Core i3-540 vs Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the Core i3-540 scores 9 and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 scores 8, about 13% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The Core i3-540 has 2 cores and 4 threads, and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 has 4 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.07 GHz and 2.4 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Core i3-540 uses the LGA1156 socket and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 uses LGA775, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 73 W for the first and 105 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the Core i3-540 cost $133 and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 $266, which gives 6.8 and 3.0 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the Core i3-540 can feed a card up to the Radeon RX 6400 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 reaches the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop. If you plan to buy a fast graphics card, that gap is the real difference between these two.

Choose the Core i3-540 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.