Intel Core 2 Duo E6540 vs AMD Phenom II X4 B97

Comparative analysis of Intel Core 2 Duo E6540 and AMD Phenom II X4 B97 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Compatibility, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization, Memory. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6540

AMD Phenom II X4 B97

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Core 2 Duo E6540

Around 46% lower typical power consumption: 65 Watt vs 95 Watt

Thermal Design Power (TDP)	65 Watt vs 95 Watt

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X4 B97

2 more cores, run more applications at once: 4 vs 2
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 45 nm vs 65 nm
Around 36% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1320 vs 969
3.1x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 2539 vs 808

Specifications (specs)
Number of cores	4 vs 2
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm vs 65 nm
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1320 vs 969
PassMark - CPU mark	2539 vs 808

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Core 2 Duo E6540
CPU 2: AMD Phenom II X4 B97

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

969

1320

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

808

2539

Name	Intel Core 2 Duo E6540	AMD Phenom II X4 B97
PassMark - Single thread mark	969	1320
PassMark - CPU mark	808	2539
Geekbench 4 - Single Core		430
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core		1447

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Core 2 Duo E6540	AMD Phenom II X4 B97
Essentials
Architecture codename	Conroe	Deneb
Launch date	Q3'07	May 2010
Place in performance rating	2329	2338
Processor Number	E6540
Series	Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors	AMD Business Class - AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core
Status	Discontinued
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Family		AMD Phenom
Launch price (MSRP)		$100
OPN Tray		HDXB97WFK4DGM
Price now		$56.99
Value for money (0-100)		20.09
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.33 GHz	3.2 GHz
Bus Speed	1333 MHz FSB
Die size	143 mm2	258 mm
Manufacturing process technology	65 nm	45 nm
Maximum core temperature	72°C
Number of cores	2	4
Transistor count	291 million	758 million
VID voltage range	0.8500V-1.5V
L1 cache		128 KB (per core)
L2 cache		512 KB (per core)
L3 cache		6144 KB (shared)
Maximum frequency		3.2 GHz
Number of threads		4
Unlocked
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Package Size	37.5mm x 37.5mm
Sockets supported	PLGA775	AM3
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	65 Watt	95 Watt
Max number of CPUs in a configuration		1
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
FSB parity
Idle States
Intel 64
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Demand Based Switching
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Thermal Monitoring
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Memory
Supported memory types		DDR3