Core 2 Duo E8500 vs Xeon X5660

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Aggregate performance score

Xeon X5660
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
3.79
+368%
Core 2 Duo E8500
2008
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.81

Xeon X5660 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8500 by a whopping 368% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking14802610
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation3.05no data
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.781.18
Architecture codenameWestmere-EP (2010−2011)Wolfdale (2008−2010)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)January 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$33no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads122
Base clock speed2.8 GHz3.16 GHz
Boost clock speed3.2 GHz3.17 GHz
Bus rateno data1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)6 MB (shared)
L3 cache12 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size239 mm2107 mm2
Maximum core temperature81 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
Number of transistors1,170 million410 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage rangeno data0.85V-1.3625V

Compatibility

Information on Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500 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 configuration21
SocketFCLGA1366,LGA1366LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2no data
AES-NI+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology1.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology+-
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring-+
Demand Based Switching+-
PAE40 Bitno data
FSB parityno data-

Security technologies

Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
Maximum memory size288 GBno data
Max memory channels3no data
Maximum memory bandwidth32 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500.

PCIe version2.0no 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 X5660 3.79
+368%
Core 2 Duo E8500 0.81

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 X5660 6017
+370%
Core 2 Duo E8500 1281

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 X5660 461
+18.5%
Core 2 Duo E8500 389

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 X5660 2196
+244%
Core 2 Duo E8500 638

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.79 0.81
Physical cores 6 2
Threads 12 2
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 65 Watt

Xeon X5660 has a 367.9% higher aggregate performance score, 200% more physical cores and 500% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

Core 2 Duo E8500, on the other hand, has 46.2% lower power consumption.

The Xeon X5660 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E8500 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon X5660 is a server/workstation processor while Core 2 Duo E8500 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E8500, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon X5660
Xeon X5660
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
Core 2 Duo E8500

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon X5660 or Core 2 Duo E8500, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.