Intel Core i5-661 vs Intel Core i3-540
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CPU comparison with benchmarks
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| Intel Core i5-661 | Intel Core i3-540 | |
CPU comparisonIntel Core i5-661 or Intel Core i3-540 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.
The Intel Core i5-661 has 2 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.60 GHz. Up to 16 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i5-661 was released in Q1/2010. The Intel Core i3-540 has 2 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.06 GHz. The CPU supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i3-540 was released in Q1/2010. |
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| Intel Core i5 (331) | Family | Intel Core i3 (205) |
| Intel Core i5 600 (6) | CPU group | Intel Core i3 500 (4) |
| 1 | Generation | 1 |
| Clarkdale | Architecture | Clarkdale |
| Desktop / Server | Segment | Desktop / Server |
| -- | Predecessor | -- |
| -- | Successor | -- |
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CPU Cores and Base FrequencyThe Intel Core i5-661 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i5-661 is 3.33 GHz (3.60 GHz) while the Intel Core i3-540 has 2 CPU cores and 4 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-540 is at 3.06 GHz. |
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| Intel Core i5-661 | Characteristic | Intel Core i3-540 |
| 2 | Cores | 2 |
| 4 | Threads | 4 |
| normal | Core architecture | normal |
| Yes | Hyperthreading | Yes |
| No | Overclocking ? | No |
| 3.33 GHz | Frequency | 3.06 GHz |
| 3.60 GHz | Turbo Frequency (1 Core) | -- |
| -- | Turbo Frequency (All Cores) | -- |
Internal GraphicsThe Intel Core i5-661 or Intel Core i3-540 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die. |
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| Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) | GPU | Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) |
| 0.50 GHz | GPU frequency | 0.50 GHz |
| 0.90 GHz | GPU (Turbo) | 0.73 GHz |
| 5 | GPU Generation | 5 |
| 32 nm | Technology | 32 nm |
| 2 | Max. displays | 2 |
| 12 | Compute units | 12 |
| 24 | Shader | 24 |
| No | Hardware Raytracing | No |
| No | Frame Generation | No |
| 2 GB | Max. GPU Memory | 2 GB |
| 10.1 | DirectX Version | 10.1 |
Hardware codec supportA 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. |
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| Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) | 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 |
| No | Codec VC-1 | No |
| No | Codec JPEG | No |
Memory & PCIeThe Intel Core i5-661 can use up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 21.3 GB/s. The Intel Core i3-540 supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 21.3 GB/s. |
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| Intel Core i5-661 | Characteristic | Intel Core i3-540 |
| DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333 | Memory | DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333 |
| 16 GB | Max. Memory | 16 GB |
| 2 (Dual Channel) | Memory channels | 2 (Dual Channel) |
| 21.3 GB/s | Max. Bandwidth | 21.3 GB/s |
| No | ECC | Yes |
| 0.50 MB | L2 Cache | 0.50 MB |
| 4.00 MB | L3 Cache | 4.00 MB |
| 2.0 | PCIe version | 2.0 |
| 16 | PCIe lanes | 16 |
| 8.0 GB/s | PCIe Bandwidth | 8.0 GB/s |
Thermal ManagementThe thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i5-661 is 73 W, while the Intel Core i3-540 has a TDP of 73 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently. |
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| Intel Core i5-661 | Characteristic | Intel Core i3-540 |
| 73 W | TDP (PL1 / PBP) | 73 W |
| -- | TDP (PL2) | -- |
| -- | TDP up | -- |
| -- | TDP down | -- |
| -- | Tjunction max. | -- |
Technical detailsThe Intel Core i5-661 is manufactured in 32 nm and has 4.50 MB cache. The Intel Core i3-540 is manufactured in 32 nm and has a 4.50 MB cache. |
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| Intel Core i5-661 | Characteristic | Intel Core i3-540 |
| 32 nm | Technology | 32 nm |
| Monolithic | Chip design | Monolithic |
| x86-64 (64 bit) | Instruction set (ISA) | x86-64 (64 bit) |
| SSE4.1, SSE4.2 | ISA extensions | SSE4.1, SSE4.2 |
| LGA 1156 | Socket | LGA 1156 |
| VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d | Virtualization | VT-x, VT-x EPT |
| Yes | AES-NI | No |
| Windows 10, Linux | Operating systems | Windows 10, Linux |
| Q1/2010 | Release date | Q1/2010 |
| 177 $ | Release price | 117 $ |
| show more data | show more data | |
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Rate these processors
Average performance in benchmarks
⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
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.
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Intel Core i5-661
2C 4T @ 3.60 GHz |
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Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz |
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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.
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Intel Core i5-661
2C 4T @ 3.33 GHz |
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Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz |
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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.
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Intel Core i5-661
Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) @ 0.90 GHz |
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Intel Core i3-540
Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) @ 0.73 GHz |
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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.
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Intel Core i5-661
2C 4T @ 3.33 GHz |
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Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz |
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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.
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Intel Core i5-661
2C 4T @ 3.60 GHz |
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Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz |
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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.
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Intel Core i5-661
2C 4T @ 3.33 GHz |
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Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz |
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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.
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Intel Core i5-661
2C 4T @ 3.33 GHz |
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Intel Core i3-540
2C 4T @ 3.06 GHz |
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Devices using this processor |
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| Intel Core i5-661 | Intel Core i3-540 |
| Unknown | Unknown |
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