Core 2 Quad Q9550 vs Apple M3 Max 16-Core

Place in the ranking	194	2170
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop processor
Series	Apple M3	Core 2 Quad (Desktop)
Power efficiency	31.36	1.46
Architecture codename	no data	Yorkfield (2007−2009)
Release date	30 October 2023 (1 year ago)	no data

Detailed specifications

M3 Max 16-Core and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) 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	16 (Hexadeca-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	16	4
Base clock speed	2.748 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	4.06 GHz	2.83 GHz
Bus rate	no data	1333 MHz
L1 cache	no data	64K (per core)
L2 cache	no data	12288 KB
L3 cache	no data	0 KB
Chip lithography	3 nm	45 nm
Die size	no data	2x 107 mm²
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	71 °C
Number of transistors	92000 Million	820 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	no data	-

Compatibility

Information on M3 Max 16-Core and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) 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	no data	1
Socket	no data	LGA775
Power consumption (TDP)	78 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M3 Max 16-Core and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)

no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M3 Max 16-Core and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types

no data

DDR1,DDR2,DDR3

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

Apple M3 Max 40-Core GPU

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.

Apple M3 Max 16-Core 25.86
+1659%

Core 2 Quad Q9550 1.47

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.

Apple M3 Max 16-Core 41076
+1657%

Core 2 Quad Q9550 2338

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	25.86	1.47
Physical cores	16	4
Threads	16	4
Chip lithography	3 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	78 Watt	95 Watt

Apple M3 Max 16-Core has a 1659.2% higher aggregate performance score, 300% more physical cores and 300% more threads, a 1400% more advanced lithography process, and 21.8% lower power consumption.

The M3 Max 16-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q9550 in performance tests.

Be aware that Apple M3 Max 16-Core is a notebook processor while Core 2 Quad Q9550 is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core 2 Quad Q9550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.