Core 2 Quad Q9550s vs Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1385 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | no data |
| Power efficiency | 4.15 | no data |
| Designer | Intel | Intel |
| Manufacturer | no data | Intel |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Yorkfield (2007−2009) |
| Release date | 14 November 2011 (14 years ago) | 27 January 2009 (16 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core 2 Quad Q9550s 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 2.83 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 0.83 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 1333 MHz |
| Multiplier | 33 | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 12 MB (shared) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 434.72 mm2 | 2x 107 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 76 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2270 Million | 820 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| VID voltage range | no data | 0.85V-1.3625V |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core 2 Quad Q9550s 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) | 1 |
| Socket | no data | LGA775 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core 2 Quad Q9550s. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Demand Based Switching | no data | - |
| FSB parity | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core 2 Quad Q9550s 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 i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core 2 Quad Q9550s are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core 2 Quad Q9550s. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | On certain motherboards (Chipset feature) |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Core 2 Quad Q9550s.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 14 November 2011 | 27 January 2009 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 65 Watt |
i7-3960X Extreme Edition has an age advantage of 2 years, 50% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
Core 2 Quad Q9550s, on the other hand, has 100% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550s. We've got no test results to judge.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
