Xeon E-2124 vs i3-540

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2483	1351
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.11	15.48
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	no data	Intel Xeon E
Power efficiency	1.26	5.73
Architecture codename	Clarkdale (2010−2011)	Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	31 May 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$45	$193

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E-2124 has 13973% better value for money than i3-540.

Detailed specifications

Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.06 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	0.07 GHz	4.3 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	2.5 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	256K (per core)
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	81 mm2	126 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	382 million	1,400 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124 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 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1156	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	71 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	-	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
FDI	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
MPX	-	+
SGX	no data	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124 are enumerated here.

VT-d	no data	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4-2666
Maximum memory size	16.38 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	42.671 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	0.97	4.36
Recency	7 January 2010	31 May 2018
Physical cores	2	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	73 Watt	71 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-540 and Xeon E-2124, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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