Core i3-3120ME vs Core 2 Quad Q9550s
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | Intel | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Yorkfield (2007−2009) | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) |
| Release date | 27 January 2009 (16 years ago) | 1 August 2012 (13 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core 2 Quad Q9550s and Core i3-3120ME 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 | 2.83 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 0.83 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Bus rate | 1333 MHz | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 12 MB (shared) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 3 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 22 nm |
| Die size | 2x 107 mm2 | 118 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 76 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 820 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| VID voltage range | 0.85V-1.3625V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Quad Q9550s and Core i3-3120ME 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 | 1 |
| Socket | LGA775 | Intel BGA1023 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550s and Core i3-3120ME. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| FSB parity | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core 2 Quad Q9550s and Core i3-3120ME 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 Quad Q9550s and Core i3-3120ME are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550s and Core i3-3120ME. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 | unknown Dual-channel |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | On certain motherboards (Chipset feature) | Intel HD 4000 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad Q9550s and Core i3-3120ME.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 27 January 2009 | 1 August 2012 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 22 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 35 Watt |
Core 2 Quad Q9550s has 100% more physical cores.
i3-3120ME, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 3 years, a 104.5% more advanced lithography process, and 85.7% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550s and Intel Core i3-3120ME. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core 2 Quad Q9550s is a desktop processor while Core i3-3120ME is a notebook one.
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