Phenom II X3 720 vs Core 2 Duo P9500

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Duo P9500
2008
2 cores / 2 threads, 25 Watt
0.63
Phenom II X3 720
2010
3 cores / 3 threads, 95 Watt
0.99
+57.1%

Phenom II X3 720 outperforms Core 2 Duo P9500 by an impressive 57% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking27862478
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data5.16
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core 2 Duono data
Power efficiency2.380.99
Architecture codenamePenryn (2008−2011)Heka (2009−2010)
Release date15 July 2008 (16 years ago)1 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$348$75

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720 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 cores2 (Dual-core)3 (Tri-Core)
Threads23
Base clock speed2.53 GHz2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed2.53 GHz2.8 GHz
Bus rate1066 MHzno data
L1 cache128 KB128 KB (per core)
L2 cache6 MB512 KB (per core)
L3 cache6 MB L2 Cache6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm45 nm
Die size107 mm2258 mm2
Maximum core temperature105 °Cno data
Number of transistors410 Million758 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720 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 configurationno data1
SocketBGA479,PBGA479,PGA478AM3
Power consumption (TDP)25 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology-no data
Hyper-Threading Technology-no data
Idle States-no data
Demand Based Switching-no data
FSB parity-no data

Security technologies

Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720 are enumerated here.

VT-x+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720.

PCIe versionno data2.0

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.

Core 2 Duo P9500 0.63
Phenom II X3 720 0.99
+57.1%

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.

Core 2 Duo P9500 993
Phenom II X3 720 1575
+58.6%

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.

Core 2 Duo P9500 343
+5.2%
Phenom II X3 720 326

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.

Core 2 Duo P9500 583
Phenom II X3 720 790
+35.5%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.63 0.99
Recency 15 July 2008 1 January 2010
Physical cores 2 3
Threads 2 3
Power consumption (TDP) 25 Watt 95 Watt

Core 2 Duo P9500 has 280% lower power consumption.

Phenom II X3 720, on the other hand, has a 57.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.

The Phenom II X3 720 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo P9500 in performance tests.

Be aware that Core 2 Duo P9500 is a notebook processor while Phenom II X3 720 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo P9500 and Phenom II X3 720, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core 2 Duo P9500
Core 2 Duo P9500
AMD Phenom II X3 720
Phenom II X3 720

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.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


4.7 6 votes

Rate Core 2 Duo P9500 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.5 85 votes

Rate Phenom II X3 720 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core 2 Duo P9500 or Phenom II X3 720, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.