Core 2 Quad Q9550 vs Phenom II X4 N970
Aggregate performance score
Core 2 Quad Q9550 outperforms Phenom II X4 N970 by a considerable 42% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Phenom II X4 N970 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2427 | 2145 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | 4x AMD Phenom II | Core 2 Quad (Desktop) |
| Power efficiency | 2.81 | 1.47 |
| Architecture codename | Champlain (2010−2011) | Yorkfield (2007−2009) |
| Release date | 16 December 2010 (13 years ago) | no data (2024 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Phenom II X4 N970 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 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 | 4 |
| Boost clock speed | 2.2 GHz | 2.83 GHz |
| Bus rate | 3600 MHz | 1333 MHz |
| L1 cache | 512 KB | no data |
| L2 cache | 2 MB | 12288 KB |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 45 nm |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Phenom II X4 N970 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550 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.
| Socket | S1 | LGA775 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 95 Watt |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Phenom II X4 N970 and Core 2 Quad (Desktop) Q9550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR1,DDR2,DDR3 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.08 | 1.53 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 95 Watt |
Phenom II X4 N970 has 171.4% lower power consumption.
Core 2 Quad Q9550, on the other hand, has a 41.7% higher aggregate performance score.
The Core 2 Quad Q9550 is our recommended choice as it beats the Phenom II X4 N970 in performance tests.
Be aware that Phenom II X4 N970 is a notebook processor while Core 2 Quad Q9550 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Phenom II X4 N970 and Core 2 Quad Q9550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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