Core i5-3230M vs Core 2 Duo T9550

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Duo T9550
2009
2 cores / 2 threads, 35 Watt
1.14
Core i5-3230M
2013
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.61
+41.2%

Core i5-3230M outperforms Core 2 Duo T9550 by a considerable 41% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking23932103
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
SeriesIntel Core 2 DuoIntel Core i5
Power efficiency3.084.35
Architecture codenamePenryn (2008−2011)Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date1 January 2009 (15 years ago)1 January 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$316$225

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M 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 cores2 (Dual-core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads24
Base clock speed2.66 GHz2.6 GHz
Boost clock speed2.66 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rate1066 MHz5 GT/s
L1 cache128 KB64K (per core)
L2 cache6 MB256K (per core)
L3 cache6 MB L2 Cache3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm22 nm
Die size107 mm2118 mm2
Maximum core temperature105 °C105 °C
Number of transistors410 Millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage range1.05V-1.212Vno data

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M 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 configurationno data1
SocketBGA479,PGA478FCPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)35 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® AVX
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technology-2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Demand Based Switching--
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+
FSB parity-no data

Security technologies

Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+-
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
Identity Protection-+
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
VT-dno data+
VT-x++
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 4000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.1 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data3
eDPno data+
DisplayPort-+
HDMI-+
SDVOno data+
CRTno data+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M.

PCIe versionno data3.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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.

Core 2 Duo T9550 1.14
i5-3230M 1.61
+41.2%

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.

Core 2 Duo T9550 1804
i5-3230M 2562
+42%

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.

Core 2 Duo T9550 318
i5-3230M 506
+59.1%

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.

Core 2 Duo T9550 517
i5-3230M 1020
+97.3%

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Core 2 Duo T9550 2966
i5-3230M 4268
+43.9%

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

Core 2 Duo T9550 5577
i5-3230M 9159
+64.2%

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

Core 2 Duo T9550 2385
i5-3230M 3760
+57.7%

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

Core 2 Duo T9550 29
i5-3230M 17.83
+62.6%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.14 1.61
Recency 1 January 2009 1 January 2013
Threads 2 4
Chip lithography 45 nm 22 nm

i5-3230M has a 41.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, 100% more threads, and a 104.5% more advanced lithography process.

The Core i5-3230M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo T9550 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo T9550 and Core i5-3230M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core 2 Duo T9550
Core 2 Duo T9550
Intel Core i5-3230M
Core i5-3230M

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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