Core 2 Quad Q9650 vs Xeon E3-1280

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon E3-1280
2011
4 cores / 8 threads, 95 Watt
3.54
+127%
Core 2 Quad Q9650
2008
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
1.56

Xeon E3-1280 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9650 by a whopping 127% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking15312121
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.13no data
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.531.55
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Yorkfield (2007−2009)
Release date3 April 2011 (13 years ago)August 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$450no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads84
Base clock speed3.5 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed3.9 GHz3 GHz
Bus rateno data1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)6 MB (per die)
L3 cache8 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size216 mm22x 107 mm2
Maximum core temperature74 °C71 °C
Number of transistors1,160 million820 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage rangeno data0.85V-1.3625V

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650 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 configuration11
SocketLGA1155LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXno data
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology+-
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring++
Flex Memory Access+no data
Demand Based Switching+-
FDI-no data
Fast Memory Access+no data
FSB parityno data-

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650 are enumerated here.

VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GBno data
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650.

PCIe version2.0no data
PCI Express lanes20no 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.

Xeon E3-1280 3.54
+127%
Core 2 Quad Q9650 1.56

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Xeon E3-1280 5623
+127%
Core 2 Quad Q9650 2479

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Xeon E3-1280 654
+73%
Core 2 Quad Q9650 378

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Xeon E3-1280 2194
+107%
Core 2 Quad Q9650 1061

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.54 1.56
Threads 8 4
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm

Xeon E3-1280 has a 126.9% higher aggregate performance score, 100% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

The Xeon E3-1280 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q9650 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon E3-1280 is a server/workstation processor while Core 2 Quad Q9650 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1280 and Core 2 Quad Q9650, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon E3-1280
Xeon E3-1280
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650
Core 2 Quad Q9650

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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