AMD PHENOM 9550 vs Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 – CPU Details and Reading Test Results
All of the benchmark results are plotted in a chart/graph. Depending on the test, it will have the results as a Score, FPS (Frames per Second), MIPS, etc. Below each graph will be a table with a list of the CPUs, both stock and overclocked in the left column and a row for each CPU and overclocking configuration. The table provides the percentage the CPU is faster or slower to the CPU you’re comparing it to.
This chart has the results from the Final Fantasy XIV “Shadowbringers” benchmark run. Each CPU and configuration have their respective FPS scores given by the program. The Minimum and Average FPS results are provided in this instance. Each benchmark program will have their own results and type of results.
| Processor↓ | Phenom 9550 Stock (2.20 GHz) is: | Phenom 9550 OC (2.64 GHz) is: | C2Q Q6600 Stock (2.40 GHz) is: | C2Q Q6600 OC (3.00 GHz) is: |
| Phenom 9550 (Stock 2.20 GHz) compared to: | Par | Min: -15.38% Ave: -10.58% | Min: +10.00% Ave: +1.33% | Min: -26.66% Ave: -20.83% |
| Phenom 9550 (OC 2.64 GHz) compared to: | Min: +18.18% Ave: +11.83% | Par | Min: +30.00% Ave: +13.32% | Min: -13.33% Ave: -11.47% |
| C2Q Q6600 (Stock 2.40 GHz) compared to: | Min: -9.09% Ave: -1.31% | Min: -23.07% Ave: -11.75% | Par | Min: -33.33% Ave: -21.88% |
| C2Q Q6600 (OC 3.00 GHz) compared to: | Min: +36.36% Ave: +26.31% | Min: +15.38% Ave: +12.95% | Min: +50.00% Ave: +28.00% | Par |
In the table above, the left column titled “Processor↓” is the CPU you want to compare to the others. For instance, say you want to compare the stock Phenom 9550 to the stock Q6600. Look in the left column for row named “Phenom 9550 (Stock 2.20 GHz) compared to:”, then in the column to the right look for “C2Q Q6600 Stock (2.40 GHz) is:” and you will see that the Phenom is +10.00% faster in the minimum FPS and +1.33% faster in Average framerates than the stock Q6600.
Another example is If you want to compare the overclocked Ph9550 to the overclocked Q6600. In the left column look for the row marked “Phenom 9550 (OC 2.64 GHz) compared to:”. Then to the right look for the column marked: “C2Q Q6600 OC (3.00 GHz) is:”. So the overclocked Phenom 9550 compared to the overclocked C2Q is: -13.33% slower in minimum frame rates and -11.47% slower in average frame rates.
Hopefully the charts make sense and provides you with information you’re looking for. Having a + (plus) sign next to the number means faster and a – (minus) sign means slower. I marked as “Par” in the column whenever you are comparing a CPU to itself.
The Processors Used for Testing
Both CPU’s being compared are the entry level models from AMD’s and Intel’s first generation Quad Core processor family. The CPU’s are the final revisions/stepping’s for each model. The Phenom 9550 is the “B3” stepping that fixed a probably never seen in real life Cache TLB (Translation Look-aside Buffer) bug and also increased clock speeds. The Intel chip is the “G0” revision which helped increased clock speeds and fix some errata as well.
| Feature | AMD Phenom 9550 | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 |
| Level 1 Cache | 64 KB 2-Way Data + 64 KB 2-Way Instruction (Per Core) | 32 KB 8-Way Data + 32 KB 8-Way Instruction (Per Core) |
| Level 2 Cache | 512 KB 16-Way (Per Core) | 2 x 4096 KB 8-Way (Each 4096KB Block is Shared by 2 Cores) |
| Level 3 Cache | 2048 KB 32-Way (Shared by all Cores) | Not Available |
| Memory Controller | On-Die Dual Channel DDR 2 up to 1066 MHz | On-Northbridge up to Dual Channel (DDR, DDR 2, DDR 3) |
| Northbridge/FSB | Hyper Transport 3.0 1800 MHz (3.6 GT/s) | Front Side Bus @ 266 MHz (Quad Pumped to 1066 MHz) |
| Cores/Threads | 4 Cores (4 Threads) | 4 Cores (4 Threads) |
| Process Node | 65 nm | 65 nm |
| Transistor Count | 450 Million | 291 Million x 2 |
| Die Size | 285 mm² | 143 mm² x 2 |
| Socket | AM2+ (940 Pins; PGA (Pin Grid Array)) | T/775 (775 Pins) LGA (Land Grid Array; Pins on Motherboard) |
| Feature Flags | 3DNow!, 3DNow!+, MMX, MMX+, SSE, SSE 2, SSE 3, SSE 4a, AMD64, NX (No Execute) | MMX, SSE, SSE 2, SSE 3, SSSE 3, AMD64, NX (No Execute) |
| Prices | Released at: $195 Settled at: $175 | Released at: $851 Settled at: $266 |
The clock speeds for AMD’s first Phenoms release were a disappointment. They had samples floating around running at 2.6 GHz which appears to be their target frequency for release. Instead, the highest clock speed on release was the “B2” revision based Phenom 9600 @ 2.3 GHz. They were about 14% shy of the Intel Core 2 Quad QX6700 clock speeds of 2.67 GHz and 100 MHz lower than the entry-model Q6600. The typical overclock of the original “B2” Phenom processors were lower as well. When the “B3” stepping was released 2.6 GHz was probably a pretty good typical overclock.
The Core 2’s were quite a bit better however. Even before the “G0” stepping (which happened to be “B3”) it was possible to get 3.0 GHz with at least a voltage bump. But when “G0” was released nearly all were likely able to hit 3.0 GHz. In fact, many people with non-overclockable motherboards would simply do a BSEL pin mod trick to have the board run with the 333 MHz (1333 MHz Quad Pumped) bootstrap which gives a full 25% overclock and without any voltage increase. It truly made the Q6600 very popular even though they always cost more than the Phenom 9550.
The Processor Clock Speeds Tested
| Processor | % of Stock Phenom 9550 Clock Speed |
| Phenom 9550 (Stock 2.2 GHz) | Par |
| Phenom 9550 (OC 2.64 GHz) | +20.00% |
| C2Q Q6600 (Stock 2.4 GHz) | +09.09% |
| C2Q Q6600 (OC 3.0 GHz) | +36.35% |
I decided to test each CPU at two different clock speed configurations.* I ran the CPU’s at their stock configurations and also ran tests at their typical or common overclocked speeds. For the Phenom, stock was 2200 MHz and overclocked was 2640 MHz. I also ran the the Northbridge, which controls both the Level 3 Cache and Memory Controller clock speed at 2160 MHz which was a common overclock. I ran the DDR 2 memory at 800 MHz 5-5-5 when stock and overclocked.
The Intel CPU was tested at stock 2400 MHz and the popular overclock of 3000 MHz. I ran the FSB and Memory in sync. At stock the FSB was 1066 MHz (266 MHz actual) and ram at 266 MHz (533 MHz DDR). When overclocked, the FSB was 1333 MHz (333 MHz actual) and ram 333 MHz (667 MHz DDR). Running the memory in sync with the memory controller was usually best for performance since it would have the lowest latency and the Core architecture did not need a lot of bandwidth, at least compared to the Pentium 4 “Netburst” architecture. I may test different ram settings in the future.
*Note: After I already completed the original tests I decided to go ahead and test the Q6600 at the same 2.2 GHz clock speed as the stock Ph9550 for some extra info. Unfortunately the Windows installation used for the main tests crashed. I used a different SSD and some of the bench software I couldn’t get to work properly. So there are some tests that won’t be available.