Xeon X3480 vs Core 2 Quad Q9650
Aggregate performance score
Xeon X3480 outperforms Core 2 Quad Q9650 by a substantial 32% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2121 | 1905 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.27 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Power efficiency | 1.55 | 2.05 |
| Architecture codename | Yorkfield (2007−2009) | Lynnfield (2009−2010) |
| Release date | August 2008 (16 years ago) | 30 May 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $612 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480 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) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 3 GHz | 3.06 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3 GHz | 3.73 GHz |
| Bus rate | 1333 MHz | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 6 MB (per die) | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 2x 107 mm2 | 296 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 71 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 73 °C |
| Number of transistors | 820 million | 774 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| VID voltage range | 0.85V-1.3625V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | LGA775 | FCLGA1156,LGA1156 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 95 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.2 |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | 1.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | + |
| Idle States | + | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Demand Based Switching | - | + |
| PAE | no data | 36 Bit |
| FSB parity | - | no data |
Security technologies
Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 | DDR3-800, DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 21 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480.
| PCIe version | no data | 2.0 |
| 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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.56 | 2.06 |
| Threads | 4 | 8 |
Xeon X3480 has a 32.1% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more threads.
The Xeon X3480 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Quad Q9650 in performance tests.
Note that Core 2 Quad Q9650 is a desktop processor while Xeon X3480 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Quad Q9650 and Xeon X3480, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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