The Intel Core i7-3540M is a mobile processor with 2 cores, launched in January 2013. It is part of the Core i7 lineup, using the Ivy Bridge architecture with BGA 1023. Thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 4 threads. Core i7-3540M has 4 MB of L3 cache and operates at 3 GHz by default, but can boost up to 3.7 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is making the Core i7-3540M on a 22 nm production node, the transistor count is unknown. The multiplier is locked on Core i7-3540M, which limits its overclocking potential.
With a TDP of 35 W, the Core i7-3540M consumes only little energy. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory with a dual-channel interface. This processor features the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics solution.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Core i7-3540M, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is supported, so that guest virtual machines may directly use host hardware. Programs using Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) can run on this processor, boosting performance for calculation-heavy applications.