Core 2 Duo T9550 vs A8-5550M

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Duo T9550

2 / 2

1,804

0.0%

Pentium 2117U

Pentium N3540

Celeron 1020E

Pentium Dual Core T2370

1,811

+0.4%

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 T9550 is positioned at rank 342 and the A8-5550M is on rank 692, so the Core 2 Duo T9550 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 T9550

#101

Core i5-1350P

MSRP: $320|Avg: $250

98%

#102

Core i3-1220P

MSRP: $250|Avg: $150

96%

#330

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

488%

#331

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

481%

#332

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

441%

#333

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

439%

#334

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

435%

#336

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

420%

#337

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

403%

#338

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

402%

#339

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

392%

#342

Core 2 Duo T9550

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar A8-5550M

#680

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

972%

#681

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

958%

#682

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

879%

#683

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

875%

#684

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

867%

#686

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

838%

#687

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

803%

#688

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

802%

#689

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

780%

#692

A8-5550M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#696

Processor N95

MSRP: $160|Avg: $80

99%

#699

Athlon Silver 3050e

MSRP: $100|Avg: $60

99%

#705

C-60

MSRP: $50|Avg: $20

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The A8-5550M delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Core 2 Duo T9550 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.4% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core 2 Duo T9550	A8-5550M
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Richland (2013−2014) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Core 2 Duo T9550	A8-5550M
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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 T9550 Benchmark Check

A8-5550M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Duo T9550 and A8-5550M

Core 2 Duo T9550

The Core 2 Duo T9550 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 2.66 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,804 points. Launch price was $316.

A8-5550M

The A8-5550M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2014-01-01. It is based on the Richland (2013−2014) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: FS1r2. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,811 points. Launch price was $90.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Duo T9550 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the A8-5550M offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the A8-5550M has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.66 GHz on the Core 2 Duo T9550 versus 3.1 GHz on the A8-5550M — a 15.3% clock advantage for the A8-5550M (base: 2.66 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core 2 Duo T9550 uses the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the A8-5550M uses Richland (2013−2014) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Duo T9550 scores 1,804 against the A8-5550M's 1,811 — a 0.4% lead for the A8-5550M. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache on the Core 2 Duo T9550 vs 0 kB on the A8-5550M.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T9550	A8-5550M
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.66 GHz	3.1 GHz+17%
Base Clock	2.66 GHz+27%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	6 MB L2 Cache	0 kB
L2 Cache	6 MB+500%	1 MB (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Penryn (2008−2011)	Richland (2013−2014)
PassMark	1,804	1,811

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Duo T9550 uses the PGA478 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the A8-5550M uses FS1r2 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 2 Duo T9550	A8-5550M
Socket	PGA478	FS1r2
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 3.0+173%
Max RAM Speed	—	1600
Max RAM Capacity	—	16
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core 2 Duo T9550) / true (A8-5550M). The A8-5550M includes integrated graphics (Radeon HD 8510G / 8550G), while the Core 2 Duo T9550 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: A8-5550M rivals Core i3-4000M.