Core 2 Quad Q9550s vs Xeon X5550

Primary details

Comparing Xeon X5550 and Core 2 Quad Q9550s processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1863	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	30.53	no data
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Gainestown (2009−2010)	Yorkfield (2007−2009)
Release date	March 2009 (15 years ago)	January 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$62	no data
Current price	$260 (4.2x MSRP)	$90

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Xeon X5550 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	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	8	4
Base clock speed	2.66 GHz	2.83 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.06 GHz	2.83 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	64K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	12 MB (shared)
L3 cache	8 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	45 nm	45 nm
Die size	263 mm2	2x 107 mm2
Maximum core temperature	75 °C	76 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	76 °C
Number of transistors	731 million	820 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No
VID voltage range	no data	0.85V-1.3625V

Compatibility

Information on Xeon X5550 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	2	1
Socket	FCLGA1366,PLGA1366	LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon X5550 and Core 2 Quad Q9550s. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

AES-NI	no data	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	no data	+
Demand Based Switching	+	-
PAE	40 Bit	no data
FSB parity	no data	+
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Xeon X5550 and Core 2 Quad Q9550s technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon X5550 and Core 2 Quad Q9550s are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon X5550 and Core 2 Quad Q9550s. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
Maximum memory size	144 GB	no data
Max memory channels	3	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	32 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	no data

Pros & cons summary

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Threads	8	4
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon X5550 and Core 2 Quad Q9550s, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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