Intel Core i5-450M vs Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 vs Intel Core i5-430M

Intel Core i5-450M

The Intel Core i5-450M is a dual-core laptop CPU and clocks (due to Turbo Boost) with max. 2.4 - 2.66 GHz. Both cores are based on the Nehalem (Westmere) micro-architecture and due to Hyperthreading the processor is able to work with 4 threads simultaneously. The performance of the i5 is in the mid-range. The i5-450M is similar to the Core i5-520M, but the 450M does not offer AES functions.

Intel Core 2 Duo P8600

The Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 is a dual core processor for laptops. It features 2.4 GHz and a shared level 2 cache of 3 MB. Due to the smaller cache (Core 2 Duo T-Models got usually 6 MB at this clock rate), the TDP is only 25 Watt (instead of the 35 Watt of the T-models).

Due to the relatively high clock speed, modern games (in 2009) should not be limited by the CPU speed (in conjunction with a middle class graphics card). High end gamers should choose a higher clocked Dual Core instead (when using a high end GPU). Compared to the fastest Turion II Ultra M640, the P8600 should be still faster.

The P8600 uses a Penryn (Montevina Update) core that features 2 integer units, 1 floating point unit, 1 load unit, and 1 store unit in a 14-stages long pipeline. Due to the Wide Dynamic Execution Technology, the core is able to simultaneously execute up to four instructions.

The integrated Enhanced Speedstep is able to downclock the core dynamically as low as 1200 MHz to save power (in idle mode).

The Core 2 Duo P8600 can be used in a Socket P socket with 479 pins: Socket P / Micro Flip-Chip Pin Grid Array (Micro-FCPGA) requires 479-pin surface mount Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket (mPGA479M socket) or Micro Flip-Chip Ball Grid Array (Micro-FCBGA) for surface mount (479-ball)

Intel Core i5-430M

The Intel Core i5-430M is a fast middle class dual core CPU for laptops and clocks (due to the Turbo Mode) from 2.26 to 2.53 GHz. Each core is based on the Nehalem (Westmere) micro-architecture. Hyperthreading enables the Dual Core CPU to handle 4 threads at once (for a better usage of the pipeline). Compared to the faster Core i7-620M, the 430M only has 3 MB Level 3 Cache, missing VT-d, Trusted Execution, and AES features and a lower clock speed.

A feature of the new Core i5-430M is the integrated graphics card (called Intel HD Graphics) and memory controller. Both are on a separate die that is still manufactured in 45nm whereas the CPU die is already manufactured in the new 32nm process.

Due to the integrated memory controller, the HyperThreading and Turbo Boost, the  Core i5-430M is faster than a similar clocked Core 2 Duo in all (us known) applications and benchmarks. In fact, the 430M even came close to a fast Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8 GHz) in some benchmarks (e.g. Cinebench 10 Multi Threaded). This means the 430M is a fast middle class - performance CPU and much faster than the top AMD model, the Turion II Ultra M660 (at the time of announcement).

The 32nm cpu cores of the Westmere generation can also process some new instructions to accelerate AES encryptions. Still, these functions are deactivated on the Core i5-430M leading to some performance drawbacks in modern applications that support AES encoding using the new instructions (e.g. the Communications Suite test in the PCMark Vantage boosts up to 70% using AES in the faster Core i5-520M).

The integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD (GMA HD) graphics card is between 500-766 MHz (Turbo Boost) and is clearly faster than the old GMA 4500MHD. A GeForce 9400M (ION) should still be a faster (especially as Nvidia and ATI cards have a better driver support than Intel up to now). The Turbo Boost can overclock the Intel HD Graphics up to 733 MHz when the cores are not fully used.

The power consumption of 35 Watt TDP (max.) counts for the whole package and therefore it is clearly better than the 35 Watt TDP of the Core 2 Duo T-series (CPU alone).