Core 2 Duo SP9600 vs Core i5-3550
Aggregate performance score
Core i5-3550 outperforms Core 2 Duo SP9600 by a whopping 327% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1629 | 2692 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.47 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i5 (Desktop) | Intel Core 2 Duo |
| Power efficiency | 3.72 | 2.69 |
| Architecture codename | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) | Penryn (2008−2011) |
| Release date | 29 April 2012 (12 years ago) | 1 March 2009 (15 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $205 | $316 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600 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 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2.53 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 2.53 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 1066 MHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 128 KB |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 6 MB |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 6 MB L2 Cache |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 160 mm2 | 107 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 67 °C | 105 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 67 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 1,400 million | 410 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| VID voltage range | no data | 1.05V-1.15V |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600 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 | no data |
| Socket | FCLGA1155 | BGA479,BGA956,PBGA479 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 77 Watt | 25 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | no data |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | - |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | - |
| FDI | + | no data |
| FSB parity | no data | - |
Security technologies
Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | + | no data |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
| Anti-Theft | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 32 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel HD Graphics 2500 | no data |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.15 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | no data |
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.
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.
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.
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.
wPrime 32
wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 3.03 | 0.71 |
| Recency | 29 April 2012 | 1 March 2009 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Threads | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 45 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 77 Watt | 25 Watt |
i5-3550 has a 326.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 104.5% more advanced lithography process.
Core 2 Duo SP9600, on the other hand, has 208% lower power consumption.
The Core i5-3550 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo SP9600 in performance tests.
Note that Core i5-3550 is a desktop processor while Core 2 Duo SP9600 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-3550 and Core 2 Duo SP9600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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