Core 2 Duo E7600 vs Pentium N3520

Core 2 Duo E7600

2 Cores2 Thrd65 WWMax: 0.07 GHz2009

Pentium N3520

4 Cores4 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.42 GHz2013

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo E7600

2 / 2

1,150

+0.5%

1,144

0.0%

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 Core 2 Duo E7600 is positioned at rank 1019 and the Pentium N3520 is on rank 1046, so the Core 2 Duo E7600 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Duo E7600

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

36036%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

34051%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

24724%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

7448%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

5900%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

5161%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2956%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2917%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

2656%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

2656%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

2626%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

2556%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

2520%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

2510%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

2487%

#396

Ryzen Embedded R2314

MSRP: $300|Avg: $762

89%

#1019

Core 2 Duo E7600

MSRP: $133|Avg: $50

100%

#1020

Core 2 Duo E8700

MSRP: $256|Avg: $30

100%

#1021

Core i7-3970X

MSRP: $990|Avg: $60

100%

#1022

Core 2 Duo E6550

MSRP: $163|Avg: $20

99%

#1023

Phenom X3 8450

MSRP: $145|Avg: $147

97%

#1024

Core i7-3960X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $60

97%

#1025

Celeron 2.70

MSRP: $49|Avg: $49

96%

#1027

A10 PRO-7850B

MSRP: $426|Avg: $140

93%

#1028

Core 2 Quad Q8200

MSRP: $224|Avg: $36

93%

#1029

A12-9800E

MSRP: $426|Avg: $150

93%

#1030

Phenom II X6 1065T

MSRP: $426|Avg: $170

93%

#1031

Celeron 440

MSRP: $59|Avg: $10

92%

#1032

A8-3820

MSRP: $280|Avg: $200

90%

#1033

Core i7-860S

MSRP: $299|Avg: $96

90%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium N3520

#1034

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2565%

#1035

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2527%

#1036

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2320%

#1037

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2309%

#1038

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2288%

#1040

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2210%

#1041

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2119%

#1042

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2115%

#1043

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2059%

#1046

Pentium N3520

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

100%

#1047

E2-3800

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

99%

#1048

Athlon X2 QL-66

MSRP: $150|Avg: $5

99%

#1049

Athlon II Neo K145

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

99%

#1050

Celeron P4600

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

98%

#1051

Core 2 Duo U7500

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

98%

#1052

Pentium 987

MSRP: $134|Avg: $20

97%

#1053

Core i7-4910MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $570

97%

#1054

Pentium T4400

MSRP: $107|Avg: $5

96%

#1056

Athlon X2 QL-65

MSRP: $150|Avg: $22

95%

#1057

Pentium J2850

MSRP: $94|Avg: $94

94%

#1058

Core i7-4900MQ

MSRP: $570|Avg: $40

94%

#1059

Pentium Dual Core T2370

MSRP: $150|Avg: $25

93%

#1060

Celeron P4505

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

93%

#1061

Pentium T4200

MSRP: $99|Avg: $10

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium N3520 leads in gaming performance. However, the Core 2 Duo E7600 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.5% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Core 2 Duo E7600	Pentium N3520
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($10)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Wolfdale (2008−2010) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Pentium N3520 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 80% cheaper ($10 vs $50) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Core 2 Duo E7600	Pentium N3520
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+397%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($10)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

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.

Core 2 Duo E7600 Benchmark Check

Pentium N3520 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo E7600 and Pentium N3520

Core 2 Duo E7600

The Core 2 Duo E7600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Wolfdale (2008−2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.06 GHz, with boost up to 0.07 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 3 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,150 points. Launch price was $249.

Pentium N3520

The Pentium N3520 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 December 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.17 GHz, with boost up to 2.42 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1170. Thermal design power (TDP): 7.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3L-1333. Passmark benchmark score: 1,144 points. Launch price was $161.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo E7600 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Pentium N3520 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Pentium N3520 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 0.07 GHz on the Core 2 Duo E7600 versus 2.42 GHz on the Pentium N3520 — a 188.8% clock advantage for the Pentium N3520 (base: 3.06 GHz vs 2.17 GHz). The Core 2 Duo E7600 uses the Wolfdale (2008−2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium N3520 uses Bay Trail-M (2013−2014) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo E7600 scores 1,150 against the Pentium N3520's 1,144 — a 0.5% lead for the Core 2 Duo E7600. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Core 2 Duo E7600 vs 2 MB on the Pentium N3520.

Feature	Core 2 Duo E7600	Pentium N3520
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	0.07 GHz	2.42 GHz+3357%
Base Clock	3.06 GHz+41%	2.17 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	2 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB (total)+50%	2 MB
Process	45 nm	22 nm-51%
Architecture	Wolfdale (2008−2010)	Bay Trail-M (2013−2014)
PassMark	1,150	1,144
Geekbench 6 Single	422	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	690	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo E7600 uses the LGA775 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Pentium N3520 uses FCBGA1170 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 2 Duo E7600	Pentium N3520
Socket	LGA775	FCBGA1170
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1066	—
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x (Core 2 Duo E7600) / not specified (Pentium N3520). Primary use case: Core 2 Duo E7600 targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Core 2 Duo E7600 rivals Athlon II X2 250.

Feature	Core 2 Duo E7600	Pentium N3520
Integrated GPU	No	—
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x	—
Target Use	Legacy Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core 2 Duo E7600 launched at $133 MSRP, while the Pentium N3520 debuted at $100. At current prices ($50 vs $10), the Pentium N3520 is $40 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core 2 Duo E7600 delivers 23.0 pts/$ vs 114.4 pts/$ for the Pentium N3520 — making the Pentium N3520 the 133% better value option.