Question Upgrading, How do I compare my Intel Core 2 (2.8GHz) to other processors?

Jan 1, 2020
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So I currently have an older HP HDX18 Laptop from around 2008.
It has a Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Level 2 cache)


Its a great computer and still feels very fast but I am looking to upgrade it. I like the idea of having a portable PC or Mini PC. HP's NUC like seems line a good place to go.

I see some of the Intel Nuc mini pcs and prodesk computers that have Intel Core i5 3rd Gen., 1.8GHz.


If the Intel Core i5 3rd Gen., has 1.8GHz. does that mean my 2.8GHz - Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 would be faster?

Also looking at INTEL® CORE™ i5-5300U PROCESSOR (Processor Base Frequency 2.30 GHz) does this mean my Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz) is faster than this?

How do I shop with the intention of upgrading when it seems my processor seems on par with some of the newer ones out there? Is there some kind of chart or other info I could use to compare things to?

-yrmsi
 
Your processor is NOT on par with the newer ones out there.

Intel is currently on their 10th generation of Core-i CPUs, so a 3rd gen CPU isn't new.

Ok, you're shopping for a laptop?
What do you use this for? Just web browsing and such?

What country are you shopping in?
What's your budget?
 

4745454b

Titan
Moderator
A corvette has a speedo that goes to 200MPH and a F150 has one that goes to 140. Does the Corvette go faster? What if you were moving from one town to another with these vehicles? It would take longer in the F150 because the it only goes to 140?

You can't look at only one metric and know which is faster. Knowing the clock speed of two things won't tell you which is faster. Knowing the L2 or L3 cache amounts won't tell you which is faster. Knowing how many Cuda vs whatever AMD calls their cores won't tell you which is faster. You have to look at the CPU/GPU/whatever as a whole. That alone will tell you what you need to know.

You are looking at clock speed, but completely ignoring what Arch is used, bus type/frequency, number of cores, HT, etc. Those U CPUs are 2C/4T CPUs going from memory and that's more than your C2D supports. There have also been a number of Arch improvements from C2D to 5th gen Core series. The i5-5300U is faster than your CPU for sure. I'm not sure about the i5 3rd gen. I think it will be faster in most cases but there might be a couple where yours still wins. I would think any laptop in the last 2 or 3 years will be faster than what you have. Most laptops in the last 5+ years will be faster as well.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Also looking at INTEL® CORE™ i5-5300U PROCESSOR (Processor Base Frequency 2.30 GHz) does this mean my Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz) is faster than this?
No.
GHz is NOT the main determinant.

Consider this:
A 10 year old Civic, carrying 4 people, at 60mph.
vs
A 15 passenger van carrying 15 people at 55mph.

The Civic is "faster", right?

No. At the end of an hour, which has carried more people down the road?
Newer systems do more instructions per each clock cycle.
 
When it comes to comparing processors (especially ones I've never heard of before) I use both passmark and cpuworld and their comparison features to understand how the processors compare to each other. For example, your T9600 vs the 5-5300U on passmark and cpuworld gave me the following results:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-Core2-Duo-T9600-vs-Intel-i5-5300U/1012vs2459

Passmark tells me that even though the 5300u has a slower clock, it is actually faster in single thread performance. Not only that but it uses less power and adds hyperthreading so overall it is much faster.

The cpuworld link goes into more details on what makes the two processor different, especially in terms of features like removability, and integrated graphics.

Between these two, I can get a really good sense of how 2 cpus are different.
 

CoDrift

Honorable
Jun 11, 2018
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I just feel like giving you some comparison tips too:

Suppose you have a Core2Duo E4700 (2.6 GHz) and an i7 3720 (3rd Gen 2.6 GHz). Now BOTH have the same frequency (GHz), but lets compare the rest:

Threads (Cores, technically);
  1. The E4700 has 2 threads
  2. The i7 3720 has 8 threads
-- The i7 has 4 times the threads than the Core2Duo --

Dye size and Power consumption:
  1. The E4700 has 66nm dye and consumes 65 Watts of power
  2. The i7 3720 has 22nm dye and consumes 45 Watts of power
-- The i7 is more powerful and consumes about 30% less power --

Max RAM and RAM speed:
  1. E4700 supports upto 8GB DDR2 800Mhz RAM
  2. i7 3720 supports upto 32GB DDR3 1600Mhz RAM

-- 4 times more and twice as fast --

Features the Core i7 have that the Core2Duo doesn't:
  • SSE 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
  • Intel® Turbo Boost Technology ‡
  • Intel® vPro™ Platform Eligibility ‡
  • Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡
  • Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡
  • Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡
  • Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) ‡
  • Instruction Set Extensions
  • Intel® My WiFi Technology
  • 4G WiMAX Wireless Technology
  • Intel® Demand Based Switching
  • Intel® Fast Memory Access
  • Intel® Flex Memory Access
  • Intel® Identity Protection Technology ‡
Security features of the Core i7 that Core2Duo doesn't have:
  • Intel® AES New Instructions
  • Secure Key
  • Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡
  • Anti-Theft Technology
Conclusion: GHz aren't everything. A CPU can have less GHz and still perform better. A good is example is that an i7 2760QM (2.4 GHz) is way better than a Core2Duo E8600 (3.3 Ghz):
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core2-Duo-E8600-vs-Intel-Core-i7-2760QM/m124vsm949
 
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xravenxdota

Reputable
Aug 26, 2017
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The difference between the core2duo and I series intel cpu's are huge.No use comparing them.I got a core2duo which surprisingly runs borderlands 2..Depends on your budget you can either go the intel route with a 9100/9400f or the ryzen path.The latter can be found for way cheaper if you can get a 1st/2nd gen ryzen cpu's.The 2600 can be had for as little as 120 usd and it's a 6c/12t if you really want a intel then the 9400f are a great buy it's 6c no HT but for games it's the same as a R5 2600
 
Jan 2, 2020
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Wow, ok..jumping into this mess. In games laptops throttle alot if on batteries. Also in gaming cpu speed is everything as so little comes from threads. Now threads let you do more background information and yes a little boost to speed..a 4 core cpu in current year will smoke a 6 core cpu like 5820 which I have. Till you increase the clocks to the same speed. Look carefully at the benchmarks here and you will same same thing.
 

boju

Titan
Ambassador
Also in gaming cpu speed is everything as so little comes from threads. Now threads let you do more background information and yes a little boost to speed..a 4 core cpu in current year will smoke a 6 core cpu like 5820 which I have. Till you increase the clocks to the same speed. Look carefully at the benchmarks here and you will same same thing.

SMT/HT does a lot for games nowadays. Four cores are at the end of their days and 6 cores are also being challenged, won't be long and they too will go the way of the dodo. I would rather 6/12 as is with your 'still very capable' cpu over ever considering a modern straight four or six core processor. Cpu usage is just too high on these for any decent amount of frame rate regardless of clock speed.

 
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