Buy on Amazon
$90
In Stock
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $133
Availability
MSRP in USD: $133
AvailabilityMSRP in USD: $617
Availability
MSRP in USD: $617
Key Differences
In short — Core i7-6850K outperforms the cheaper Core i3-540 on the selected game parameters. However, the worse performing Core i3-540 is a better bang for your buck. The better performing Core i7-6850K is 2336 days newer than the cheaper Core i3-540.
Advantages of Intel Core i3-540
- Up to 25% cheaper than Core i7-6850K - $90.0 vs $120.0
- Up to 2% better value when playing Starfield than Core i7-6850K - $2.09 vs $2.14 per FPS
- Consumes up to 48% less energy than Intel Core i7-6850K - 73 vs 140 Watts
- Works without a dedicated GPU, while Intel Core i7-6850K doesn't have integrated graphics
Advantages of Intel Core i7-6850K
- Performs up to 30% better in Starfield than Core i3-540 - 56 vs 43 FPS
- Can execute more multi-threaded tasks simultaneously than Intel Core i3-540 - 12 vs 4 threads
Starfield
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Ultra
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
FPS
43
76.78571428571429%
Value, $/FPS
$2.09/FPS
100%
Price, $
$90
100%
Value Winner
Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Buy for $90 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 349586 minutes ago
Core i7-6850K
Desktop • May 31st, 2016
FPS
56
100%
Value, $/FPS
$2.14/FPS
97.66355140186914%
Price, $
$120
75%
FPS Winner
Intel Boxed Core i7-6850K Processor (15M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz) FC-LGA14A 3.6 6 BX80671I76850K
Buy for $120 on Amazon
In Stock
Updated 349587 minutes ago
TOP 5 Games
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Game Graphics
Ultra
Core i3-540
Desktop • Jan 7th, 2010
Core i7-6850K
Desktop • May 31st, 2016
Geekbench 5 Benchmarks
Intel Core i3-540 | vs | Intel Core i7-6850K |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 7th, 2010 | Release Date | May 31st, 2016 |
| Core i3 | Collection | Core i7 |
| Clarkdale | Codename | Broadwell E |
| Intel Socket 1156 | Socket | Intel Socket 2011-3 |
Desktop | Segment | Desktop |
| 2 | Cores | 6 |
| 4 | Threads | 12 |
| 3.1 GHz | Base Clock Speed | 3.6 GHz |
| Non-Turbo | Turbo Clock Speed | 3.8 GHz |
73 W | TDP | 140 W |
| 32 nm | Process Size | 14 nm |
| 23.0x | Multiplier | 36.0x |
Intel HD | Integrated Graphics | None |
| No | Overclockable | Yes |
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