Buy on Amazon
$282.99
In Stock
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $564
Availability
MSRP in USD: $564
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $133
Availability
MSRP in USD: $133
Key Differences
In short — Core i9-12900KF outperforms the cheaper Core i3-540 on the selected game parameters. We do not have the prices of both CPUs to compare value. The better performing Core i9-12900KF is 4319 days newer than the cheaper Core i3-540.
Advantages of Intel Core i9-12900KF
- Performs up to 79% better in Starfield than Core i3-540 - 77 vs 43 FPS
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously than Intel Core i3-540 - 24 vs 4 threads
Advantages of Intel Core i3-540
- Up to 79% cheaper than Core i9-12900KF - $60.0 vs $282.99
- Consumes up to 42% less energy than Intel Core i9-12900KF - 73 vs 125 Watts
- Works without a dedicated GPU, while Intel Core i9-12900KF doesn't have integrated graphics
Starfield
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Ultra
Intel Core i9-12900KF Gaming Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E) Cores up to 5.2 GHz Unlocked LGA1700 600 Series Chipset 125W
Buy for $282.99 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 75692 minutes ago
Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Buy for $60 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 75691 minutes ago
TOP 5 Games
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Ultra
Core i9-12900KF
Desktop • Nov 4th, 2021
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Geekbench 5 Benchmarks
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Single-Core
408
16.050354051927616%
Multi-Core
841
5.6515019151938715%
Intel Core i9-12900KF | vs | Intel Core i3-540 |
|---|---|---|
Nov 4th, 2021 | Release Date | Jan 7th, 2010 |
| Core i9 | Collection | Core i3 |
| Alder Lake | Codename | Clarkdale |
| Intel Socket 1700 | Socket | Intel Socket 1156 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
16 | Cores | 2 |
24 | Threads | 4 |
3.2 GHz | Base Clock Speed | 3.1 GHz |
| 5.2 GHz | Turbo Clock Speed | Non-Turbo |
| 125 W | TDP | 73 W |
10 nm | Process Size | 32 nm |
32.0x | Multiplier | 23.0x |
| None | Integrated Graphics | Intel HD |
Yes | Overclockable | No |
Builds Using Core i9-12900KF or Core i3-540
Starfield, 1920 x 1080, Ultra
31 FPS
$54.84/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060
Core i9-12900KF
32 GB, 4 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$1,699.99
In Stock
47 FPS
$34.02/FPS
GeForce RTX 3080
Core i9-12900KF
32 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$1,599
In Stock
38 FPS
$70.53/FPS
GeForce RTX 3070
Core i9-12900KF
16 GB, N/A Storage
Buy on Amazon
$2,679.99
In Stock
57 FPS
$37.72/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Core i9-12900KF
32 GB, 512 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$2,149.99
In Stock
31 FPS
$42.77/FPS
GeForce RTX 4060
Core i9-12900KF
32 GB, 1 TB SSD
Buy on Amazon
$1,325.79
In Stock
52 FPS
$105.75/FPS
GeForce RTX 3090
Core i9-12900KF
16 GB, 1 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$5,499
In Stock
51 FPS
$75.8/FPS
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
Core i9-12900KF
16 GB, 2 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$3,866
In Stock
48 FPS
$52.08/FPS
GeForce RTX 4070
Core i9-12900KF
32 GB, 1 TB SSD + 4 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$2,499.99
In Stock
52 FPS
$105.75/FPS
GeForce RTX 3090
Core i9-12900KF
32 GB, 2 TB SSD + 2 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$5,499
In Stock
51 FPS
$42.18/FPS
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
Core i9-12900KF
32 GB, 1 TB SSD + 2 TB HDD
Buy on Amazon
$2,151
In Stock
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