Core 2 Duo T6600 vs Xeon E5440

Core 2 Duo T6600

2 Cores2 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.2 GHz2009

Xeon E5440

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 0.83 GHz2007

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo T6600

2 / 2

2,355

0.0%

2,367

+0.5%

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 T6600 is positioned at rank 13 and the Xeon E5440 is on rank 1008, so the Core 2 Duo T6600 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 T6600

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

125%

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

123%

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

113%

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

112%

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

111%

#10

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

107%

#11

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

103%

#12

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

103%

#13

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

100%

#17

Core i3-350M

MSRP: $130|Avg: $10

92%

#18

Atom x5-E8000

MSRP: $18|Avg: N/A

91%

#19

Core 2 Duo T5900

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

90%

#22

Core i3-3130M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

81%

#23

Core 2 Duo T5550

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $5

78%

#24

Core 2 Duo T7100

MSRP: $197|Avg: $15

77%

#27

Pentium 2030M

MSRP: $134|Avg: N/A

74%

#28

Core 2 Duo T5750

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $8

74%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E5440

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

60590%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

11440%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

10164%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

7852%

#540

Xeon E7-8891 v3

MSRP: $6841|Avg: $418

92%

#541

Xeon E5-4669 v4

MSRP: $7007|Avg: $300

73%

#1008

Xeon E5440

MSRP: $690|Avg: $37

100%

#1009

Xeon E5-2643

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $50

98%

#1010

Xeon E5-2637

MSRP: $885|Avg: $40

98%

#1011

Xeon W3570

MSRP: $999|Avg: $15

95%

#1013

Xeon E5-4620

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $400

90%

#1014

Xeon E5-2680

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $40

84%

#1016

Xeon E5-4640

MSRP: $2725|Avg: N/A

75%

#1018

Xeon E5-4650

MSRP: $3616|Avg: $71

69%

#1019

Xeon E5-4655 v4

MSRP: $4616|Avg: N/A

69%

#1020

Xeon E5-4650L

MSRP: $3616|Avg: N/A

69%

#1021

Xeon E-2224

MSRP: $3226|Avg: $195

65%

#1022

Athlon MP 2400+

MSRP: $151|Avg: $20

59%

#1023

Xeon E5-2650L v2

MSRP: $4115|Avg: $1078

54%

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 ($37) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5440 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5440
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($4)	⚠️ Higher cost ($37)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Harpertown (2007−2008) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core 2 Duo T6600 ($4), 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 ($33 less, 89% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5440
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+820%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($4)	⚠️ Higher cost ($37)

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 T6600 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5440 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo T6600 and Xeon E5440

Core 2 Duo T6600

The Core 2 Duo T6600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 2.2 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 2,355 points. Launch price was $249.

Xeon E5440

The Xeon E5440 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 November 2007 (18 years ago). It is based on the Harpertown (2007−2008) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.83 GHz, with boost up to 0.83 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA771. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3 Depends on motherboard. Passmark benchmark score: 2,367 points. Launch price was $690.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo T6600 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Xeon E5440 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon E5440 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Core 2 Duo T6600 versus 0.83 GHz on the Xeon E5440 — a 90.4% clock advantage for the Core 2 Duo T6600 (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.83 GHz). The Core 2 Duo T6600 uses the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Xeon E5440 uses Harpertown (2007−2008) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo T6600 scores 2,355 against the Xeon E5440's 2,367 — a 0.5% lead for the Xeon E5440. L3 cache: 2 MB L2 Cache on the Core 2 Duo T6600 vs 12 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E5440.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5440
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz+165%	0.83 GHz
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	2.83 GHz+29%
L3 Cache	2 MB L2 Cache	12 MB L2 Cache+500%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB (total)+200%
Process	45 nm	45 nm
Architecture	Penryn (2008−2011)	Harpertown (2007−2008)
PassMark	2,355	2,367
Geekbench 6 Single	200	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	350	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo T6600 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon E5440 uses LGA771 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5440
Socket	PGA478	LGA771
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-800	—
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	0	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x (Core 2 Duo T6600) / not specified (Xeon E5440). Primary use case: Core 2 Duo T6600 targets Legacy Laptop.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5440
Integrated GPU	No	—
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x	—
Target Use	Legacy Laptop	—

💰

Value Analysis

At current prices ($4 vs $37), the Core 2 Duo T6600 is $33 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core 2 Duo T6600 delivers 588.8 pts/$ vs 64.0 pts/$ for the Xeon E5440 — making the Core 2 Duo T6600 the 160.8% better value option.