Intel Core i3-540
VS
AMD A9-9420
Intel Core i3-540
VS
AMD A9-9420

Which to select

It is time to pick the winner. What is the difference between Intel Core i3-540 vs AMD A9-9420? What CPU is more powerful? It is quite easy to determine – look at comparison table. The processor with more cores/ threads and also with higher frequency is the absolute winner!

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Who will win between Intel Core i3-540 vs  AMD A9-9420. The general performance of a CPU can easily be determined based on the number of its cores and the thread count, as well as the base frequency and Turbo frequency. The more GHz and cores a CPU has, the better. Please note that high technical specs require using a powerful cooling system.

3.06 GHz
Frequency
3.00 GHz
2
CPU Cores
2
No turbo
Turbo (1 Core)
3.60 GHz
No turbo
Turbo (2 Cores)
3.00 GHz
Yes
Hyperthreading
No
No
Overclocking
No
normal
Core architecture
--
A core
--
B core
--
C core

CPU generation and family

Intel Core i3-540
Name
Desktop / Server
Segment
Intel Core i 500
CPU group
Intel Core i3
Family
1
Generation
--
Predecessor
--
Successor

Internal Graphics

Some manufacturers complement their CPUs with graphic chips, such a solution being especially popular in laptops. The higher the clock frequency of a GPU is and the bigger its memory, the better. Find a winner - Intel Core i3-540 vs AMD A9-9420. 

Intel HD Graphics (Westmere)
GPU name
AMD Radeon R5 (Stoney Ridge)
0.50 GHz
GPU frequency
0.85 GHz
0.73 GHz
GPU (Turbo)
No turbo
5
Generation
7
10.1
DirectX Version
12
12
Execution units
3
24
Shader
192
no data
Max. Memory
2 GB
2
Max. displays
3
32 nm
Technology
28 nm
Q1/2010
Release date
Q2/2016
--
Max. GPU Memory

Hardware codec support

Here we deal with specs that are used by some CPU manufacturers. These numbers are mainly technical and can be neglected for the purpose of the comparison analysis.

Decode
h264
Decode
No
JPEG
Decode / Encode
no data
h265 8bit
Decode
no data
h265 10bit
Decode
No
VP8
Decode
No
VP9
Decode
No
VC-1
Decode
Decode
AVC
Decode / Encode
No
h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
No
h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
No
AV1

Memory & PCIe

These are memory standards supported by CPUs. The higher such standards, the better a CPU’s performance is.

no data
Memory type
DDR4-2133
no data
Max. Memory
8 GB
no data
Memory channels
1
no data
ECC
No
no data
PCIe version
3.0
no data
PCIe lanes
8

Encryption

Data encryption support

No
AES-NI
Yes

Memory & AMP; PCIe

DDR3-1066 DDR3-1333
Memory type
Yes
ECC
2
Memory channels
2.0
PCIe version
16
PCIe lanes

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP), sometimes called thermal design point, is the maximum amount of heat generated by a computer chip or component (often a CPU, GPU or system on a chip) that the cooling system in a computer is designed to dissipate under any workload.

no data
TDP
15 W
--
Tjunction max.
90 °C
--
TDP up
25 W
--
TDP down
10 W
73 W
TDP (PL1)
--
TDP (PL2)

Technical details

4
CPU Threads
2
4.00 MB
L3-Cache
2.00 MB
32 nm
Technology
28 nm
Clarkdale
Architecture
Stoney Ridge (Excavator)
VT-x, VT-x EPT
Virtualization
AMD-V, AMD-Vi
LGA 1156
Socket
FP4
Q1/2010
Release date
Q2/2017
x86-64 (64 bit)
Instruction set (ISA)
--
L2-Cache
--
Part Number
SSE4.1, SSE4.2
ISA extensions

Devices using this processor

You probably know already what devices use CPUs. These can be a desktop or a laptop.

Unknown
Used in
Unknown

Compatibility

Technologies and extensions

Virtualization technologies

Memory specs

Peripherals

Cinebench R11.5, 64bit (Single-Core)

This synthetic test will help you determine the real computing power of a single core in the central processing unit. Cinebench R11.5 is based on MAXON CINEMA 4D and employs various testing scenarios

Cinebench R11.5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R11.5 carries out simultaneous cross-platform tests on all the processor’s cores. By running realistic 3D scenes, this benchmark will reveal all the potential of your Intel or AMD single-unit processor

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

The latter is used for creation of 3D models and forms. Cinebench R15 is used for single-core processor performance benchmark test. The hyperthreading ability doesn't count. It is the updated version of Cinebench 11.5. As all new versions, the updated benchmark is based on Cinema 4 Suite software

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 can be used for multi-core processor performance benchmark testing. The test produces precise and accurate results. This benchmark is the updated version of the Cinebench 11.5 which is based on Cinema 4 Suite soft.

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

It tests entire and overall performance of the central processing unit (mathematical calculations, compression and decompression speed, 2D&3D graphic tests). Please note that data can differ from the real-world situations.

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

This test serves for determining the performance of integrated graphics in Intel and AMD processors. The result is the estimated computing power in the Single-Precision FP32 mode