Core 2 Duo T5900 vs Phenom II X3 N870

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo T5900

2 / 2

2,123

0.0%

2,145

+1.0%

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 T5900 is positioned at rank 19 and the Phenom II X3 N870 is on rank 250, so the Core 2 Duo T5900 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 T5900

#7

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

138%

#8

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

136%

#9

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

125%

#10

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

124%

#11

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

123%

#13

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

119%

#14

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

114%

#15

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

114%

#16

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

111%

#19

Core 2 Duo T5900

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

100%

#22

Core i3-3130M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

90%

#23

Core 2 Duo T5550

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

86%

#24

Core 2 Duo T7100

MSRP: $197|Avg: $15

86%

#27

Pentium 2030M

MSRP: $134|Avg: N/A

82%

#28

Core 2 Duo T5750

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $8

82%

#29

Core 2 Duo T7200

MSRP: $286|Avg: $6

81%

#30

Core i5-3230M

MSRP: $225|Avg: $13

81%

#31

Atom D525

MSRP: $63|Avg: N/A

80%

#32

Atom x7835RE

MSRP: $127|Avg: N/A

80%

#33

Core 2 Duo P8400

MSRP: $209|Avg: $10

78%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Phenom II X3 N870

#238

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

410%

#239

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

404%

#240

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

371%

#241

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

370%

#242

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

366%

#244

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

354%

#245

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

339%

#246

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

338%

#247

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

329%

#250

Phenom II X3 N870

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Phenom II X3 N870 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core 2 Duo T5900 in both compute-intensive tasks (1% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X3 N870
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($5)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Merom (2006−2008) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X3 N870
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($5)	✅ 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 T5900 Benchmark Check

Phenom II X3 N870 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo T5900 and Phenom II X3 N870

Core 2 Duo T5900

The Core 2 Duo T5900 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Merom (2006−2008) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.2 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: P. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 2,123 points. Launch price was $249.

Phenom II X3 N870

The Phenom II X3 N870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 3 cores and 3 threads. Max frequency: 2.3 GHz. L2 cache: 1.5 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g4. Thermal design power (TDP): 1.5 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,145 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo T5900 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Phenom II X3 N870 offers 3 cores / 3 threads — the Phenom II X3 N870 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Core 2 Duo T5900 versus 2.3 GHz on the Phenom II X3 N870 — a 4.4% clock advantage for the Phenom II X3 N870. The Core 2 Duo T5900 uses the Merom (2006−2008) architecture (65 nm), while the Phenom II X3 N870 uses Champlain (2010−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo T5900 scores 2,123 against the Phenom II X3 N870's 2,145 — a 1% lead for the Phenom II X3 N870.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X3 N870
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	3 / 3+50%
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz	2.3 GHz+5%
L2 Cache	2 MB+33%	1.5 MB
Process	65 nm	45 nm-31%
Architecture	Merom (2006−2008)	Champlain (2010−2011)
PassMark	2,123	2,145+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo T5900 uses the P socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Phenom II X3 N870 uses S1g4 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.