Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650
Drops into a supported LGA 775 board as it is; check the board's CPU list. How to check.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650: 4-core, 3.0 GHz, Yorkfield, LGA 775, 1333 MT/s FSB, 12 MB (2 x 6 MB) L2, 95 W TDP.
Highest clock of any Core 2 Quad here, Extreme parts aside: a 333 MHz bus clock times 9 gives 3.0 GHz. Four 45 nm Yorkfield cores share 12 MB of L2, 2 x 6 MB, inside a 95 W TDP, and it launched in Q3 2008. It came in one stepping only, E0, as sSpec SLB8W with CPUID 1067A, so there is a single microcode entry to look for. Tcase is 71.4 °C, the limit at the center of the heat spreader, not a core temperature. VT-x, SSE4.1 and Enhanced SpeedStep are all present. A higher clock on the same bus means a Xeon: the LGA 775 X3380, or an LGA 771 part through the adapter mod.
| Family | Core 2 Quad |
|---|---|
| Codename | Yorkfield |
| Socket | LGA 775 |
| Cores / threads | 4 / 4 |
| Base clock | 3 GHz |
| Front-side bus | 1333 MT/s (333 MHz base clock) |
| Multiplier | 9x |
| L2 cache | 12 MB (2 x 6 MB) |
| TDP | 95 W |
| Process | 45 nm |
| Launch | Q3 2008 |
| Dual-socket capable | No |
| VT-x | Yes |
| SSE4.1 | Yes |
| Enhanced SpeedStep | Yes |
| Max case temperature | 71.4 °C |
| Voltage range (VID) | 0.85 V to 1.3625 V |
Steppings and microcode IDs
| Stepping | CPUID | sSpec |
|---|---|---|
| E0 | 1067A | SLB8W |
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
No physical mod. Check the board maker's CPU list for the Q9650 and the BIOS version that brought it, and if that means flashing, store a copy of the current BIOS somewhere safe and run the update on a stable power source.