Buy on Amazon
$35
In Stock
AvailabilityMSRP $133
Availability
MSRP $133
AvailabilityMSRP $599
Availability
MSRP $599
Key Differences
In short — Core i9-12900K outperforms the cheaper Core i3-540 on the selected game parameters. However, the worse performing Core i3-540 is a better bang for your buck. The better performing Core i9-12900K is 4319 days newer than the cheaper Core i3-540.
Advantages of Core i3-540
- Up to 88% cheaper than Core i9-12900K - $35.00 vs $283.49
- Up to 77% better value when playing Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales than Core i9-12900K - $0.41 vs $1.75 per FPS
- Consumes up to 42% less energy than Intel Core i9-12900K - 73 vs 125 Watts
Advantages of Core i9-12900K
- Performs up to 88% better in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales than Core i3-540 - 162 vs 86 FPS
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously than Intel Core i3-540 - 24 vs 4 threads
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Very High
Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Buy for $35 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 49 minutes ago
Core i9-12900K
Desktop • Nov 4th, 2021
FPS
162
100%
Value, $/FPS
$1.75/FPS
23%
Price, $
$283.49
12%
FPS Winner
Intel Core i9-12900K Gaming Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics and 16 (8P+8E) Cores up to 5.2 GHz Unlocked LGA1700 600 Series Chipset 125W
Buy for $283.49 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 59 minutes ago
Trending Games
With selected game settings
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Very High
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Core i9-12900K
Desktop • Nov 4th, 2021
Geekbench 5 Benchmarks
Core i3-540 | vs | Core i9-12900K |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | Nov 4th, 2021 |
| Core i3 | Collection | Core i9 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Alder Lake |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 1700 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| 2 | Cores | 16 |
| 4 | Threads | 24 |
| 3.1 GHz | Base Clock Speed | 3.2 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Clock Speed | 5.2 GHz |
73 W | TDP | 125 W |
| 32 nm | Process Size | 10 nm |
| 23.0x | Multiplier | 32.0x |
| Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 770 |
| No | Overclockable | Yes |
PCs Using Core i3-540 or Core i9-12900K
With selected game settings
103 FPS
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122 FPS
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74 FPS
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112 FPS
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92 FPS
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103 FPS
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74 FPS
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53 FPS
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59 FPS
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112 FPS
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83 FPS
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112 FPS
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112 FPS
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112 FPS
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59 FPS
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112 FPS
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112 FPS
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112 FPS
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111 FPS
$58.55/FPS
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112 FPS
$29.28/FPS
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92 FPS
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74 FPS
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112 FPS
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79 FPS
$22.77/FPS
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87 FPS
$27.69/FPS
64 GB, 2 TB SSD
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112 FPS
$32.67/FPS
64 GB, 2 TB SSD + 1 TB HDD
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87 FPS
$22.98/FPS
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111 FPS
$35.14/FPS
16 GB, 10 TB HDD
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122 FPS
$20.49/FPS
64 GB, 1 TB SSD + 2 TB HDD
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87 FPS
$25.97/FPS
32 GB, 2 TB SSD + 1 TB HDD
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112 FPS
$37.04/FPS
32 GB, 8 TB SSD + 8 TB HDD
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111 FPS
$30.18/FPS
64 GB, 4 TB HDD
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112 FPS
$29.01/FPS
32 GB, 1 TB SSD + 3 TB HDD
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112 FPS
$29.01/FPS
32 GB, 1 TB SSD + 1 TB HDD
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112 FPS
$56.34/FPS
64 GB, 8 TB SSD + 12 TB HDD
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111 FPS
$33.33/FPS
16 GB, 8 TB HDD
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111 FPS
$28.83/FPS
32 GB, 6 TB HDD
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111 FPS
$30.18/FPS
32 GB, 6 TB HDD
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79 FPS
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112 FPS
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87 FPS
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112 FPS
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112 FPS
$56.55/FPS
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112 FPS
$48.68/FPS
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104 FPS
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65 FPS
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112 FPS
$30.35/FPS
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112 FPS
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