Core 2 Duo SP9600 vs Core i7-2657M

Place in the ranking	2480	2710
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i7	Intel Core 2 Duo
Power efficiency	5.51	2.69
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Penryn (2008−2011)
Release date	3 January 2011 (13 years ago)	1 March 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$317	$316

Detailed specifications

Core i7-2657M 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	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	2
Base clock speed	1.6 GHz	2.53 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.7 GHz	2.53 GHz
Bus type	DMI 2.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 5 GT/s	1066 MHz
Multiplier	16	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	128 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	6 MB
L3 cache	4 MB	6 MB L2 Cache
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Die size	149 mm²	107 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	105 °C
Number of transistors	624 Million	410 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
VID voltage range	no data	1.05V-1.15V

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-2657M 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 (Uniprocessor)	no data
Socket	FCBGA1023	BGA479,BGA956,PBGA479
Power consumption (TDP)	17 Watt	25 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2657M and Core 2 Duo SP9600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	-
FMA	+	-
AVX	+	-
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	+	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	-
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
FSB parity	no data	-

Security technologies

Core i7-2657M and Core 2 Duo SP9600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Identity Protection	+	-
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2657M 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 i7-2657M and Core 2 Duo SP9600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333	no data
Maximum memory size	8.01 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	21.335 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 3000	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2657M and Core 2 Duo SP9600 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
SDVO	+	no data
CRT	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2657M and Core 2 Duo SP9600.

PCIe version	2.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

i7-2657M 0.99
+39.4%

Core 2 Duo SP9600 0.71

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.

i7-2657M 3491
+23.1%

Core 2 Duo SP9600 2836

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.

i7-2657M 6229
+17.3%

Core 2 Duo SP9600 5309

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.

i7-2657M 2546
+16.3%

Core 2 Duo SP9600 2189

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	0.99	0.71
Recency	3 January 2011	1 March 2009
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	17 Watt	25 Watt

i7-2657M has a 39.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, 100% more threads, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 47.1% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-2657M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo SP9600 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2657M and Core 2 Duo SP9600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.