The Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 and AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ are two similarly-priced processors, both worth considering if you are building a new system for yourself or upgrading an existing one. By examining the differences between these two processors, you can help to decide which one might be the best for your computer.
Specifications
The Intel Core 2 Duo E4500, first manufactured in 2007, has a clock speed of 2.20 GHz. It is equipped with 2 MB of cache memory and runs on a 800 MHz system bus. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ made its debut in 2006, and is clocked at 2.8 GHz. It has 2 MB of cache, and uses a 1000 MHz system bus. However, because the processors are designed using dissimilar architectures, it is not possible to make a direct comparison between the two by simply looking at the specifications.
Price
Both the E4500 and 5600+ must be purchased on the secondary market, using a source such as an auction website. Expect to spend approximately $80 for either processor if it is still sealed in the retail box. If you are willing to buy a used processor, however, you can save as much as 50 percent off of this price.
Compatibility
The E4500 and 5600+ cannot be used in the same type of motherboard due to the different types of CPU sockets that they utilize. The E4500 requires an LGA775 socket, while the 5600+ requires a motherboard that uses Socket AM2. Because of the incompatibility between these two processors, you will be limited by the motherboard that you are currently using if your goal is to upgrade your existing processor. Examine the instruction manual for your motherboard to confirm which type of CPU it supports.
Performance
In benchmark tests, the E4500 and 5600+ are very closely matched. However, in benchmarks where the two processors differ in performance, the AMD 5600+ nearly always comes out on top. The 5600+ provides a 13.4 percent performance increase in the game Left 4 Dead, a 31.7 percent increase using WinRAR file compression software, and an increase of as much as 23.5 percent in 3D Studio MAX. However, the E4500 is 7.1 percent faster in Adobe Photoshop, and 8.2 percent faster when encoding DivX video.
The Bottom Line
Although the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ surpasses the Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 in game performance and 3D rendering, the E4500 is faster in a few benchmarks that involve the creation of images and video. Because the prices are roughly equal, you should make your choice based on what you intend to use your computer for. If you have a particular favorite application, look for a benchmark test utilizing that application to compare these two processors to allow yourself to see which will perform best.
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