Core i3-540 vs AMD Phenom II X3 720

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The Core i3-540 and the AMD Phenom II X3 720 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The Core i3-540 has 2 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD Phenom II X3 720 has 3 cores and 3 threads. The extra cores of the AMD Phenom II X3 720 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.07 GHz and 2.8 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Core i3-540 uses the LGA1156 socket and the AMD Phenom II X3 720 uses AM3, 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 95 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the Core i3-540 cost $133 and the AMD Phenom II X3 720 $145, which gives 6.8 and 6.2 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 AMD Phenom II X3 720 reaches the Radeon RX 6400. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i3-540 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the AMD Phenom II X3 720 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.