Ryzen 9 5900X vs Core 2 Quad Q9550

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Quad Q9550
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
1.48
Ryzen 9 5900X
2020
12 cores / 24 threads, 105 Watt
24.72
+1570%

Ryzen 9 5900X outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9550 by a whopping 1570% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking2155201
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data30.64
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore 2 Quad (Desktop)AMD Ryzen 9
Power efficiency1.4722.19
Architecture codenameYorkfield (2007−2009)Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022)
Release dateno data (2024 years ago)8 October 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$549

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X 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)12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads424
Base clock speedno data3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed2.83 GHz4.8 GHz
Bus rate1333 MHzno data
Multiplierno data37
L1 cacheno data768 KB
L2 cache12288 KB6 MB
L3 cacheno data64 MB
Chip lithography45 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Die sizeno data2x 74 mm2(CCD) + 125 mm2 (IOD)
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data95 °C
Number of transistorsno data0 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X 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
SocketLGA775AM4
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt105 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno data86x MMX(+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A,-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA, Precision Boost 2
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
Precision Boost 2no data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR1,DDR2,DDR3DDR4-3200
Maximum memory sizeno data128 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data51.196 GB/s

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X.

PCIe versionno data4.0

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 1.48
Ryzen 9 5900X 24.72
+1570%

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 2340
Ryzen 9 5900X 39114
+1572%

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
Ryzen 9 5900X 2209
+497%

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
Ryzen 9 5900X 11961
+1052%

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
Ryzen 9 5900X 6828
+120%

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
Ryzen 9 5900X 52076
+381%

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
Ryzen 9 5900X 16438
+289%

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
Ryzen 9 5900X 42
+1132%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.48 24.72
Physical cores 4 12
Threads 4 24
Chip lithography 45 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 105 Watt

Core 2 Quad Q9550 has 10.5% lower power consumption.

Ryzen 9 5900X, on the other hand, has a 1570.3% higher aggregate performance score, 200% more physical cores and 500% more threads, and a 542.9% more advanced lithography process.

The Ryzen 9 5900X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q9550 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Ryzen 9 5900X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Core 2 Quad Q9550
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Ryzen 9 5900X

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Community ratings

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