Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 vs Intel Core i7-920

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Core 2 Quad Q6600 compared with Core i7-920

	IntelCore 2 Quad Q6600	IntelCore i7-920
Overview
Released
Released	January 2007	November 2008
Cores and clocks
Cores
Cores	4	4
Threads
Threads	4	8 (better)
Base clock
Base clock	2.4 GHz	2.66 GHz
Boost clock
Boost clock	–	2.93 GHz
L3 cache
L3 cache	–	8 MB
Cores
Cores	Kentsfield; four cores and four threads, without Hyper-Threading. Original B3 stepping is the numerical baseline; later G0 retains the model name and core/cache figures. Locked multiplier confirmed by bit-tech’s exact-model review.	Four cores with Hyper-Threading; eight simultaneous threads. PCStats confirms a locked CPU multiplier; base-clock overclocking is possible, so locked does not mean all overclocking is disabled.
Clocks
Clocks	Published operating frequency 2.40 GHz; 1066 MHz front-side bus. Intel’s 8 January 2007 release explicitly states immediate availability in PCs and the reseller channel. No unpublished boost frequency is supplied.	Intel's product brief gives up to 2.93 GHz single-core Turbo Boost. Intel's 17 November 2008 sale notice names the 920 and confirms immediate system and boxed retail availability.
Cache
Cache	Two 4 MB L2 caches, one per dual-core die; total 8 MB. Intel’s datasheet also lists four 32 KB L1 data caches. No L3 figure is supplied.	–
Graphics and AI
Built-in graphics
Built-in graphics	No	No
Graphics
Graphics	No integrated graphics, confirmed by the exact BX80562Q6600 retail listing; motherboard graphics are a separate component.	No processor graphics; a separate graphics solution is required. Intel's desktop comparison chart lists graphics as not applicable.
Platform
Socket
Socket	LGA775	LGA1366
Base power
Base power	105 W	130 W
Unlocked
Unlocked	No	No
Cooler in the box
Cooler in the box	Yes	–
Memory support
Memory support	Memory and I/O transactions pass through the front-side bus and chipset, as Intel’s datasheet states; memory types and capacity depend on the motherboard.	Three channels of DDR3-1066 in Intel's exact-model product brief. A later Intel comparison chart incorrectly lists two channels; the original product brief is used here.
PCIe
PCIe	–	Intel's product brief describes X58 chipset PCIe 2.0 graphics connectivity, including two ×16 links. These are chipset connections, not CPU-integrated PCIe lanes. CPU-to-chipset QuickPath Interconnect runs at 4.8 GT/s for the 920.
Process
Process	65 nm; Kentsfield; LGA775.	45 nm; Nehalem architecture.
Cooler
Cooler	Boxed BX80562Q6600 listing confirms heatsink and fan. Intel’s datasheet and PCN107463 distinguish original B3 105 W from later G0 95 W; the projected July 2007 conversion date is not treated as an independently verified sale day.	Requires an LGA1366/X58 platform; incompatible with LGA775 motherboards. Intel's retired specification page could not be read, so optional package temperature and separate maximum-power values are omitted.