The Core i3-540 is the comparison's loser – it's at least 2x slower gaming CPU than the Core i7-6950X and it's also a worse value for money, as it's only $118.82 cheaper!
Advantages of the Core i3-540
- Up to 54% cheaper – $101.17 vs $219.99
- Consumes up to 48% less energy – 73 vs 140 Watts
- Can run games without a dedicated GPU as it has integrated graphics
Advantages of the Core i7-6950X
- At least 2x faster CPU for gaming
- A better value for money for gaming
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously – 20 vs 4 threads
Core i3-540 vs Core i7-6950X
The CPU's performance in selected game and settings
Core i3-540
Jan 7th, 2010
Average FPS
186
91%
Min 1% FPS
132
93%
Price, $
$101.17
100%
Value, $/FPS
$0.54/FPS
100%
Core i7-6950X
May 31st, 2016
Average FPS
204
100%
Min 1% FPS
142
100%
Price, $
$219.99
45%
Value, $/FPS
$1.07/FPS
50%
Core i3-540 vs Core i7-6950X 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 i7-6950X in synthetic CPU benchmarks
Performance Specifications
The Core i3-540 vs Core i7-6950X in core CPU performance specifications
Core i3-540
Jan 7th, 2010
Cores
2-core
20%
L3 Cache
4 MB
16%
Base Frequency
3.066 GHz
100%
Turbo Frequency
GHz
Max. DDR3 RAM Speed
1333 MHz
56%
Core i7-6950X
May 31st, 2016
Cores
10-core
100%
L3 Cache
25 MB
100%
Base Frequency
3 GHz
98%
Turbo Frequency
3.5 GHz
100%
Max. DDR4 RAM Speed
2400 MHz
100%
Specifications
Comparison of all specifications
Core i3-540 | SpecificationsComparison of all specifications | Core i7-6950X |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | May 31st, 2016 |
$133.00 | MSRP | $1,723.00 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 2011-3 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Broadwell-E |
73 W | Power Consumption | 140 W |
| Performance | ||
| 2 | Cores | 10 |
| 4 | Threads | 20 |
3.1 GHz | Base Frequency | 3.0 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Frequency | 3.5 GHz |
| 4 MB | L3 Cache | 25 MB |
| Other Features | ||
| DDR3 @ 1333 MHz | RAM | DDR4 @ 2400 MHz |
Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | No |
| No | Overclockable | Yes |
