Intel Core i3-2120 vs Core 2 Quad Q9550

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Combined performance score

Core 2 Quad Q9550
1.52
+18.8%

Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 19% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

Comparing Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking20032154
Place by popularitynot in top-10063
Value for money2.800.14
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore 2 Quad (Desktop)no data
Architecture codenameYorkfield (2007−2009)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release dateno data20 February 2011 (13 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$95
Current price$54 $47 (0.5x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance per price, higher is better.

Core 2 Quad Q9550 has 1900% better value for money than i3-2120.

Technical specs

Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads44
Base clock speedno data3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed2.83 GHz3.3 GHz
Bus support1333 MHzno data
L1 cacheno data64 KB (per core)
L2 cache12288 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cacheno data3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm32 nm
Die sizeno data131 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data69 °C
Number of transistorsno data504 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplierNoNo

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120 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
SocketLGA775FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NIno data-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data-
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoringno data+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+
Statusno dataDiscontinued

Security technologies

Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Identity Protectionno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120 are enumerated here.

VT-dno data-
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR1,DDR2,DDR3DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 2000
Quick Sync Videono data+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.1 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120.

PCIe versionno data2.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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 Quad Q9550 1.52
+18.8%
i3-2120 1.28

Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 19% in our combined 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%

Core 2 Quad Q9550 2337
+19.3%
i3-2120 1959

Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 19% 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 Quad Q9550 368
i3-2120 501
+36.1%

Core i3-2120 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by 36% 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%

Core 2 Quad Q9550 1044
+0.9%
i3-2120 1035

Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Core i3-2120 by 1% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.

Gaming performance

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 1.52 1.28
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 45 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 65 Watt

The Core 2 Quad Q9550 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-2120 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-2120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

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


Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Core 2 Quad Q9550
Intel Core i3-2120
Core i3-2120

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User ratings: view and submit

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Questions and comments

Here you can ask a question about Core 2 Quad Q9550 or Core i3-2120, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.