AMD A12-9720P vs Intel Core i3-540 Benchmark, comparison and differences


AMD A12-9720P		Intel Core i3-540
CPU comparison In this CPU comparison, we compare the AMD A12-9720P and the Intel Core i3-540 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster. We compare the AMD A12-9720P 4 core processor released in Q4/2016 with the Intel Core i3-540 which has 2 CPU cores and was introduced in Q1/2010.

AMD A (112)	Family	Intel Core i3 (205)
AMD A12-9700 (2)	CPU group	Intel Core i3 500 (4)
6	Generation	1
Excavator (Bristol Ridge)	Architecture	Clarkdale
Mobile	Segment	Desktop / Server
--	Predecessor	--
--	Successor	--

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The AMD A12-9720P is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.70 GHz (3.60 GHz). The processor can compute 4 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i3-540 clocks with 3.06 GHz, has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
AMD A12-9720P	Characteristic	Intel Core i3-540
4	Cores	2
4	Threads	4
normal	Core architecture	normal
No	Hyperthreading	Yes
No	Overclocking ?	No
2.70 GHz	Frequency	3.06 GHz
3.60 GHz	Turbo Frequency (1 Core)	--
2.90 GHz	Turbo Frequency (All Cores)	--

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.
AMD A12-9720P	Characteristic	Intel Core i3-540
--	AI hardware	--
--	AI specifications	--

Internal Graphics Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.
AMD Radeon R7 - 512 (Bristol Ridge)	GPU	Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
0.76 GHz	GPU frequency	0.50 GHz
--	GPU (Turbo)	0.73 GHz
6	GPU Generation	5
28 nm	Technology	32 nm
2	Max. displays	2
8	Compute units	12
512	Shader	24
No	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
2 GB	Max. GPU Memory	2 GB
12	DirectX Version	10.1

Hardware codec support A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
AMD Radeon R7 - 512 (Bristol Ridge)	GPU	Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	No
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	No
Decode	Codec h264	Decode
No	Codec VP9	No
No	Codec VP8	No
No	Codec AV1	No
Decode	Codec AVC	Decode
Decode	Codec VC-1	No
Decode / Encode	Codec JPEG	No

Memory & PCIe Up to 64 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the AMD A12-9720P, while the Intel Core i3-540 supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 21.3 GB/s enabled.
AMD A12-9720P	Characteristic	Intel Core i3-540
DDR4-1866	Memory	DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
64 GB	Max. Memory	16 GB
2 (Dual Channel)	Memory channels	2 (Dual Channel)
29.9 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	21.3 GB/s
No	ECC	Yes
2.00 MB	L2 Cache	0.50 MB
--	L3 Cache	4.00 MB
3.0	PCIe version	2.0
8	PCIe lanes	16
7.9 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	8.0 GB/s
Thermal Management The AMD A12-9720P has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i3-540 is 73 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.
AMD A12-9720P	Characteristic	Intel Core i3-540
15 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	73 W
--	TDP (PL2)	--
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	--
90 °C	Tjunction max.	--
Technical details The AMD A12-9720P has 2.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 28 nm. The cache of Intel Core i3-540 is at 4.50 MB. The processor is manufactured in 32 nm.
AMD A12-9720P	Characteristic	Intel Core i3-540
28 nm	Technology	32 nm
Unknown	Chip design	Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, FMA4	ISA extensions	SSE4.1, SSE4.2
FP4	Socket	LGA 1156
AMD-V	Virtualization	VT-x, VT-x EPT
Yes	AES-NI	No
	Operating systems	Windows 10, Linux
Q4/2016	Release date	Q1/2010
--	Release price	117 $

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AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 2.70 GHz (3.60 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz buy now on Amazon and save!

Rate these processors

Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks

AMD A12-9720P (100%)

Intel Core i3-540 (98%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks

AMD A12-9720P (90%)

Intel Core i3-540 (95%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz	489 (100%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	478 (98%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz	1278 (100%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	1141 (89%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.


	AMD A12-9720P AMD Radeon R7 - 512 (Bristol Ridge) @ 0.76 GHz	782 (100%)
	Intel Core i3-540 Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) @ 0.73 GHz	35 (4%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 2.70 GHz	543 (79%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	685 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz	0 (0%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	470 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz	0 (0%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	952 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz	0 (0%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	1516 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 3.60 GHz	76 (100%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD A12-9720P 4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz	237 (100%)
	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	0 (0%)


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AMD A12-9720P vs Intel Core i3-540

CPU comparison with benchmarks

CPU comparison

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Internal Graphics

Hardware codec support

Memory & PCIe

Thermal Management

Technical details