Core i3-330E vs Core 2 Quad Q9550

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Quad Q9550
2008
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
1.47
+86.1%
Core i3-330E
2010
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
0.79

Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Core i3-330E by an impressive 86% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking21702624
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesCore 2 Quad (Desktop)Intel Core i3
Power efficiency1.462.13
Architecture codenameYorkfield (2007−2009)Westmere (2010−2011)
Release dateno data7 January 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$177

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads44
Base clock speedno data2.13 GHz
Boost clock speed2.83 GHz0.03 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 1.0
Bus rate1333 MHz1 × 2.5 GT/s
Multiplierno data16
L1 cache64K (per core)128 KB
L2 cache12288 KB512 KB
L3 cache0 KB3 MB
Chip lithography45 nm32 nm
Die size2x 107 mm281 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data90 °C for rPGA,105 °C for BGA
Maximum case temperature (TCase)71 °Cno data
Number of transistors820 million382 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E 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 configuration11 (Uniprocessor)
SocketLGA775BGA1288
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2
FMA-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technologyno data-
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
PAEno data36 Bit
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data-
EDBno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E are enumerated here.

VT-dno data-
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR1,DDR2,DDR3DDR3-800, DDR3-1066
Maximum memory sizeno data8.79 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data17.051 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors
Clear Videono data+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data667 MHz

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i3-330E.

PCIe versionno data2.0
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 Quad Q9550 1.47
+86.1%
i3-330E 0.79

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 Quad Q9550 2338
+85.6%
i3-330E 1260

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.47 0.79
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 45 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 35 Watt

Core 2 Quad Q9550 has a 86.1% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.

i3-330E, on the other hand, has a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 171.4% lower power consumption.

The Core 2 Quad Q9550 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-330E in performance tests.

Note that Core 2 Quad Q9550 is a desktop processor while Core i3-330E is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i3-330E, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Core 2 Quad Q9550
Intel Core i3-330E
Core i3-330E

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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