The Core i3-540 is a much slower gaming CPU than the Core i7-3820, however, it's a much better value for money, as it's $314.88 cheaper!
Advantages of the Core i3-540
- Up to 90% cheaper – $35.00 vs $349.88
- A much better value for money for gaming
- Consumes up to 44% less energy – 73 vs 130 Watts
- Has an integrated GPU, while the Core i7-3820 cannot run games without a dedicated GPU
Advantages of the Core i7-3820
- At least 2x faster CPU for gaming
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously – 8 vs 4 threads
Core i3-540 vs Core i7-3820 for Gaming
The CPU's performance in selected game and settings
Core i7-3820
Feb 13th, 2012
Average FPS
170
100%
Min 1% FPS
114
100%
Price, $
$349.88
10%
Value, $/FPS
$2.05/FPS
10%
Core i3-540 vs Core i7-3820 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 i7-3820 in synthetic CPU benchmarks
Performance Specifications
The Core i3-540 vs Core i7-3820 in core CPU performance specifications
Core i3-540
Jan 7th, 2010
Cores
2-core
50%
L3 Cache
4 MB
40%
Base Frequency
3.07 GHz
85%
Turbo Frequency
GHz
Max. DDR3 RAM Speed
1333 MHz
83%
Core i7-3820
Feb 13th, 2012
Cores
4-core
100%
L3 Cache
10 MB
100%
Base Frequency
3.6 GHz
100%
Turbo Frequency
3.8 GHz
100%
Max. DDR3 RAM Speed
1600 MHz
100%
Specifications
Comparison of all specifications
Core i3-540 | SpecificationsComparison of all specifications | Core i7-3820 |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | Feb 13th, 2012 |
$133.00 | MSRP | $305.00 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 2011 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Sandy Bridge E |
73 W | Power Consumption | 130 W |
| Performance | ||
| 2 | Cores | 4 |
| 4 | Threads | 8 |
| 3.1 GHz | Base Frequency | 3.6 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Frequency | 3.8 GHz |
| 4 MB | L3 Cache | 10 MB |
| Other Features | ||
| DDR3 @ 1333 MHz | RAM | DDR3 @ 1600 MHz |
Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | No |
| No | Overclockable | Yes |
