Core 2 Quad Q9550 vs Xeon E3-1281 v3

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1197	2051
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.07	2.80
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Core 2 Quad (Desktop)
Architecture codename	no data	Yorkfield (2007−2009)
Release date	1 April 2014 (10 years ago)	no data
Current price	$546	$54

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Core 2 Quad Q9550 has 162% better value for money than Xeon E3-1281 v3.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550 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)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	3.7 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	4.1 GHz	2.83 GHz
Bus support	no data	1333 MHz
L2 cache	no data	12288 KB
L3 cache	8 MB Intel® Smart Cache	no data
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550 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	FCLGA1150	LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)	82 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
SIPP	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data
OS Guard	+	no data
Anti-Theft	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600	DDR1,DDR2,DDR3
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550.

PCIe version	3.0	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.

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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.

Xeon E3-1281 v3 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by 217% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	4.79	1.51
Threads	8	4
Chip lithography	22 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	82 Watt	95 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E3-1281 v3 and Core 2 Quad Q9550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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