i3-6167U vs i5-2540M

Place in the ranking	2143	1891
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5	Intel Core i3
Power efficiency	4.04	6.94
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Skylake (2015−2016)
Release date	1 February 2011 (13 years ago)	1 September 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$266	$304

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U 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)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	2.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.7 GHz
Bus type	DMI 2.0	OPI
Bus rate	4 × 5 GT/s	4 GT/s
Multiplier	26	27
L1 cache	64K (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	512 KB
L3 cache	3 MB (shared)	3 MB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	149 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	624 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U 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 (Uniprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCBGA1023,PPGA988	FCBGA1356
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	28 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	+	-
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
eDRAM	no data	64 MB
My WiFi	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	+
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3, DDR4
Maximum memory size	16 GB	32 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21.335 GB/s	34.134 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel Iris Graphics 550
Max video memory	no data	32 GB
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1.3 GHz	1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	3
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
DVI	no data	+
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	no data	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096x2304@24Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over VGA	no data	N/A

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12
OpenGL	no data	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	12

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.

i5-2540M 1.55

i3-6167U 2.13
+37.4%

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.

i5-2540M 2365

i3-6167U 3255
+37.6%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.55	2.13
Integrated graphics card	0.66	3.70
Recency	1 February 2011	1 September 2015
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	28 Watt

i3-6167U has a 37.4% higher aggregate performance score, 460.6% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 4 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 25% lower power consumption.

The Core i3-6167U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2540M in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2540M and Core i3-6167U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.