Core 2 Quad Q6600 vs Xeon E5-2689
Aggregate performance score
Xeon E5-2689 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by a whopping 443% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1084 | 2388 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | Xeon | Core 2 Quad (Desktop) |
| Power efficiency | 5.14 | 1.04 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-EP (2012) | Kentsfield (2007) |
| Release date | 6 March 2012 (12 years ago) | no data |
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600 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 | 8 (Octa-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.6 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 1066 MHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 8 MB (shared) |
| L3 cache | 20 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 65 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | 2x 143 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 71 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | 582 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Socket | 2011 | 775 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 115 Watt | 105 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q6600.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 6.25 | 1.15 |
| Recency | 6 March 2012 | no data |
| Physical cores | 8 | 4 |
| Threads | 16 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 65 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 115 Watt | 105 Watt |
Xeon E5-2689 has a 443.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2012 years, 100% more physical cores and 300% more threads, and a 103.1% more advanced lithography process.
Core 2 Quad Q6600, on the other hand, has 9.5% lower power consumption.
The Xeon E5-2689 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q6600 in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5-2689 is a server/workstation processor while Core 2 Quad Q6600 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2689 and Core 2 Quad Q6600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
