i5-12600KF vs Pentium N3540

Primary details

Comparing Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2643	352
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	46.54
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Pentium	Intel Core i5
Power efficiency	9.59	13.30
Architecture codename	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)	Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date	22 May 2014 (10 years ago)	4 November 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$251	$264

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF 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)	10 (Deca-Core)
Threads	4	16
Base clock speed	2.16 GHz	3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.66 GHz	4.9 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 4.0
Bus rate	no data	8 × 16 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	37
L1 cache	224 KB	80K (per core)
L2 cache	2 MB	9.5 MB
L3 cache	2 MB L2 Cache	20 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	22 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	no data	215.25 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF 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	FCBGA1170	FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)	7.5 Watt	125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	no data	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	-	+
AVX	-	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Smart Connect	+	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	-
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	+
OS Guard	no data	+
Anti-Theft	-	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3L-1333	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Maximum memory size	8 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21.32 GB/s	76.805 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® HD Graphics for Intel Atom® Processor Z3700 Series	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Graphics max frequency	896 MHz	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX

11.2

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF.

PCIe version	2.0	5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes	4	20
USB revision	3.0 and 2.0	no data
Total number of SATA ports	2	no data
Number of USB ports	5	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.

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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	0.76	17.57
Recency	22 May 2014	4 November 2021
Physical cores	4	10
Threads	4	16
Power consumption (TDP)	7 Watt	125 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Pentium N3540 and Core i5-12600KF, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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