Pentium Gold G6400T vs i3-540

Aggregate performance score

Core i3-540
2010
2 cores / 4 threads, 73 Watt
0.97
Pentium Gold G6400T
2020
4 threads, 35 Watt
2.24
+131%

Pentium Gold G6400T outperforms Core i3-540 by a whopping 131% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking24811824
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.11no data
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency1.256.03
Architecture codenameClarkdale (2010−2011)no data
Release date7 January 2010 (14 years ago)1 April 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$45no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T 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 cores2 (Dual-core)no data
Threads44
Base clock speed3.06 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed0.07 GHzno data
Bus rate2.5 GT/s8 GT/s
L1 cache64 KB (per core)no data
L2 cache256 KB (per core)no data
L3 cache4 MB (shared)4 MB Intel® Smart Cache
Chip lithography32 nm14 nm
Die size81 mm2no data
Maximum core temperature73 °C100 °C
Number of transistors382 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T 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 configuration11
SocketFCLGA1156FCLGA1200
Power consumption (TDP)73 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology--
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring-+
Demand Based Switching-no data
PAE36 Bitno data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data-
FDI+no data

Security technologies

Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT--
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection-+
SGXno dataYes with Intel® ME
OS Guardno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T are enumerated here.

VT-dno data+
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4-2666
Maximum memory size16.38 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s41.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® ProcessorsIntel UHD Graphics 610
Max video memoryno data64 GB
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Videono data+
Clear Video HD++
Graphics max frequencyno data1.05 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported23

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution supportno data+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4no data4096x2160@30Hz
Max resolution over eDPno data4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPortno data4096x2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data12
OpenGLno data4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T.

PCIe version2.03.0
PCI Express lanes1616

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. 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.

i3-540 0.97
Pentium Gold G6400T 2.24
+131%

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.

i3-540 1538
Pentium Gold G6400T 3545
+130%

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.

i3-540 409
Pentium Gold G6400T 706
+72.6%

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.

i3-540 837
Pentium Gold G6400T 1389
+65.9%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.97 2.24
Recency 7 January 2010 1 April 2020
Chip lithography 32 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 73 Watt 35 Watt

Pentium Gold G6400T has a 130.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 108.6% lower power consumption.

The Pentium Gold G6400T is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-540 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Pentium Gold G6400T, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i3-540
Core i3-540
Intel Pentium Gold G6400T
Pentium Gold G6400T

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Community ratings

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