The Core i3-540 is the comparison's loser – it's at least 2x slower gaming CPU than the Core i3-12100 and it's also a much worse value for money, as it's only $78.99 cheaper!
Advantages of the Core i3-540
- Up to 69% cheaper – $35.00 vs $113.99
Advantages of the Core i3-12100
- At least 2x faster CPU for gaming
- A better value for money for gaming
- Consumes up to 18% less energy – 60 vs 73 Watts
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously – 8 vs 4 threads
Core i3-540 vs Core i3-12100 for Gaming
The CPU's performance in selected game and settings
Core i3-12100
Jan 4th, 2022
Average FPS
202
100%
Min 1% FPS
133
100%
Price, $
$113.99
30%
Value, $/FPS
$0.56/FPS
38%
Core i3-540 vs Core i3-12100 in My Games
The FPS you'll get in saved games
The FPS you'll get in saved games
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Synthetic Benchmarks
The Core i3-540 vs Core i3-12100 in synthetic CPU benchmarks
Performance Specifications
The Core i3-540 vs Core i3-12100 in core CPU performance specifications
Core i3-540
Jan 7th, 2010
Cores
2-core
50%
L3 Cache
4 MB
33%
Base Frequency
3.07 GHz
93%
Turbo Frequency
GHz
Max. DDR3 RAM Speed
1333 MHz
28%
Core i3-12100
Jan 4th, 2022
Cores
4-core
100%
L3 Cache
12 MB
100%
Base Frequency
3.3 GHz
100%
Turbo Frequency
4.3 GHz
100%
Max. DDR5 RAM Speed
4800 MHz
100%
Specifications
Comparison of all specifications
Core i3-540 | SpecificationsComparison of all specifications | Core i3-12100 |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | Jan 4th, 2022 |
| $133.00 | MSRP | $122.00 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 1700 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Alder Lake |
| 73 W | Power Consumption | 60 W |
| Performance | ||
| 2 | Cores | 4 |
| 4 | Threads | 8 |
| 3.1 GHz | Base Frequency | 3.3 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Frequency | 4.3 GHz |
| 4 MB | L3 Cache | 12 MB |
| Other Features | ||
| DDR3 @ 1333 MHz | RAM | DDR4 @ 3200 MHz, DDR5 @ 4800 MHz |
| Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 730 |
| No | Overclockable | No |
