Intel Core i3-540 vs MediaTek MT6738 Benchmark, comparison and differences


Intel Core i3-540		MediaTek MT6738
CPU comparison In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i3-540 and the MediaTek MT6738 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster. We compare the Intel Core i3-540 2 core processor released in Q1/2010 with the MediaTek MT6738 which has 4 CPU cores and was introduced in Q2/2016.

Intel Core i3 (205)	Family	Mediatek MT-Serie (72)
Intel Core i3 500 (4)	CPU group	MediaTek MT67xx (17)
1	Generation	1
Clarkdale	Architecture	Cortex-A53
Desktop / Server	Segment	Mobile
--	Predecessor	--
--	Successor	--

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The Intel Core i3-540 is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.06 GHz. The processor can compute 4 threads at the same time. The MediaTek MT6738 clocks with 1.50 GHz, has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
Intel Core i3-540	Characteristic	MediaTek MT6738
2	Cores	4
4	Threads	4
normal	Core architecture	normal
Yes	Hyperthreading	No
No	Overclocking ?	No
3.06 GHz	Frequency	1.50 GHz
--	Turbo Frequency (1 Core)	--
--	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.
Intel Core i3-540	Characteristic	MediaTek MT6738
--	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.
Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)	GPU	ARM Mali-T860 MP2
0.50 GHz	GPU frequency	0.35 GHz
0.73 GHz	GPU (Turbo)	0.35 GHz
5	GPU Generation	Midgard 4
32 nm	Technology	28nm
2	Max. displays	2
12	Compute units	2
24	Shader	32
No	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
2 GB	Max. GPU Memory	--
10.1	DirectX Version	11

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.
Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)	GPU	ARM Mali-T860 MP2
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	Decode / Encode
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	Decode
Decode	Codec h264	Decode / Encode
No	Codec VP9	No
No	Codec VP8	Decode / Encode
No	Codec AV1	No
Decode	Codec AVC	No
No	Codec VC-1	No
No	Codec JPEG	Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe Up to 16 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i3-540, while the MediaTek MT6738 supports a maximum of 4 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 5.3 GB/s enabled.
Intel Core i3-540	Characteristic	MediaTek MT6738
DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333	Memory	LPDDR3-667
16 GB	Max. Memory	4 GB
2 (Dual Channel)	Memory channels	1 (Single Channel)
21.3 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	5.3 GB/s
Yes	ECC	No
0.50 MB	L2 Cache	--
4.00 MB	L3 Cache	--
2.0	PCIe version	--
16	PCIe lanes	--
8.0 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	--
Thermal Management The Intel Core i3-540 has a TDP of 73 W. The TDP of the MediaTek MT6738 is --. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.
Intel Core i3-540	Characteristic	MediaTek MT6738
73 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	--
--	TDP (PL2)	--
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	--
--	Tjunction max.	--
Technical details The Intel Core i3-540 has 4.50 MB cache and is manufactured in 32 nm. The cache of MediaTek MT6738 is at 0.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 28 nm.
Intel Core i3-540	Characteristic	MediaTek MT6738
32 nm	Technology	28 nm
Monolithic	Chip design	Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	Armv8-A (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2	ISA extensions	--
LGA 1156	Socket	--
VT-x, VT-x EPT	Virtualization	None
No	AES-NI	No
Windows 10, Linux	Operating systems	Android
Q1/2010	Release date	Q2/2016
117 $	Release price	--

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Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz buy now on Amazon and save! MediaTek MT6738 4C 4T @ 1.50 GHz buy now on Amazon and save!

Rate these processors

Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i3-540 (100%)

MediaTek MT6738 (27%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i3-540 (100%)

MediaTek MT6738 (41%)

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.


	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	478 (100%)
	MediaTek MT6738 4C 4T @ 1.50 GHz	127 (27%)

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.


	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	1141 (100%)
	MediaTek MT6738 4C 4T @ 1.50 GHz	408 (36%)

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.


	Intel Core i3-540 Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) @ 0.73 GHz	35 (100%)
	MediaTek MT6738 ARM Mali-T860 MP2 @ 0.35 GHz	24 (68%)

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.


	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	1516 (100%)
	MediaTek MT6738 4C 4T @ 1.50 GHz	693 (46%)

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.


	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	470 (100%)
	MediaTek MT6738 4C 4T @ 1.50 GHz	0 (0%)

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.


	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	952 (100%)
	MediaTek MT6738 4C 4T @ 1.50 GHz	0 (0%)

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.


	Intel Core i3-540 2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz	685 (100%)
	MediaTek MT6738 4C 4T @ 1.50 GHz	0 (0%)

Devices using this processor
Intel Core i3-540	MediaTek MT6738
Unknown	Unknown


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Intel Core i3-540 vs MediaTek MT6738

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