The Core i3-540 is the comparison's loser – it's at least 2x slower gaming CPU than the Core i5-12600KF and it's also a much worse value for money, as it's only $25.05 cheaper!
Advantages of the Core i3-540
- Up to 20% cheaper – $98.95 vs $124.00
- Consumes up to 42% less energy – 73 vs 125 Watts
- Can run games without a dedicated GPU as it has integrated graphics
Advantages of the Core i5-12600KF
- At least 2x faster CPU for gaming
- A much better value for money for gaming
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously – 16 vs 4 threads
Core i3-540 vs Core i5-12600KF for Gaming
The CPU's performance in selected game and settings
Core i3-540
Jan 7th, 2010
Average FPS
166
79%
Min 1% FPS
112
81%
Price, $
$98.95
100%
Value, $/FPS
$0.59/FPS
100%
Core i5-12600KF
Nov 4th, 2021
Average FPS
210
100%
Min 1% FPS
138
100%
Price, $
$124
79%
Value, $/FPS
$0.59/FPS
100%
Core i3-540 vs Core i5-12600KF in My Games
The FPS you'll get in saved games, click on a game to change it
The FPS you'll get in saved games, click on a game to change it
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Synthetic Benchmarks
The Core i3-540 vs Core i5-12600KF in synthetic CPU benchmarks
Performance Specifications
The Core i3-540 vs Core i5-12600KF in core CPU performance specifications
Core i3-540
Jan 7th, 2010
Cores
2-core
20%
L3 Cache
4 MB
20%
Base Frequency
3.07 GHz
83%
Turbo Frequency
GHz
Max. DDR3 RAM Speed
1333 MHz
28%
Core i5-12600KF
Nov 4th, 2021
Cores
10-core
100%
L3 Cache
20 MB
100%
Base Frequency
3.7 GHz
100%
Turbo Frequency
4.9 GHz
100%
Max. DDR5 RAM Speed
4800 MHz
100%
Specifications
Comparison of all specifications
Core i3-540 | SpecificationsComparison of all specifications | Core i5-12600KF |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | Nov 4th, 2021 |
$133.00 | MSRP | $264.00 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 1700 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Alder Lake |
73 W | Power Consumption | 125 W |
| Performance | ||
| 2 | Cores | 10 |
| 4 | Threads | 16 |
| 3.1 GHz | Base Frequency | 3.7 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Frequency | 4.9 GHz |
| 4 MB | L3 Cache | 20 MB |
| Other Features | ||
| DDR3 @ 1333 MHz | RAM | DDR4 @ 3200 MHz, DDR5 @ 4800 MHz |
Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | No |
| No | Overclockable | Yes |
