Atom E660 vs i3-540
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-540 and Atom E660 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2481 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.11 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Power efficiency | 1.26 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Clarkdale (2010−2011) | Tunnel Creek (2010) |
| Release date | 7 January 2010 (14 years ago) | 14 September 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $45 | $54 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-540 and Atom E660 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 | 2 (Dual-core) | 1 (Single-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | 3.06 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 0.07 GHz | 1.3 GHz |
| Bus rate | 2.5 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 4 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 81 mm2 | 26 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 382 million | 47 million |
| 64 bit support | + | - |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-540 and Atom E660 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA1156 | Intel BGA 676 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 73 Watt | 3 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Atom E660. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2 | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| PAE | 36 Bit | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i3-540 and Atom E660 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Atom E660 are enumerated here.
| VT-x | + | no data |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Atom E660. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR2 |
| Maximum memory size | 16.38 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors | Intel GMA 600 |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Atom E660 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Atom E660.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | no data |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
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
| Recency | 7 January 2010 | 14 September 2010 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 1 |
| Threads | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 73 Watt | 3 Watt |
i3-540 has 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
Atom E660, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 8 months, and 2333.3% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Core i3-540 and Atom E660. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core i3-540 is a desktop processor while Atom E660 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Atom E660, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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