Core 2 Extreme QX9770 vs Xeon L5640

Core 2 Extreme QX9770

4 Cores4 Thrd136 WWMax: 3.2 GHz2008

Xeon L5640

6 Cores12 Thrd60 WWMax: 2.8 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core 2 Extreme QX9770

4 / 4

4,611

0.0%

4,659

+1.0%

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 Extreme QX9770 is positioned at rank 1088 and the Xeon L5640 is on rank 994, so the Xeon L5640 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 Extreme QX9770

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

94459%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

89255%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

64806%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

19523%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

15465%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

13528%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

7748%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

7647%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

6963%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

6962%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

6885%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

6699%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

6605%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

6578%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

6519%

#1088

Core 2 Extreme QX9770

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $1399

100%

#1089

Athlon 64 X2 5600+

MSRP: $505|Avg: $15

100%

#1090

Athlon 64 2000+

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

100%

#1091

Athlon 64 X2 5400+

MSRP: $485|Avg: $78

99%

#1092

Celeron 2.30

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

98%

#1093

Phenom X4 9450e

MSRP: $450|Avg: $430

98%

#1094

Athlon 64 X2 3800+

MSRP: $354|Avg: $20

94%

#1095

Athlon 64 3000+

MSRP: $149|Avg: $10

92%

#1096

Athlon XP 3100+

MSRP: $150|Avg: $20

86%

#1097

Athlon 64 3300+

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

79%

#1098

Athlon 64 2800+

MSRP: $178|Avg: $15

72%

#1099

Athlon 64 3700+

MSRP: $272|Avg: $20

69%

#1100

Athlon 64 FX-72

MSRP: $799|Avg: $40

68%

#1101

Athlon 64 X2 4200+

MSRP: $581|Avg: $110

65%

#1102

Athlon 64 3500+

MSRP: $272|Avg: $10

64%

#1103

Pentium D 830

MSRP: $316|Avg: $20

59%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon L5640

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

44407%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

8384%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

7449%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

5755%

#537

Xeon Platinum 8180

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $2363

82%

#538

Xeon Platinum 8280M

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $6223

80%

#539

Xeon Platinum 8280

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $2940

79%

#994

Xeon L5640

MSRP: $996|Avg: N/A

100%

#995

Xeon E5-4627 v2

MSRP: $2061|Avg: $70

98%

#996

Xeon L5335

MSRP: $380|Avg: $18

98%

#997

Xeon E-2144G

MSRP: $2090|Avg: $389

96%

#998

Xeon X5675

MSRP: $1440|Avg: $22

95%

#999

Xeon Phi 7210

MSRP: $1881|Avg: $150

83%

#1000

Xeon D-1567

MSRP: $2702|Avg: $230

83%

#1001

Xeon E-2126G

MSRP: $2702|Avg: $230

82%

#1004

Xeon D-1531

MSRP: $2057|Avg: $250

80%

#1005

Xeon 5130

MSRP: $316|Avg: $10

79%

#1007

Xeon E5-4640 v3

MSRP: $2859|Avg: $300

78%

#1008

Xeon E5440

MSRP: $690|Avg: $37

73%

#1009

Xeon E5-2643

MSRP: $1552|Avg: $50

72%

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 ($996) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon L5640 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core 2 Extreme QX9770	Xeon L5640
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($1,399)	✅ More affordable ($996)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Yorkfield (2007−2009) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Westmere-EP (2010−2011) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core 2 Extreme QX9770 ($1,399), 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 ($403 less, 40% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core 2 Extreme QX9770	Xeon L5640
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+42%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($1,399)	✅ More affordable ($996)

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 Extreme QX9770 Benchmark Check

Xeon L5640 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 2 Extreme QX9770 and Xeon L5640

Core 2 Extreme QX9770

The Core 2 Extreme QX9770 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2008-01-01. It is based on the Yorkfield (2007−2009) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 12 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 136 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 4,611 points. Launch price was $249.

Xeon L5640

The Xeon L5640 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 March 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Westmere-EP (2010−2011) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.26 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 60 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 4,659 points. Launch price was $200.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 2 Extreme QX9770 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Xeon L5640 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Xeon L5640 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 versus 2.8 GHz on the Xeon L5640 — a 13.3% clock advantage for the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 2.26 GHz). The Core 2 Extreme QX9770 uses the Yorkfield (2007−2009) architecture (45 nm), while the Xeon L5640 uses Westmere-EP (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 scores 4,611 against the Xeon L5640's 4,659 — a 1% lead for the Xeon L5640. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 vs 12 MB (total) on the Xeon L5640.

Feature	Core 2 Extreme QX9770	Xeon L5640
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	3.2 GHz+14%	2.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.2 GHz+42%	2.26 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	12 MB (total)+4700%	256 kB (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Yorkfield (2007−2009)	Westmere-EP (2010−2011)
PassMark	4,611	4,659+1%
Cinebench R23 Multi	2,200	—
Geekbench 6 Single	451	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,583	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core 2 Extreme QX9770 uses the LGA775 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Xeon L5640 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1600 on the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 versus DDR3 1333 MHz on the Xeon L5640 — the Xeon L5640 supports 200% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon L5640 supports up to 288 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 178.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core 2 Extreme QX9770) vs 3 (Xeon L5640). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core 2 Extreme QX9770) vs 0 (Xeon L5640) — the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: X48,X38,P45 (Core 2 Extreme QX9770) and Intel 5520,Intel X58 (Xeon L5640).

Feature	Core 2 Extreme QX9770	Xeon L5640
Socket	LGA775	LGA1366
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 5.0+355%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1600	DDR3 1333 MHz
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	288 GB+1700%
RAM Channels	2	3+50%
ECC Support	❌	✅
PCIe Lanes	16	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x (Core 2 Extreme QX9770) vs true (Xeon L5640). Primary use case: Core 2 Extreme QX9770 targets Enthusiast, Xeon L5640 targets Server Low Power.