Buy on Amazon
$60
In Stock
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $133
Availability
MSRP in USD: $133
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $599
Availability
MSRP in USD: $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 Intel Core i3-540
- Up to 84% cheaper than Core i9-12900K - $60.0 vs $366.0
- Up to 81% better value when playing God of War than Core i9-12900K - $0.37 vs $1.9 per FPS
- Consumes up to 42% less energy than Intel Core i9-12900K - 73 vs 125 Watts
Advantages of Intel Core i9-12900K
- Performs up to 19% better in God of War than Core i3-540 - 193 vs 162 FPS
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously than Intel Core i3-540 - 24 vs 4 threads
God of War
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Ultra
Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Buy for $60 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 63 minutes ago
Intel Core i9-12900K 12th Gen Alder Lake 16-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1700 Processor-BX8071512900K
Buy for $366 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 63 minutes ago
TOP 5 Games
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Ultra
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Core i9-12900K
Desktop • Nov 4th, 2021
Geekbench 5 Benchmarks
Intel Core i3-540 | vs | Intel 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 |
Builds Using Core i3-540 or Core i9-12900K
God of War, 1920 x 1080, Ultra
193 FPS
$19.69/FPS
GeForce RTX 4090
Core i9-12900K
16 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$3,799.99
In Stock
116 FPS
$15.86/FPS
GeForce RTX 3080
Core i9-12900K
64 GB, 2 TB SSD + 1 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$1,839.99
In Stock
140 FPS
$17.14/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Core i9-12900K
32 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$2,399.99
In Stock
140 FPS
$15/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Core i9-12900K
32 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$2,099.99
In Stock
69 FPS
$36.22/FPS
GeForce RTX 3060
Core i9-12900K
16 GB, 4 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$2,499
In Stock
140 FPS
$15/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Core i9-12900K
32 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$2,099.99
In Stock
127 FPS
$25.12/FPS
GeForce RTX 3090
Core i9-12900K
32 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$3,189.99
In Stock
117 FPS
$18.12/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070
Core i9-12900K
32 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$2,119.99
In Stock
43 FPS
$25.48/FPS
Arc A380
Core i9-12900K
32 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,095.77
In Stock
102 FPS
$27.44/FPS
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
Core i9-12900K
16 GB, 4 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$2,799
In Stock
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