Core 2 Duo E4700 vs Core 2 Duo E6600

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The Core 2 Duo E4700 and the Core 2 Duo E6600 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The Core 2 Duo E4700 has 2 cores and 2 threads, and the Core 2 Duo E6600 has 2 cores and 2 threads. Core counts are the same, so cache size and clock speed decide the difference. Boost clocks are 2.6 GHz and 2.4 GHz.

Platform, power and price

Both chips use the LGA775 socket, so they fit the same motherboards. You can swap one for the other without changing the board.

Rated power is 65 W for the first and 65 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

We do not have launch prices for both chips, so we cannot compare value.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the Core 2 Duo E4700 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core 2 Duo E6600 reaches the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core 2 Duo E4700 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Core 2 Duo E6600 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.