GLOSSARY-Core Processor

 
Core i3:
Core i5:
Core i7:
Core 2 Dual/Quad:
Dual Core:  

Core i3: 
The Core i3 was intended to be the new entry-level processor from Intel, following the retirement of the Core 2 brand. The first Core i3 processors were launched on January 7, 2010. The first Nehalem based Core i3 was Clarkdale-based, with an integrated GPU and two cores. The same processor will also be available as Core i5 and Pentium, with slightly different configurations. The Core i3-3xxM processors are based on Arrandale, the mobile version of the Clarkdale desktop processor. They will be similar to the Core i5-4xx series but running at lower clock speeds and without Turbo Boost. According to some sources, existing Core 2 processors based on Yorkfield, Wolfdale and Penryn may also get rebranded to Core i3. Clarkdale: Core i3-5xx & 4 MB; Arrandale: Core i3-3xxM, 3 MB.  
Codename Brand name L3 Cache Socket TDP I/O Bus
Clarkdale Core i3-5xx 4 MB LGA 1156 73 W Direct Media Interface,
Integrated GPU

 

Core i5: 
On September 8, 2009, Intel released the first Core i5 processor: The Core i5 750, which is a 2.66 GHz quad-core Lynnfield processor with Hyper-threading disabled. Lynnfield Core i5 processors have an 8 MB L3 cache, a DMI bus running at 2.5 GT/s, and support for dual-channel DDR3-800/1066/1333 memory. The same processors with different sets of features (Hyper-Threading and other clock frequencies) enabled are sold as Core i7-8xx and Xeon 3400-series processors, which should not be confused with high-end Core i7-9xx and Xeon 3500-series processors based on Bloomfield.  The Core i5-5xx mobile processors are named Arrandale and based on the 32 nm Westmere shrink of the Nehalem microarchitecture. Arrandale processors have integrated graphics capability but only two processor cores. They were released in January 2010, together with Core i7-6xx and Core i3-3xx processors based on the same chip. The L3 cache in Core i5-5xx processors is reduced to 3 MB, while the Core i7-6xx will use the full cache and the Core i3-3xx will have no support for Turbo Boost. Clarkdale, the desktop version of Arrandale, is sold as Core i5-6xx, along with related Core i3 and Pentium brands. It has Hyper-Threading enabled and the full 4 MB L3 cache.
Codename Brand name L3 Cache Socket TDP I/O Bus
Lynnfield Core i5-7xx
Core i5-7xxS
8 MB LGA 1156 95 W
82 W
Direct Media Interface
Clarkdale Core i5-6xx 4 MB   73–87 W Direct Media Interface,
Integrated GPU
Arrandale Core i5-5xxM'
Core i5-4xxM
Core i5-5xxUM
3 MB µPGA-989 35 W

18 W
 

 

Core i7:  
The initial Core i7 processors released were codenamed Bloomfield, branded as Core i7-9xx along with their Xeon 3500-series counterparts. As of 2009, they are Intel's high-end Desktop processors, sharing the Socket 1366 platform with the single and dual-processor server processors.  Lynnfield is the second processor sold under the Core i7 brand, while at the same time being sold as Core i5. Unlike Bloomfield, it does not have a QPI interface but directly connects to a southbridge using a 2.5 GT/s Direct Media Interface and to other devices using PCI Express links in its Socket 1156. Core i7 processors based on Lynnfield have Hyper-Threading, which is disabled in Lynnfield-based Core i5 processors.  Clarksfield is the mobile version of Lynnfield and available under the Core i7 Mobile brand, as part of the Calpella platform. It was released at the Intel Developer Forum on September 23, 2009.
Codename Brand name L3 Cache Socket TDP I/O Bus
Gulftown Core i7-980X 12 MB LGA 1366  130W QuickPath
Bloomfield Core i7-9xx Extreme Edition 8 MB      
  Core i7-9xx        
Lynnfield Core i7-8xx   LGA 1156 95 W Direct Media Interface
  Core i7-8xxS     82 W  
Clarksfield Core i7-9xxXM Extreme Edition   µPGA-989 55W  
  Core i7-8xxQM     45 W  
  Core i7-7xxQM 6 MB      
Arrandale Core i7-6xxM 4 MB   35 W Direct Media Interface,
Integrated GPU
  Core i7-6xxLM     25 W  
  Core i7-6xxUM     18 W  

 

Core 2 Dual/Quad: 
The Core 2 brand refers to a range of Intel's consumer 64-bit dual-core and 2x2 MCM quad-core CPUs with the x86-64 instruction set, based on the Intel Core microarchitecture, derived from the 32-bit dual-core Yonah laptop processor. The 2x2 MCM dual-die quad-core CPU had two separate dual-core dies (CPUs) - next to each other - in one quad-core MCM package. The Core 2 relegated the Pentium brand to a lower-end market, and reunified laptop and desktop CPU lines, which previously had been divided into the Pentium 4, D, and M brands. The Core microarchitecture returned to lower clock speeds and improved processors' usage of both available clock cycles and power compared with preceding NetBurst of the Pentium 4/D-branded CPUs. Core microarchitecture provides more efficient decoding stages, execution units, caches, and buses, reducing the power consumption of Core 2-branded CPUs, while increasing their processing capacity. The Core 2 brand was introduced in 2006 comprising the Solo (single-core), Duo (dual-core), Quad (quad-core), and Extreme (dual- or quad-core CPUs for enthusiasts) branches, during 2007.

The Core 2-branded CPUs include: "Conroe" and "Allendale" (dual-core for higher- and lower-end desktops), "Merom" (dual-core for laptops), "Kentsfield" (quad-core for desktops), and their variants named "Penryn" (dual-core for laptops), "Wolfdale" (dual-core for desktops) and "Yorkfield" (quad-core for desktops). (Note: For the server and workstation "Woodcrest", "Clovertown", and "Tigerton" CPUs see the Xeon brand.) The Core 2 branded processors featured the Virtualization Technology (except T52x0, T5300, T54x0, T5500 with stepping "B2", E2xx0, E4x00 and E8190 models), Execute Disable Bit, and SSE3. Their Core microarchitecture introduced also SSSE3, Trusted Execution Technology, Enhanced SpeedStep, and Active Management Technology (iAMT2). With a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of up to only 65 W, the Core 2 dual-core Conroe consumed only half the power of less capable, but also dual-core Pentium D-branded desktop chips with a TDP of up to 130 W (a high TDP requires additional cooling that can be noisy or expensive). Typical for CPUs, the Core 2 Duo E4000/E6000, Core 2 Quad Q6600, Core 2 Extreme dual-core X6800, and quad-core QX6700 and QX6800 CPUs were affected by minor bugs.  
Intel Core 2 processor family
Desktop Laptop
Codename Core Date released Codename Core Date released
Conroe
Allendale
Wolfdale
dual (65 nm)
dual (65 nm)
dual (45 nm)
Aug 2006
Jan 2007
Jan 2008
Merom
Penryn
dual (65 nm)
dual (45 nm)

Jul 2006
Jan 2008

Kentsfield
Yorkfield
quad (65 nm)
quad (45 nm)
Jan 2007
Mar 2008
Penryn quad (45 nm)

Aug 2008*

Conroe XE
Kentsfield XE
Yorkfield XE

dual (65 nm)
quad (65 nm)
quad (45 nm)
Jul 2006
Nov 2006
Nov 2007
Merom XE
Penryn XE
Penryn XE
dual (65 nm)
dual (45 nm)
quad (45 nm)

Jul 2007
Jan 2008
May 2008*

No desktop version available

Merom
Penryn
solo (65 nm)
solo (45 nm)

Sep 2007
May 2008*

 

Dual Core: 
The Pentium Dual-Core brand refers to lower-end x86-architecture microprocessors from Intel. They were based on either the 32-bit Yonah or 64-bit Allendale processors. In 2006, Intel announced a plan to return the Pentium brand from retirement to the market, as a moniker of low-cost Core architecture processors based on single-core Conroe-L, but with 1 MB cache. The numbers for those planned Pentiums were similar to the numbers of the latter Pentium Dual-Core CPUs, but with the first digit "1", instead of "2", suggesting their single-core functionality. Apparently, a single-core Conroe-L with 1 MB cache was not strong enough to distinguish the planned Pentiums from other planned Celerons, so it was substituted by dual-core CPUs, bringing the "Dual-Core" add-on to the "Pentium" moniker. The first processors using the brand appeared in notebook computers in early 2007. Those processors, named Pentium T2060, T2080, and T2130, had the 32-bit Pentium M-derived Yonah core, and closely resembled the Core Duo T2050 processor with the exception of having 1 MB L2 cache instead of 2 MB. All three of them had a 533 MHz FSB connecting CPU with memory. "Intel developed the Pentium Dual-Core at the request of laptop manufacturers". Subsequently, on June 3, 2007, Intel released the desktop Pentium Dual-Core branded processors known as the Pentium E2140 and E2160[6]. A E2180 model was released in 2007. These processors support the Intel64 extensions, being based on the newer, 64-bit Allendale core with Core microarchitecture. These closely resembled the Core 2 Duo E4300 processor with the exception of having 1 MB L2 cache instead of 2 MB. Both of them had an 800 MHz FSB. They targeted the budget market above the Intel Celeron (Conroe-L single-core series) processors featuring only 512 kB of L2 cache.
Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor family
Desktop Laptop
Codename Core Date released Codename Core Date released
Allendale dual (65nm) Jun 2007 Yonah
Merom
dual (65nm)
dual (65nm)
Jan 2007
Nov 2007