At the time of its release in 2010, the Cor i3-540 allowed you to collect average computer configurations in terms of performance. Now this processor continues to be relevant and still allows you to run most of the existing software. It is about its capabilities and technical parameters that will be discussed later.
Chip positioning
Intel Core i3-540, like all CPUs of this family, belongs to mid-level chips. The level of their performance is quite sufficient to solve most problems. And even the current most demanding toys can go on it, only if not the maximum settings and installed in the system is very productive discrete graphics card. This processor has a sufficient level of performance, but not excessive. Therefore, all such CPUs are great for mid-range PCs.
Socket
Core i3-540 is aimed at installing in the LGA 1156 socket. A lot of time has passed since its announcement. The processor sockets of the Intel company have already been updated three times. Therefore, this decision cannot be considered relevant.
Technological process. Temperature. Thermal pack
I3-540 processor had a dual-crystal layout. On one of them two computing cores were located, and it was produced using 32 nm technology, and on the second - an integrated graphic accelerator, which was already produced according to the standards of 45 nm. The maximum allowable temperature for this semiconductor crystal was 72.6 ° C. In reality, the temperature range was in the range from 35 to 50 ° C. The thermal package of this semiconductor solution was 73 watts. Given the technology, the layout of the chip and the presence of not only computing cores, but also a graphics accelerator and a memory controller, this is a normal value.
Cache
"Cor i3-540" is equipped with a cache memory of 3 levels. The first of them was equal to 128 Kb and divided into 2 equal parts of 64 Kb, which could interact with only one core. These 64 Kb, in turn, were still divided in half. One part of 32 KB was used to store instructions, and the second of a similar size for data. The total size of the cache in the second level was already equal to 0.5 MB. It was also divided into 2 parts of 256 KB, which were determined behind the computing module. The third cache level was general, and its total size was 4 MB.
RAM
The memory controller was transferred from the north bridge of the system logic set to “Cor i3-540” to the central processor chip. This allowed to significantly increase the speed of the RAM subsystem. The controller itself was dual-channel and focused on installing DDR3 memory slats. Their recommended frequency should be 1066 MHz or 1333 MHz. The maximum RAM size in this case could reach 16 GB.
Frequency
The multiplier for this processor solution is blocked, TurboBust technology is also not supported in this case. The system bus frequency is 133 MHz, and the chip frequency multiplier is 23. Therefore, the clock speed of this CPU is 3.066 GHz. This is a fixed value that does not change either from the load on the processor or from the degree of its heating.
Architecture
Two physical processor cores are included in this representative of the Cor i3 line. CPU 540 supported HyperTrading technology. When it was activated, it was possible to obtain four information processing streams instead of the usual two computing cores. Therefore, at the software level, this processor looked like a complete quad-core solution. In reality, it lost in performance to the four-module processors of the Kor Ai5 family.
Graphic arts
As noted earlier, the Core i3-540 includes an integrated graphics accelerator. His model is HD Graphics. The clock frequency of this computational solution was 733 MHz. He could display the image immediately on 2 monitors. His productivity level is minimal, and he could solve only the simplest tasks (office applications, simple games and video playback). For something more, it was necessary to purchase a discrete accelerator, which would make it possible to fully reveal the capabilities of this semiconductor crystal.
Overclocking
As noted earlier, the frequency multiplier for this CPU was locked at 23. Therefore, it was simply impossible to overclock this processor with it. But here the value of the system bus frequency could still be changed. As a result, there were minimal overclocking opportunities for this chip. To do this, it was enough to raise its significance. This allowed for an additional 3-7 percent increase in productivity.
User reviews
The Intel Core i3-540 is a great mid-range processor in 2010. At that time, it fully met all the requirements and allowed to solve any problems that were relevant at that time. Now this platform is outdated both morally and physically. The pros noted the following:
- Great value for money.
- Excellent energy efficiency.
- Advanced technical process at that time.
Well, minus one - a weak integrated graphics card, which even then was very, very weak.
Summary
“Cor i3-540” was perfect for assembling a personal computer in the middle price range. The technical specifications of such a PC are still relevant, and it allows you to solve most problems. But when assembling a new system unit, it is still better to pay attention to more recent platforms, which have an improved technological process and can boast of greater performance, and their energy consumption is reduced, however, their cost is already higher.