Core 2 Duo T5600 vs Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo T5600

2 / 2

1,560

0.0%

Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85

2 / 2

1,585

+1.6%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5945WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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 T5600 is positioned at rank 1179 and the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 is on rank 413, so the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 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 T5600

#1167

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

4535%

#1168

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

4468%

#1169

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

4102%

#1170

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

4083%

#1171

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

4046%

#1173

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3907%

#1174

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3747%

#1175

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3740%

#1176

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3640%

#1179

Core 2 Duo T5600

MSRP: $241|Avg: N/A

100%

#1180

Pentium N3510

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

100%

#1181

Core i7-7Y75

MSRP: $393|Avg: $285

100%

#1183

Core i7-4500U

MSRP: $398|Avg: N/A

97%

#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

94%

#1188

Celeron T3000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $54

93%

#1189

Core m7-6Y75

MSRP: $393|Avg: $393

93%

#1190

Core M-5Y10

MSRP: $281|Avg: $20

90%

#1193

Celeron 900

MSRP: $86|Avg: $5

87%

#1194

Pentium T3400

MSRP: $150|Avg: $90

87%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85

#124

Core i5-1240P

MSRP: $309|Avg: $200

99%

#125

Core i7-13700H

MSRP: $502|Avg: N/A

99%

#401

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

555%

#402

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

547%

#403

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

502%

#404

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

500%

#405

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

496%

#407

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

479%

#408

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

459%

#409

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

458%

#410

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

446%

#413

Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#421

Core i5-9400H

MSRP: $182|Avg: N/A

98%

#426

Celeron 2981U

MSRP: $137|Avg: N/A

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core 2 Duo T5600 in both compute-intensive tasks (1.6% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5600	Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($241)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Merom (2006−2008) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Puma (2008−2009) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5600	Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($241)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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 T5600 Benchmark Check

Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo T5600 and Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85

Core 2 Duo T5600

The Core 2 Duo T5600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 July 2006 (19 years ago). It is based on the Merom (2006−2008) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.83 GHz, with boost up to 1.83 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 34 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,560 points. Launch price was $241.

Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85

The Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Puma (2008−2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: S1g2. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,585 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core 2 Duo T5600 and Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.83 GHz on the Core 2 Duo T5600 versus 2.3 GHz on the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 — a 22.8% clock advantage for the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85. The Core 2 Duo T5600 uses the Merom (2006−2008) architecture (65 nm), while the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 uses Puma (2008−2009) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo T5600 scores 1,560 against the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85's 1,585 — a 1.6% lead for the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85. Both processors carry 0 kB of L3 cache.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5600	Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.83 GHz	2.3 GHz+26%
Base Clock	1.83 GHz	—
L3 Cache	0 kB	0 kB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
Process	65 nm	65 nm
Architecture	Merom (2006−2008)	Puma (2008−2009)
PassMark	1,560	1,585+2%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo T5600 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 uses S1g2 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.