Intel Core2 Duo E4600 vs Apple A9X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core2 Duo E4600 CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple A9X
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Apple A9X

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core2 Duo E4600 and the Apple A9X and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core2 Duo E4600 2 core processor released in Q4/2007 with the Apple A9X which has 2 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2015.
Intel Core2 Duo (29) Family Apple A series (22)
Intel Core 2 Duo E4000/E6000 (15) CPU group Apple A9/A9X (2)
1 Generation 9
Conroe (Core) Architecture A9
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor Apple A8X
-- Successor Apple A10X Fusion

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core2 Duo E4600 is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.40 GHz. The processor can compute 2 threads at the same time. The Apple A9X clocks with 2.26 GHz, has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.

Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Characteristic Apple A9X
2 Cores 2
2 Threads 2
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
2.40 GHz Frequency 2.26 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) --
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Characteristic Apple A9X
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

no iGPU GPU Apple A9X
GPU frequency 0.65 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation 6
Technology 16 nm
Max. displays 1
-- Compute units 48
-- Shader 384
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 4 GB
-- DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

no iGPU GPU Apple A9X
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 16 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core2 Duo E4600, while the Apple A9X supports a maximum of 4 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Characteristic Apple A9X
DDR3-1333, DDR2-1066 Memory LPDDR4-3200
16 GB Max. Memory 4 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
21.3 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC No
2.00 MB L2 Cache 3.00 MB
-- L3 Cache 4.00 MB
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Intel Core2 Duo E4600 has a TDP of 65 W. The TDP of the Apple A9X is 8 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Characteristic Apple A9X
65 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 8 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core2 Duo E4600 has 2.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 65 nm. The cache of Apple A9X is at 7.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 16 nm.

Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Characteristic Apple A9X
65 nm Technology 16 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3 ISA extensions --
LGA 775 Socket --
VT-x Virtualization None
No AES-NI No
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems iOS
Q4/2007 Release date Q3/2015
-- Release price --
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 (52%)
Apple A9X (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 (42%)
Apple A9X (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
2C 2T @ 2.40 GHz
337 (52%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
652 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
2C 2T @ 2.40 GHz
607 (51%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1198 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
2C 2T @ 2.40 GHz
829 (33%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
2501 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
2C 2T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
763 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
2C 2T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1251 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
Apple A9X @ 0.65 GHz
499 (100%)

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 8 Benchmark measures the performance of a SoC. AnTuTu benchmarks the CPU, GPU, Memory as well as the UX (User Experience) by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu can benchmark any ARM CPU that runs under Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly compareable if the benchmark has been performed under different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 8 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The evaluation consists of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the RAM and the performance of the internal graphics.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
2C 2T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
272103 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Intel Core2 Duo E4600
2C 2T @ 2.40 GHz
385 (100%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core2 Duo E4600 Apple A9X
Unknown Apple iPad Pro (1. Gen)

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