Core 2 Duo T5900 vs Phenom II X4 910e

Core 2 Duo T5900

2 Cores2 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.2 GHz2008

Phenom II X4 910e

4 Cores4 Thrd65 WWMax: 2.6 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo T5900

2 / 2

2,123

0.0%

2,148

+1.2%

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 X4 910e is on rank 927, 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

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

138%

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

136%

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 X4 910e

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

22786%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

21531%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

15633%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

4710%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

3730%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3263%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1869%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1845%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1680%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1680%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1661%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1616%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1593%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1587%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1573%

#302

Core i7-6900K

MSRP: $1089|Avg: $1089

99%

#303

Core i7-5960X

MSRP: $999|Avg: $83

98%

#927

Phenom II X4 910e

MSRP: $157|Avg: $69

100%

#928

FX-8100

MSRP: $300|Avg: $50

100%

#930

Celeron E1400

MSRP: $53|Avg: $63

99%

#932

Pentium E6800

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

98%

#933

Core i3-530

MSRP: $113|Avg: $15

98%

#935

Athlon II X3 405e

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

97%

#936

Core i3-2105

MSRP: $138|Avg: $30

97%

#937

Core i3-3225

MSRP: $172|Avg: $167

97%

#938

Athlon II X3 400e

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

96%

#939

Athlon II X2 245e

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

96%

#940

Core i3-3220T

MSRP: $149|Avg: $146

96%

#941

Athlon II X2 240e

MSRP: $77|Avg: $77

96%

#942

Pentium G630T

MSRP: $79|Avg: $15

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Phenom II X4 910e delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core 2 Duo T5900 in both compute-intensive tasks (1.2% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X4 910e
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($5)	⚠️ Higher cost ($69)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Merom (2006−2008) / 65 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Deneb (2009−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Value Proposition: While both processors are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Core 2 Duo T5900 holds the technical lead in efficiency. Priced at $5 (vs $69), it costs 93% less. While offering basic entry-level performance, it results in a 1264% higher cost efficiency score compared to the Phenom II X4 910e.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X4 910e
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+1264%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($5)	⚠️ Higher cost ($69)

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 X4 910e Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo T5900 and Phenom II X4 910e

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 X4 910e

The Phenom II X4 910e is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 25 January 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Deneb (2009−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 2.6 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,148 points. Launch price was $157.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo T5900 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Phenom II X4 910e offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Phenom II X4 910e has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Core 2 Duo T5900 versus 2.6 GHz on the Phenom II X4 910e — a 16.7% clock advantage for the Phenom II X4 910e. The Core 2 Duo T5900 uses the Merom (2006−2008) architecture (65 nm), while the Phenom II X4 910e uses Deneb (2009−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo T5900 scores 2,123 against the Phenom II X4 910e's 2,148 — a 1.2% lead for the Phenom II X4 910e.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X4 910e
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz	2.6 GHz+18%
Base Clock	—	2.6 GHz
L3 Cache	—	6 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	512 kB (per core)
Process	65 nm	45 nm-31%
Architecture	Merom (2006−2008)	Deneb (2009−2011)
PassMark	2,123	2,148+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo T5900 uses the P socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Phenom II X4 910e uses AM3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X4 910e
Socket	P	AM3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	✅
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core 2 Duo T5900) / AMD-V (Phenom II X4 910e). Primary use case: Phenom II X4 910e targets Desktop.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T5900	Phenom II X4 910e
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

At current prices ($5 vs $69), the Core 2 Duo T5900 is $64 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core 2 Duo T5900 delivers 424.6 pts/$ vs 31.1 pts/$ for the Phenom II X4 910e — making the Core 2 Duo T5900 the 172.7% better value option.