Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 vs AMD Phenom 9950

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 and the AMD Phenom 9950 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD Phenom 9950 has 4 cores and 4 threads. Core counts are the same, so cache size and clock speed decide the difference. Boost clocks are 2.4 GHz and 2.6 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 uses the LGA775 socket and the AMD Phenom 9950 uses AM2+, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 105 W for the first and 140 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 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom 9950 reaches the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the AMD Phenom 9950 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.