Core 2 Duo SL9600 vs Xeon X5355

Core 2 Duo SL9600

2 Cores2 Thrd6 WWMax: 2.13 GHz2009

Xeon X5355

4 Cores4 Thrd120 WWMax: 0.67 GHz2006

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo SL9600

2 / 2

2,054

+0.7%

Core 2 Duo E7600

Core i3-2370M

Pentium Dual Core T2370

2,039

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 SL9600 is positioned at rank 1177 and the Xeon X5355 is on rank 1032, so the Xeon X5355 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 SL9600

#1165

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

4514%

#1166

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

4448%

#1167

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

4083%

#1168

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

4065%

#1169

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

4027%

#1171

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3889%

#1172

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3729%

#1173

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3723%

#1174

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3623%

#1177

Core 2 Duo SL9600

MSRP: $316|Avg: N/A

100%

#1178

Athlon PRO 3045B

MSRP: $426|Avg: $180

100%

#1179

Core 2 Duo T5600

MSRP: $241|Avg: N/A

100%

#1180

Pentium N3510

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

99%

#1181

Core i7-7Y75

MSRP: $393|Avg: $285

99%

#1183

Core i7-4500U

MSRP: $398|Avg: N/A

96%

#1185

Athlon Neo X2 L325

MSRP: $100|Avg: $5

95%

#1186

Core i3-2370M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

94%

#1187

Core i3-3217UE

MSRP: $225|Avg: $35

93%

#1188

Celeron T3000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $54

93%

#1189

Core m7-6Y75

MSRP: $393|Avg: $393

92%

#1190

Core M-5Y10

MSRP: $281|Avg: $20

90%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon X5355

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

461829%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

87198%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

77471%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

59849%

#1032

Xeon X5355

MSRP: $4491|Avg: $4000

100%

#1033

Xeon E5420

MSRP: $7214|Avg: $6500

62%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($4,000) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon X5355 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core 2 Duo SL9600	Xeon X5355
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($316)	⚠️ Higher cost ($4,000)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Clovertown (2006−2007) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core 2 Duo SL9600 ($316), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($3,684 less, 92% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core 2 Duo SL9600	Xeon X5355
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+1175%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($316)	⚠️ Higher cost ($4,000)

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 SL9600 Benchmark Check

Xeon X5355 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo SL9600 and Xeon X5355

Core 2 Duo SL9600

The Core 2 Duo SL9600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 March 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.13 GHz, with boost up to 2.13 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: BGA956. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 2,054 points. Launch price was $316.

Xeon X5355

The Xeon X5355 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 November 2006 (19 years ago). It is based on the Clovertown (2006−2007) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 0.67 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 4 MB (total). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 2,039 points. Launch price was $1,172.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo SL9600 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Xeon X5355 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon X5355 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.13 GHz on the Core 2 Duo SL9600 versus 0.67 GHz on the Xeon X5355 — a 104.3% clock advantage for the Core 2 Duo SL9600 (base: 2.13 GHz vs 2.66 GHz). The Core 2 Duo SL9600 uses the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Xeon X5355 uses Clovertown (2006−2007) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo SL9600 scores 2,054 against the Xeon X5355's 2,039 — a 0.7% lead for the Core 2 Duo SL9600. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache on the Core 2 Duo SL9600 vs 8 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon X5355.

Feature	Core 2 Duo SL9600	Xeon X5355
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.13 GHz+218%	0.67 GHz
Base Clock	2.13 GHz	2.66 GHz+25%
L3 Cache	6 MB L2 Cache	8 MB L2 Cache+33%
L2 Cache	6 MB+50%	4 MB (total)
Process	45 nm-31%	65 nm
Architecture	Penryn (2008−2011)	Clovertown (2006−2007)
PassMark	2,054	2,039

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo SL9600 uses the BGA956 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon X5355 uses LGA771 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.