Buy on Amazon
$60
In Stock
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $133
Availability
MSRP in USD: $133
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $212
Availability
MSRP in USD: $212
Key Differences
In short — Core i5-12500 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 i5-12500 is 4380 days newer than the cheaper Core i3-540.
Advantages of Intel Core i3-540
- Up to 69% cheaper than Core i5-12500 - $60.0 vs $195.98
- Up to 66% better value when playing Fortnite than Core i5-12500 - $0.28 vs $0.82 per FPS
Advantages of Intel Core i5-12500
- Performs up to 12% better in Fortnite than Core i3-540 - 238 vs 212 FPS
- Consumes up to 11% less energy than Intel Core i3-540 - 65 vs 73 Watts
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously than Intel Core i3-540 - 12 vs 4 threads
Fortnite
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Epic
Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Buy for $60 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 3785 minutes ago
Intel Core i5 (12th Gen) i5-12500 3 GHz Processor - Retail Pack
Buy for $195.98 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 3785 minutes ago
TOP 5 Games
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Epic
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Core i5-12500
Desktop • Jan 4th, 2022
Geekbench 5 Benchmarks
Intel Core i3-540 | vs | Intel Core i5-12500 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | Jan 4th, 2022 |
| Core i3 | Collection | Core i5 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Alder Lake |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 1700 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| 2 | Cores | 6 |
| 4 | Threads | 12 |
3.1 GHz | Base Clock Speed | 3.0 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Clock Speed | 4.6 GHz |
| 73 W | TDP | 65 W |
| 32 nm | Process Size | 10 nm |
| 23.0x | Multiplier | 30.0x |
| Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 770 |
| No | Overclockable | No |
Builds Using Core i3-540 or Core i5-12500
Fortnite, 1920 x 1080, Epic
62 FPS
$11.85/FPS
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
Core i5-12500
16 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$734.54
In Stock
107 FPS
$9.8/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
Core i5-12500
16 GB, 512 GB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,049
In Stock
107 FPS
$9.34/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
Core i5-12500
8 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$999
In Stock
107 FPS
$7.41/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
Core i5-12500
16 GB, 512 GB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$792.99
In Stock
107 FPS
$9.5/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
Core i5-12500
32 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$1,015.99
In Stock
107 FPS
$8.88/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
Core i5-12500
32 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$949.99
In Stock
91 FPS
$11.32/FPS
GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile
Core i5-12500
32 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,029.99
In Stock
91 FPS
$11.25/FPS
GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile
Core i5-12500
16 GB, 512 GB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,023.93
In Stock
62 FPS
$13.55/FPS
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
Core i5-12500
8 GB, 512 GB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$840
In Stock
62 FPS
$14.92/FPS
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
Core i5-12500
16 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$925
In Stock
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