Buy on Amazon
$60
In Stock
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $133
Availability
MSRP in USD: $133
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $324
Availability
MSRP in USD: $324
Key Differences
In short — Core i7-12700F 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 i7-12700F is 4380 days newer than the cheaper Core i3-540.
Advantages of Intel Core i3-540
- Up to 76% cheaper than Core i7-12700F - $60.0 vs $249.99
- Up to 67% better value when playing World of Warcraft than Core i7-12700F - $0.39 vs $1.17 per FPS
- Works without a dedicated GPU, while Intel Core i7-12700F doesn't have integrated graphics
Advantages of Intel Core i7-12700F
- Performs up to 40% better in World of Warcraft than Core i3-540 - 214 vs 153 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 - 20 vs 4 threads
World of Warcraft
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Maximum
Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Buy for $60 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 10088 minutes ago
Core i7-12700F
Desktop • Jan 4th, 2022
FPS
214
100%
Value, $/FPS
$1.17/FPS
33%
Price, $
$249.99
24%
FPS Winner
Intel CPU Core i7-12700F / 12/20 / 2.1GHz / 6xxChipset / BX8071512700F
Buy for $249.99 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 10088 minutes ago
TOP 5 Games
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Maximum
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Core i7-12700F
Desktop • Jan 4th, 2022
Geekbench 5 Benchmarks
Intel Core i3-540 | vs | Intel Core i7-12700F |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | Jan 4th, 2022 |
| Core i3 | Collection | Core i7 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Alder Lake |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 1700 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| 2 | Cores | 12 |
| 4 | Threads | 20 |
3.1 GHz | Base Clock Speed | 2.1 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Clock Speed | 4.9 GHz |
| 73 W | TDP | 65 W |
| 32 nm | Process Size | 10 nm |
23.0x | Multiplier | 21.0x |
Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | None |
| No | Overclockable | No |
Builds Using Core i3-540 or Core i7-12700F
World of Warcraft, 1920 x 1080, Maximum
166 FPS
$7.23/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,199.99
In Stock
166 FPS
$7.23/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$1,199.99
In Stock
194 FPS
$6.96/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$1,349.99
In Stock
157 FPS
$7.95/FPS
GeForce RTX 3060
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,248.45
In Stock
179 FPS
$7.82/FPS
GeForce RTX 3070
Core i7-12700F
32 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,399
In Stock
207 FPS
$8.7/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,799.99
In Stock
166 FPS
$6.63/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,099.99
In Stock
142 FPS
$8.01/FPS
GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, 512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$1,138.04
In Stock
166 FPS
$7.71/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$1,279.99
In Stock
157 FPS
$8.01/FPS
GeForce RTX 3060
Core i7-12700F
16 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$1,257
In Stock
Similar CPU Comparisons
Select from the most popular similar processor comparisons. Most compared processor combinations, including the currently selected ones, are at the top.
