Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 - DigitalVersus

Archive: Processors 2008-09 >

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650


E-buyer	243.15
Shop BT	243.46
dabs.com	243.46
Misco UK	254.99


Compare prices


Socket	775
Number of cores	4
Clock rate	3 GHz
Cache	12 MB
Thermal Design Power	95 W
See all specifications

Technology	45 nm
Hide specifications

Régis Jehl
Test date: October 27, 2008

Quad-Core from Intel

Intel updated its Core 2 Quad line of processors by adding the Q9050 series in March 2008. This model, the Q650 (3 GHz) arrived in August 2008, complementing the Q9450 (2.66 GHz) and the Q9550 (2.83 GHz) which were available at launch.

Rather than boosting clock speeds from one series to the next, this line of processors has twice the cache of its predecessors in the Q9000 line, which were, at 6 MB, an improvement on the Q8000's 4 MB.

All three of the manufacturer's quad-core collections fit 775 sockets, and like the Q9000 series, these models are engineered at 45 nm, giving them a TDP of 95 W.

The Core 2 Quad processors in Intel's Q9x50 range are quad-core versions of the Core 2 Duo E8xxx line.

When using applications that aren't optimized to use the four cores available on the Q9x50, there is very little difference between the processor families, and the 3 GHz versions of each series (the Core 2 Duo E8400 and the Core 2 Quad 9650, respectively), achieved the same results in our tests.

Compare the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 with the AMD Phenom X4 9750 and other CPUs in our
Product Face-Off

If, however, the applications in question can make the most of the extra cores, the Q9650 sails ahead of its dual-core cousin.

Applying a filter in Photoshop CS3, for instance, takes 2 minutes 18 seconds using this processor, but almost twice as long--4 minutes 31 seconds--when the number of cores is halved.

Unfortunately, the weak spot of these powerful quad-core processors is the amount of energy they use.

While the Q9650 was idling, our test PC used 166 W, but 238 W while the CPU was working at 100%;

On a dual-core model like the E8400, these figures are 165 W and 217 W respectively.

Shows off its four cores: excellent for all sorts of demanding applications

Good in non-optimized applications too

High power consumption

All of Intel's Q9050 range are excellent processors for powerful applications like rendering 3D images and video editing. If you're not a regular user of such demanding software, a fast dual-core processor will likely serve your needs better.