom 9450e Quad-Core vs Intel Core i3-540		1,455 (-6.4%)
AMD Athlon II X3 405e vs Intel Core i3-540		1,331 (-14.4%)
Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40GHz vs Intel Core i3-540		1,839 (+18.3%)
AMD Phenom II X3 B73 vs Intel Core i3-540		1,671 (+7.5%)
Intel Core i3-550 @ 3.20GHz vs Intel Core i3-540		1,632 (+4.9%)
AMD Athlon II X3 415e vs Intel Core i3-540		1,481 (-4.8%)
AMD Phenom II X3 740 vs Intel Core i3-540		1,424 (-8.4%)
AMD Athlon 5150 APU vs Intel Core i3-540		1,415 (-9.0%)
Intel Core i3-2105 @ 3.10GHz vs Intel Core i3-540		1,837 (+18.2%)
Intel Core i3-560 @ 3.33GHz vs Intel Core i3-540		1,642 (+5.6%)

Is the Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz Good for Gaming?
As of 8th of December 2025 - Higher results represent better performance
Processor	Relative Gaming Score
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D		12,441
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D		12,127
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D		11,256
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D		10,797
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D		10,508
Intel Core Ultra 9 285K		10,453
AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D		10,350
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D		10,270
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D		9,778
AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D		9,656
Intel Core Ultra 7 265K		9,481
Intel Core Ultra 9 285		9,406
Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz		370

CPU Benchmarks

CPU Benchmarks

Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz

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CPU Test Suite Average Results for Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz

CPU Mark Distribution for Intel Core i3-540 @ 3.07GHz

Pricing History