i5-2540M vs Xeon E3-1270

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Aggregate performance score

Xeon E3-1270
2011
4 cores / 8 threads, 80 Watt
3.37
+126%
Core i5-2540M
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.49

Xeon E3-1270 outperforms Core i5-2540M by a whopping 126% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking15732160
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.24no data
Market segmentServerLaptop
Seriesno dataIntel Core i5
Power efficiency3.994.03
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date3 April 2011 (13 years ago)1 February 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$369$266

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads84
Base clock speed3.4 GHz2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.8 GHz3.3 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 2.0
Bus rateno data4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplierno data26
L1 cache64 KB (per core)128 KB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)512 KB
L3 cache8 MB (shared)3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size216 mm2149 mm2
Maximum core temperature69 °C100 °C
Number of transistors1,160 million624 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M 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 (Uniprocessor)
SocketLGA1155FCBGA1023,PPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)80 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXIntel® AVX
AES-NI++
FMA-+
AVX++
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access++
Demand Based Switching+-
FDI-+
Fast Memory Access++

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Identity Protection++
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GB16 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s21.335 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HD-+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.3 GHz
InTru 3D-+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2
eDPno data+
DisplayPort-+
HDMI-+
SDVOno data+
CRTno data+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes2016

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.

Xeon E3-1270 3.37
+126%
i5-2540M 1.49

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.

Xeon E3-1270 5350
+126%
i5-2540M 2367

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.

Xeon E3-1270 607
+23.9%
i5-2540M 490

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.

Xeon E3-1270 2034
+108%
i5-2540M 980

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.37 1.49
Recency 3 April 2011 1 February 2011
Physical cores 4 2
Threads 8 4
Power consumption (TDP) 80 Watt 35 Watt

Xeon E3-1270 has a 126.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 months, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

i5-2540M, on the other hand, has 128.6% lower power consumption.

The Xeon E3-1270 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2540M in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E3-1270 is a server/workstation processor while Core i5-2540M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1270 and Core i5-2540M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Xeon E3-1270
Xeon E3-1270
Intel Core i5-2540M
Core i5-2540M

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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