Core 2 Duo T6600 vs Xeon E5472

Core 2 Duo T6600

2 Cores2 Thrd2 WWMax: 2.2 GHz2009

Xeon E5472

4 Cores4 Thrd80 WWMax: 3 GHz2007

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo T6600

2 / 2

2,355

+0.9%

2,333

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 T6600 is positioned at rank 13 and the Xeon E5472 is on rank 822, 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 E5472

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

17808%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

3362%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

2987%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

2308%

#469

EPYC 9554

MSRP: $9087|Avg: $2795

98%

#470

Xeon Gold 6338T

MSRP: $3139|Avg: $1795

98%

#471

Xeon E5-2650 v4

MSRP: $1166|Avg: $45

98%

#472

EPYC 9845

MSRP: $13564|Avg: $8670

97%

#473

EPYC 7F32

MSRP: $2100|Avg: $179

95%

#822

Xeon E5472

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#824

Xeon E5-1660 v3

MSRP: $1080|Avg: $198

100%

#827

Xeon W3565

MSRP: $294|Avg: $69

99%

#837

Xeon W3550

MSRP: $294|Avg: $30

95%

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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E5472 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5472
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($4)	✅ More affordable ($0)
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 ($4 less, Infinity% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5472
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($4)	✅ 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 T6600 Benchmark Check

Xeon E5472 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo T6600 and Xeon E5472

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 E5472

The Xeon E5472 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 3 GHz, with boost up to 3 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: 2,333 points. Launch price was $1,022.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo T6600 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Xeon E5472 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon E5472 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Core 2 Duo T6600 versus 3 GHz on the Xeon E5472 — a 30.8% clock advantage for the Xeon E5472 (base: 2.2 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core 2 Duo T6600 uses the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Xeon E5472 uses Harpertown (2007−2008) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo T6600 scores 2,355 against the Xeon E5472's 2,333 — a 0.9% lead for the Core 2 Duo T6600. L3 cache: 2 MB L2 Cache on the Core 2 Duo T6600 vs 12 MB L2 Cache on the Xeon E5472.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T6600	Xeon E5472
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz	3 GHz+36%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	3 GHz+36%
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	2,333
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 E5472 uses LGA771 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.