Core 2 Duo P9600 vs Core i7-970

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1307	2607
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.72	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	no data	Intel Core 2 Duo
Architecture codename	Gulftown (2010−2011)	Penryn (2008−2011)
Release date	19 July 2010 (13 years ago)	1 January 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$662	$348
Current price	$132 (0.2x MSRP)	$139 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600 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)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	12	2
Base clock speed	3.2 GHz	2.66 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.46 GHz	2.66 GHz
Bus support	no data	1066 MHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	6 MB
L3 cache	12 MB (shared)	6 MB L2 Cache
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Die size	239 mm2	107 mm2
Maximum core temperature	68 °C	105 °C
Number of transistors	1,170 million	410 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No
VID voltage range	no data	1.05V-1.212V

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600 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	FCLGA1366	PBGA479,PGA478
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	25 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	no data
AES-NI	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	-	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	-
PAE	36 Bit	no data
FSB parity	no data	-
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600 are enumerated here.

VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	no data
Maximum memory size	24 GB	no data
Max memory channels	3	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600.

PCIe version

2.0

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.

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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 i7-970 outperforms Core 2 Duo P9600 by 506% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	4.24	0.70
Recency	19 July 2010	1 January 2009
Physical cores	6	2
Threads	12	2
Cost	$662	$348
Chip lithography	32 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	25 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-970 and Core 2 Duo P9600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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