Buy on Amazon
$217
In Stock
Availability
Availability
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $133
Availability
MSRP in USD: $133
Key Differences
In short — Core i7-960 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 i7-960 is 79 days older than the cheaper Core i3-540.
Advantages of Intel Core i7-960
- Performs up to 1% better in Forza Horizon 5 than Core i3-540 - 163 vs 162 FPS
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously than Intel Core i3-540 - 8 vs 4 threads
Advantages of Intel Core i3-540
- Up to 72% cheaper than Core i7-960 - $60.0 vs $217.0
- Up to 72% better value when playing Forza Horizon 5 than Core i7-960 - $0.37 vs $1.33 per FPS
- Consumes up to 44% less energy than Intel Core i7-960 - 73 vs 130 Watts
- Works without a dedicated GPU, while Intel Core i7-960 doesn't have integrated graphics
Forza Horizon 5
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Max
Core i7-960
Desktop • Oct 20th, 2009
FPS
163
100%
Value, $/FPS
$1.33/FPS
27.819548872180448%
Price, $
$217
27%
FPS Winner
Intel Core i7-960 Processor 3.20 GHz 8 MB Cache Socket LGA1366
Buy for $217 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 7 minutes ago
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
FPS
162
99.38650306748467%
Value, $/FPS
$0.37/FPS
100%
Price, $
$60
100%
Value Winner
Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Buy for $60 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 7 minutes ago
TOP 5 Games
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Max
Core i7-960
Desktop • Oct 20th, 2009
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Geekbench 5 Benchmarks
Intel Core i7-960 | vs | Intel Core i3-540 |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 20th, 2009 | Release Date | Jan 7th, 2010 |
| Core i7 | Collection | Core i3 |
| Bloomfield | Codename | Clarkdale |
| Intel Socket 1366 | Socket | Intel Socket 1156 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
4 | Cores | 2 |
8 | Threads | 4 |
3.2 GHz | Base Clock Speed | 3.1 GHz |
| 3.5 GHz | Turbo Clock Speed | Non-Turbo |
| 130 W | TDP | 73 W |
| 45 nm | Process Size | 32 nm |
24.0x | Multiplier | 23.0x |
| None | Integrated Graphics | Intel HD |
| No | Overclockable | No |
Similar CPU Comparisons
Select from the most popular similar processor comparisons. Most compared processor combinations, including the currently selected ones, are at the top.
