Core i5-2430M vs Core 2 Quad Q9550

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Quad Q9550
2008
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
1.47
+16.7%
Core i5-2430M
2011
2 cores / 4 threads, 35 Watt
1.26

Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Core i5-2430M by a moderate 17% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking21702305
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesCore 2 Quad (Desktop)Intel Core i5
Power efficiency1.463.40
Architecture codenameYorkfield (2007−2009)Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release dateno data1 October 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$225

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M 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 data2.4 GHz
Boost clock speed2.83 GHz3 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 2.0
Bus rate1333 MHz4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplierno data24
L1 cache64K (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache12288 KB256K (per core)
L3 cache0 KB3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm32 nm
Die size2x 107 mm2149 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)71 °Cno data
Number of transistors820 million624 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M 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)
SocketLGA775PPGA988
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® AVX
AES-NI-+
FMA-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
FDIno data+
Fast Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data-
EDBno data+
Identity Protection-+
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
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 i5-2430M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR1,DDR2,DDR3DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data16 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data21.335 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 3000
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.2 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2
eDPno data+
DisplayPort-+
HDMI-+
SDVOno data+
CRTno data+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Core i5-2430M.

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
+16.7%
i5-2430M 1.26

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
+16.9%
i5-2430M 2000

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 Quad Q9550 370
i5-2430M 436
+17.8%

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 Quad Q9550 1038
+19.6%
i5-2430M 868

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 Quad Q9550 3106
i5-2430M 3787
+21.9%

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 Quad Q9550 10825
+31.7%
i5-2430M 8222

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 Quad Q9550 4230
+27.8%
i5-2430M 3311

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

Core 2 Quad Q9550 3
+27.4%
i5-2430M 3

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.47 1.26
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 45 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 35 Watt

Core 2 Quad Q9550 has a 16.7% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.

i5-2430M, 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 i5-2430M in performance tests.

Note that Core 2 Quad Q9550 is a desktop processor while Core i5-2430M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core i5-2430M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Core 2 Quad Q9550
Intel Core i5-2430M
Core i5-2430M

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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