Intel Core i5-450M vs Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 vs Intel Core 2 Duo T6600
Intel Core i5-450M
► remove from comparisonThe 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.
A feature of the new Core i5-450M is the integrated graphics card called GMA HD 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.
The performance of the i5 450M is on average faster than a Core 2 Duo T9500 and due to the Turbo Boost, single threaded applications run even better. Therefore, the Core i5-520M is as fast as high clocked Core 2 Duo CPUs and should handle most gaming and multimedia tasks well.
The integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD (GMA HD) graphics card is known to be clocked up to 500-766 MHz and should be 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). According to rumors, the GMA core will also use the Turbo Mode regulate the clock speed.
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). Due to the Turbo Boost, the Core i5 more likely uses the TDP under load than the older Core 2 Duo CPUs. Without any load, the i5 uses noticable less power.
Intel Core 2 Duo P9600
► remove from comparisonThe Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 was a upper middle class dual core CPU for laptops, at the time of introduction. It is similar to the Core 2 Duo T9550 except for the lower TDP of 25 versus 35 Watt).
Due to the relatively high clock speed and 6MB Level 2 cache, the P9600 offers enough performance for demanding games (in 2009) and applications. The newer Core i3-330M should deliver a similar performance due to the hyperthreading support.
The P9600 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 to save power (in idle mode).
Intel Core 2 Duo T6600
► remove from comparisonThe Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 is an entry to mid-range dual core processor for laptops. It is based on the Penryn architecture, but features only 2 MB level 2 cache and a mediocre clock rate of 2.2 GHz. Compared to the similar T6670, the T6600 does not feature Virtualization features in hardware and is speced at a lower maximum temperature.
The performance should be suited for non demanding applications like office, internet, entry level video editing or image correction. CPU intense games may be limited by the power of the T6600.
Model | Intel Core i5-450M | Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 | Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series | Intel Core i5 | Intel Core 2 Duo | Intel Core 2 Duo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Codename | Arrandale | Penryn | Penryn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series: Core 2 Duo Penryn |
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Clock | 2400 - 2660 MHz | 2660 MHz | 2200 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FSB | 2500 | 1066 | 800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
L1 Cache | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
L2 Cache | 512 KB | 6 MB | 2 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
L3 Cache | 3 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TDP | 35 Watt | 25 Watt | 35 Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transistors | 382+177 Million | 410 Million | 410 Million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 nm | 45 nm, 1.05-1.212V | 45 nm, 1.00-1.25V | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Die Size | 81+114 mm2 | 107 mm2 | 107 mm2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
max. Temp. | 105 °C | 105 °C | 105 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Socket | PGA988 | PGA478 | PGA478 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Features | HD Graphics (500-766MHz), DDR3-800/1066 Memory Controller (max. 8 GB), Turbo Boost, Hyper-Threading, Virtualization VT-x, Intel 64, Idle States, Enhanced Speedstep, Execute Disable Bit, MMX, SSE (1, 2, 3, 3S, 4.1, 4.2) | Virtualization Technology (VT-x), Trusted Execution, Intel 64, Enhanced Speedstep, Execute Disable Bit | Intel 64, Enhanced Speedstep, Execute Disable Bit, SSE4.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architecture | x86 | x86 | x86 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announced | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manufacturer | ark.intel.com | ark.intel.com | ark.intel.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$348 U.S. |