Phenom II X4 N950 vs Core 2 Duo SP9300

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Phenom II X4 N950

4 / 4

2,485

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core 2 Duo SP9300

2 / 2

2,517

+1.3%

Pentium Dual Core SU4100

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 Phenom II X4 N950 is positioned at rank 180 and the Core 2 Duo SP9300 is on rank 535, so the Phenom II X4 N950 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 Phenom II X4 N950

#49

Core i9-12900HX

MSRP: $606|Avg: N/A

100%

#167

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

354%

#168

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

349%

#169

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

320%

#170

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

319%

#171

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

316%

#173

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

305%

#174

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

293%

#175

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

292%

#176

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

284%

#180

Phenom II X4 N950

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#192

Pentium Gold 4417U

MSRP: $161|Avg: N/A

98%

#194

Atom N475

MSRP: $75|Avg: N/A

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core 2 Duo SP9300

#169

Core i7-1280P

MSRP: $482|Avg: $482

99%

#523

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

699%

#524

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

689%

#525

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

633%

#526

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

630%

#527

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

624%

#529

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

603%

#530

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

578%

#531

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

577%

#532

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

561%

#535

Core 2 Duo SP9300

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#549

Celeron Dual-Core T1500

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $49

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core 2 Duo SP9300 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Phenom II X4 N950 in both compute-intensive tasks (1.3% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Phenom II X4 N950	Core 2 Duo SP9300
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Penryn (2008−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Phenom II X4 N950	Core 2 Duo SP9300
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.

Phenom II X4 N950 Benchmark Check

Core 2 Duo SP9300 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Phenom II X4 N950 and Core 2 Duo SP9300

Phenom II X4 N950

The Phenom II X4 N950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 2.1 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 2,485 points. Launch price was $149.

Core 2 Duo SP9300

The Core 2 Duo SP9300 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 August 2008 (17 years ago). It is based on the Penryn (2008−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.26 GHz, with boost up to 2.26 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB L2 Cache. L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: BGA956. Thermal design power (TDP): 25 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 2,517 points. Launch price was $284.

⚡

Processing Power

The Phenom II X4 N950 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core 2 Duo SP9300 offers 2 cores / 2 threads — the Phenom II X4 N950 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.1 GHz on the Phenom II X4 N950 versus 2.26 GHz on the Core 2 Duo SP9300 — a 7.3% clock advantage for the Core 2 Duo SP9300. The Phenom II X4 N950 uses the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Core 2 Duo SP9300 uses Penryn (2008−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Phenom II X4 N950 scores 2,485 against the Core 2 Duo SP9300's 2,517 — a 1.3% lead for the Core 2 Duo SP9300.

Feature	Phenom II X4 N950	Core 2 Duo SP9300
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.1 GHz	2.26 GHz+8%
Base Clock	—	2.26 GHz
L3 Cache	—	6 MB L2 Cache
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%
Process	45 nm	45 nm
Architecture	Champlain (2010−2011)	Penryn (2008−2011)
PassMark	2,485	2,517+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Phenom II X4 N950 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core 2 Duo SP9300 uses BGA956 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.