Athlon II N370 vs Core 2 Duo P9600
Athlon II N370
Core 2 Duo P9600
Performance Spectrum - CPU
About PassMark
PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Athlon II N370 is positioned at rank 923 and the Core 2 Duo P9600 is on rank 609, so the Core 2 Duo P9600 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II N370
Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Duo P9600
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon II N370 | Core 2 Duo P9600 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($10) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon II N370 | Core 2 Duo P9600 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($10) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II N370 and Core 2 Duo P9600
Athlon II N370
The Athlon II N370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.5 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,085 points. Launch price was $149.
Core 2 Duo P9600
The Core 2 Duo P9600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 2.66 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 25 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,093 points. Launch price was $348.
Processing Power
Both the Athlon II N370 and Core 2 Duo P9600 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.5 GHz on the Athlon II N370 versus 2.66 GHz on the Core 2 Duo P9600 — a 6.2% clock advantage for the Core 2 Duo P9600. The Athlon II N370 uses the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Core 2 Duo P9600 uses Penryn (2008−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II N370 scores 1,085 against the Core 2 Duo P9600's 1,093 — a 0.7% lead for the Core 2 Duo P9600.
| Feature | Athlon II N370 | Core 2 Duo P9600 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 2.5 GHz | 2.66 GHz+6% |
| Base Clock | — | 2.66 GHz |
| L3 Cache | — | 6 MB L2 Cache |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB | 6 MB+500% |
| Process | 45 nm | 45 nm |
| Architecture | Champlain (2010−2011) | Penryn (2008−2011) |
| PassMark | 1,085 | 1,093 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 220 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 420 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon II N370 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core 2 Duo P9600 uses PGA478 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon II N370 | Core 2 Duo P9600 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | S1 | PGA478 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0+82% | PCIe 1.1 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR3-1066 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 8 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon II N370) / not specified (Core 2 Duo P9600). Primary use case: Athlon II N370 targets Legacy Laptop. Direct competitor: Athlon II N370 rivals Pentium P6100.
| Feature | Athlon II N370 | Core 2 Duo P9600 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | — |
| Target Use | Legacy Laptop | — |
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