Xeon E5520 vs Core 2 Duo E8600
Aggregated performance score
Xeon E5520 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8600 by an impressive 83% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 2423 | 1973 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 1.78 | 2.58 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Architecture codename | Wolfdale (2008−2010) | Gainestown (2009−2010) |
| Release date | August 2008 (15 years ago) | March 2009 (15 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $19 |
| Current price | $48 | $70 (3.7x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E5520 has 45% better value for money than Core 2 Duo E8600.
Detailed specifications
Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 2 (Dual-core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 2 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 3.33 GHz | 2.26 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.33 GHz | 2.53 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 107 mm2 | 263 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 72 °C | 72 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 410 million | 731 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
| VID voltage range | 0.85V-1.3625V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 2 |
| Socket | LGA775 | FCLGA1366 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 80 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | 1.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | + |
| PAE | no data | 40 Bit |
| FSB parity | - | no data |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 144 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 3 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 25.6 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | no data | + |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Xeon E5520 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8600 by 83% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Xeon E5520 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8600 by 84% in Passmark.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core 2 Duo E8600 outperforms Xeon E5520 by 15% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Xeon E5520 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8600 by 121% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.89 | 1.63 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 4 |
| Threads | 2 | 8 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 80 Watt |
The Xeon E5520 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E8600 in performance tests.
Be aware that Core 2 Duo E8600 is a desktop processor while Xeon E5520 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo E8600 and Xeon E5520, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
