Core i5-2540M vs Core 2 Quad Q6600
Aggregate performance score
i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by a substantial 30% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 2274 | 2051 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 1.77 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Core 2 Quad (Desktop) | Intel Core i5 |
| Architecture codename | Kentsfield (2007) | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) |
| Release date | no data | 20 February 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $266 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 4 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 2.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Bus support | 1066 MHz | 4 × 5 GT/s |
| L1 cache | no data | 128 KB |
| L2 cache | no data | 512 KB |
| L3 cache | no data | 3 MB |
| Chip lithography | 65 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | no data | 149 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Number of transistors | no data | 624 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M 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 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | no data | rPGA988B, BGA1023 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 35 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | no data | + |
| FMA | no data | + |
| AVX | no data | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 16 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 21.335 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | no data | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M.
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
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 i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 30% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Core i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 30% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 82% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Core i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 28% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 20%
Core i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 70% in Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 4% in Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 19%
Core i5-2540M outperforms Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 4% in 3DMark06 CPU.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.17 | 1.52 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 65 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 35 Watt |
Core 2 Quad Q6600 has 100% more physical cores.
i5-2540M, on the other hand, has a 29.9% higher aggregate performance score, a 103.1% more advanced lithography process, and 200% lower power consumption.
The Core i5-2540M is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q6600 in performance tests.
Note that Core 2 Quad Q6600 is a desktop processor while Core i5-2540M is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q6600 and Core i5-2540M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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