Core 2 Duo E6550 vs Xeon X5660

Aggregate performance score

Xeon X5660
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
3.80
+579%
Core 2 Duo E6550
2007
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.56

Xeon X5660 outperforms Core 2 Duo E6550 by a whopping 579% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking14682821
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation3.05no data
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.770.81
Architecture codenameWestmere-EP (2010−2011)Conroe (2006−2007)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)July 2007 (17 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$33no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads122
Base clock speed2.8 GHz2.33 GHz
Boost clock speed3.2 GHz2.33 GHz
Bus rateno data1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)4 MB
L3 cache12 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography32 nm65 nm
Die size239 mm2143 mm2
Maximum core temperature81 °C72 °C
Number of transistors1,170 million291 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
VID voltage rangeno data0.85V-1.5V

Compatibility

Information on Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550 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 configuration21
SocketFCLGA1366,LGA1366PLGA775
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2no data
AES-NI+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology1.0-
Hyper-Threading Technology+-
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring-+
Demand Based Switching+-
PAE40 Bitno data
FSB parityno data-

Security technologies

Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550 are enumerated here.

VT-d+no data
VT-x++
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
Maximum memory size288 GBno data
Max memory channels3no data
Maximum memory bandwidth32 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550.

PCIe version2.0no data

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.

Xeon X5660 3.80
+579%
Core 2 Duo E6550 0.56

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.

Xeon X5660 6015
+575%
Core 2 Duo E6550 891

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.

Xeon X5660 461
+77.3%
Core 2 Duo E6550 260

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.

Xeon X5660 2196
+410%
Core 2 Duo E6550 431

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.80 0.56
Physical cores 6 2
Threads 12 2
Chip lithography 32 nm 65 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 65 Watt

Xeon X5660 has a 578.6% higher aggregate performance score, 200% more physical cores and 500% more threads, and a 103.1% more advanced lithography process.

Core 2 Duo E6550, on the other hand, has 46.2% lower power consumption.

The Xeon X5660 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E6550 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon X5660 is a server/workstation processor while Core 2 Duo E6550 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon X5660 and Core 2 Duo E6550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon X5660
Xeon X5660
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550
Core 2 Duo E6550

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon X5660 or Core 2 Duo E6550, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.