Xeon E6540 vs i5-2500K
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1721 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.37 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Core i5 (Desktop) | no data |
| Power efficiency | 2.59 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | no data |
| Release date | 9 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 1 January 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $216 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540 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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 2.27 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | no data |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 18 MB L3 Cache |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 216 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 73 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 1,160 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | - |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540 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 | no data |
| Socket | LGA1155 | FCLGA1567 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 105 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | no data |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | no data |
| EDB | + | + |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | - | no data |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 32 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 3000 | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.1 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 9 January 2011 | 1 January 2010 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 6 |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 105 Watt |
i5-2500K has an age advantage of 1 year, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 10.5% lower power consumption.
Xeon E6540, on the other hand, has 50% more physical cores and 200% more threads.
We couldn't decide between Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core i5-2500K is a desktop processor while Xeon E6540 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and Xeon E6540, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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