Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
Drops into a supported LGA 775 board as it is; check the board's CPU list. How to check.
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500: 2-core, 3.16 GHz, Wolfdale, LGA 775, 1333 MT/s FSB, 6 MB (shared) L2, 65 W TDP.
Wolfdale is the 45 nm Core 2 Duo, and the E8500 sits near the top of that line: 3.16 GHz from a 9.5x multiplier, with 6 MB of shared L2 on a single die. A 65 W TDP and a Tcase of 72.4 °C make it easy to cool with a modest heatsink. SSE4.1, which some newer software expects, is there, along with VT-x and Enhanced SpeedStep. Two steppings shipped: C0 as SLAPK (CPUID 10676) and E0 as SLB9K (CPUID 1067A). The sSpec on the lid tells you which, and that matters when a board list names them separately. For an old build it is a fast dual core that asks little of the board.
| Family | Core 2 Duo |
|---|---|
| Codename | Wolfdale |
| Socket | LGA 775 |
| Cores / threads | 2 / 2 |
| Base clock | 3.16 GHz |
| Front-side bus | 1333 MT/s (333 MHz base clock) |
| Multiplier | 9.5x |
| L2 cache | 6 MB (shared) |
| TDP | 65 W |
| Process | 45 nm |
| Launch | Q1 2008 |
| Dual-socket capable | No |
| VT-x | Yes |
| SSE4.1 | Yes |
| Enhanced SpeedStep | Yes |
| Max case temperature | 72.4 °C |
| Voltage range (VID) | 0.85 V to 1.3625 V |
Steppings and microcode IDs
| Stepping | CPUID | sSpec |
|---|---|---|
| C0 | 10676 | SLAPK |
| E0 | 1067A | SLB9K |
A BIOS needs a microcode update matching the CPUID (and, for Xeons, the LGA 771 platform ID). See LGA 771 Xeon microcode and how to read your stepping.
Mod notes
Native LGA 775. The board needs a BIOS with 45 nm Wolfdale support, so check its CPU list for the E8500 by stepping, C0 or E0, and the version that adds each.