Core i7-610E vs Core 2 Quad Q8400

Core i7-610E

2 Cores4 Thrd35 WWMax: 3.2 GHz2010

Core 2 Quad Q8400

4 Cores4 Thrd95 WWMax: 0.67 GHz2009

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-610E

2 / 4

2,071

0.0%

2,076

+0.2%

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 i7-610E is positioned at rank 1125 and the Core 2 Quad Q8400 is on rank 975, so the Core 2 Quad Q8400 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 i7-610E

#1113

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3543%

#1114

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3492%

#1115

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3205%

#1116

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3191%

#1117

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3162%

#1119

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3053%

#1120

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2928%

#1121

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2923%

#1122

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2844%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

100%

#1126

Core i5-5350U

MSRP: $315|Avg: N/A

99%

#1127

Pentium Dual Core T4300

MSRP: $150|Avg: $99

99%

#1128

Core i7-3520M

MSRP: $346|Avg: N/A

99%

#1129

Core i3-4100E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

99%

#1130

Core i3-2310E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $20

99%

#1131

Core i5-2510E

MSRP: $230|Avg: $30

99%

#1132

Core m5-6Y54

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

99%

#1133

Core i3-2330E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $10

98%

#1135

Core i5-4288U

MSRP: $342|Avg: N/A

94%

#1136

Core m3-6Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

94%

#1137

Core i3-2340UE

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

93%

#1138

Core i7-2820QM

MSRP: $568|Avg: N/A

93%

#1139

Core i5-520M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Quad Q8400

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

27488%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

25974%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

18859%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

5681%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

4500%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3937%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

2255%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

2225%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

2026%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

2026%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

2003%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1949%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1922%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1914%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1897%

#975

Core 2 Quad Q8400

MSRP: $183|Avg: $128

100%

#976

Pentium Dual-Core E2180

MSRP: $84|Avg: $5

99%

#977

Pentium E2180

MSRP: $84|Avg: $15

99%

#978

Pentium Dual-Core E2140

MSRP: $74|Avg: $5

97%

#979

Core i7-960

MSRP: $309|Avg: $110

97%

#980

E1-1500

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

97%

#981

Core i5-2405S

MSRP: $309|Avg: $120

97%

#982

Celeron 420

MSRP: $39|Avg: $15

96%

#983

Athlon II X4 615e

MSRP: $186|Avg: $30

96%

#984

Athlon X2 BE-2350

MSRP: $90|Avg: $10

96%

#985

Core 2 Quad Q8300

MSRP: $179|Avg: $10

94%

#986

Core i7-860

MSRP: $284|Avg: $30

93%

#987

Core i7-870

MSRP: $300|Avg: $80

93%

#988

Athlon 64 X2 5000+

MSRP: $136|Avg: $42

92%

#989

Core i3-6102E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $35

92%

#990

Pentium Dual-Core E2160

MSRP: $84|Avg: $5

92%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Core i7-610E leads in gaming performance. However, the Core 2 Quad Q8400 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.2% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Core i7-610E	Core 2 Quad Q8400
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($40)	⚠️ Higher cost ($128)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Arrandale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Yorkfield (2007−2009) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Core i7-610E stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 69% cheaper ($40 vs $128) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Core i7-610E	Core 2 Quad Q8400
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+219%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($40)	⚠️ Higher cost ($128)

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 i7-610E Benchmark Check

Core 2 Quad Q8400 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-610E and Core 2 Quad Q8400

Core i7-610E

The Core i7-610E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 7 January 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.53 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1288. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-800, DDR3-1066. Passmark benchmark score: 2,071 points. Launch price was $332.

Core 2 Quad Q8400

The Core 2 Quad Q8400 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 2.66 GHz, with boost up to 0.67 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 4 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,076 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-610E packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Core 2 Quad Q8400 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Core 2 Quad Q8400 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Core i7-610E versus 0.67 GHz on the Core 2 Quad Q8400 — a 130.7% clock advantage for the Core i7-610E (base: 2.53 GHz vs 2.66 GHz). The Core i7-610E uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Core 2 Quad Q8400 uses Yorkfield (2007−2009) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-610E scores 2,071 against the Core 2 Quad Q8400's 2,076 — a 0.2% lead for the Core 2 Quad Q8400. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Core i7-610E vs 0 kB on the Core 2 Quad Q8400.

Feature	Core i7-610E	Core 2 Quad Q8400
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	3.2 GHz+378%	0.67 GHz
Base Clock	2.53 GHz	2.66 GHz+5%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	4 MB (total)+1500%
Process	32 nm-29%	45 nm
Architecture	Arrandale (2010−2011)	Yorkfield (2007−2009)
PassMark	2,071	2,076
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	852
Geekbench 6 Single	—	369
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,155

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-610E uses the BGA1288 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core 2 Quad Q8400 uses LGA775 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-610E	Core 2 Quad Q8400
Socket	BGA1288	LGA775
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0+82%	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3 1333 MHz
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i7-610E) / true (Core 2 Quad Q8400). Primary use case: Core 2 Quad Q8400 targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-610E	Core 2 Quad Q8400
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	true
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-610E launched at $250 MSRP, while the Core 2 Quad Q8400 debuted at $183. At current prices ($40 vs $128), the Core i7-610E is $88 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-610E delivers 51.8 pts/$ vs 16.2 pts/$ for the Core 2 Quad Q8400 — making the Core i7-610E the 104.6% better value option.