Core i7-5500U vs Core 2 Quad Q9550
Aggregated performance score
Core i7-5500U outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by a moderate 19% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 2031 | 1900 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.80 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Core 2 Quad (Desktop) | Intel Core i7 |
| Architecture codename | Yorkfield (2007−2009) | Broadwell-U (2015) |
| Release date | no data | 1 March 2015 (9 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $393 |
| Current price | $54 | $591 (1.5x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U 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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 2.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.83 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Bus support | 1333 MHz | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 12288 KB | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 4 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 82 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 105 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 105 °C |
| Number of transistors | no data | 1300 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U 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 | no data | 1 |
| Socket | LGA775 | FCBGA1168 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | no data | + |
| AVX | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | no data | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | no data | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| SIPP | no data | - |
| Smart Response | no data | + |
| FDI | no data | + |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
| Status | no data | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | - |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | no data | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR1,DDR2,DDR3 | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 16 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 25.6 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel HD Graphics 5500 |
| Max video memory | no data | 16 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 950 MHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | no data | + |
| HDMI | no data | + |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 2560x1600@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 3840x2160@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 11.2/12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.3 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U.
| PCIe version | no data | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 12 |
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 i7-5500U outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by 19% 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%
Core i7-5500U outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 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 i7-5500U outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by 138% 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 i7-5500U outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by 60% 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 i7-5500U outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by 49% 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 Q9550 outperforms Core i7-5500U by 11% 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 Q9550 outperforms Core i7-5500U by 11% in 3DMark06 CPU.
Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Core i7-5500U by 7% in Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.51 | 1.80 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 15 Watt |
The Core i7-5500U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q9550 in performance tests.
Note that Core 2 Quad Q9550 is a desktop processor while Core i7-5500U is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i7-5500U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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