Core i7-12700K vs Core 2 Quad Q6600

#ad 
Buy on Amazon
VS

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Quad Q6600
4 cores / 4 threads, 105 Watt
1.17
Core i7-12700K
2021
12 cores / 20 threads, 125 Watt
22.39
+1814%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by a whopping 1814% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking2268208
Place by popularitynot in top-10093
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.7761.39
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore 2 Quad (Desktop)Intel Core i7
Architecture codenameKentsfield (2007)Alder Lake-S (2022)
Release dateno data4 November 2021 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$409
Current price$67 $342 (0.8x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-12700K has 3368% better value for money than Core 2 Quad Q6600.

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K 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)12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads420
Base clock speedno data3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed2.4 GHz5 GHz
Bus support1066 MHzno data
L1 cacheno data80K (per core)
L2 cacheno data1.25 MB (per core)
L3 cacheno data25 MB (shared)
Chip lithography65 nm10 nm
Die sizeno data215.25 mm220.5 mm × 10.5 mm
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplierNoYes

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K 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
Socketno dataFCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)105 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NIno data+
FMAno data+
AVXno data+
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Speed Shiftno data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoringno data+
SIPPno data+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data+
Statusno dataLaunched

Security technologies

Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Secure Keyno data+
OS Guardno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K 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 Q6600 and Core i7-12700K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR4, DDR5
Maximum memory sizeno data128 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data76.8 GB/s
ECC memory supportno data+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel UHD Graphics 770
Quick Sync Videono data+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.5 GHz
Execution Unitsno data32

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data4

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4no data4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
Max resolution over eDPno data5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPortno data7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno data12
OpenGLno data4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K.

PCIe versionno data5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanesno data20

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 Q6600 1.17
i7-12700K 22.39
+1814%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 1814% based on our aggregate 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 Q6600 1814
i7-12700K 34626
+1809%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 1809% 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 Q6600 270
i7-12700K 2532
+838%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 838% 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 Q6600 770
i7-12700K 13664
+1675%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 1675% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Benchmark coverage: 20%

Core 2 Quad Q6600 2460
i7-12700K 9305
+278%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 278% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

Benchmark coverage: 19%

Core 2 Quad Q6600 8800
i7-12700K 63484
+621%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 621% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

Benchmark coverage: 19%

Core 2 Quad Q6600 3547
i7-12700K 16827
+374%

Core i7-12700K outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 374% in 3DMark06 CPU.

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.17 22.39
Physical cores 4 12
Threads 4 20
Chip lithography 65 nm 10 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 105 Watt 125 Watt

The Core i7-12700K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q6600 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i7-12700K, 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 Quad Q6600
Core 2 Quad Q6600
Intel Core i7-12700K
Core i7-12700K

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.


3.7 1671 vote

Rate Core 2 Quad Q6600 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.3 1641 vote

Rate Core i7-12700K on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core 2 Quad Q6600 or Core i7-12700K, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.