The Pentium Dual-Core brand was used for mainstream

x86 x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel, based on the 8086 microprocessor and its 8-bit-external-bus variant, the 8088. Th ...

-architecture

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

s from

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

from 2006 to 2009, when it was renamed to

Pentium Pentium is a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel from 1993 to 2023. The Pentium (original), original Pentium was Intel's fifth generation processor, succeeding the i486; Pentium was Intel's flagship proce ...

. The processors are based on either the 32-bit '' Yonah'' or (with quite different

microarchitecture In electronics, computer science and computer engineering, microarchitecture, also called computer organization and sometimes abbreviated as μarch or uarch, is the way a given instruction set architecture (ISA) is implemented in a particular ...

s) 64-bit '' Merom-2M'', '' Allendale'', and '' Wolfdale-3M'' core, targeted at mobile or desktop computers. In terms of features, price, and performance at a given clock frequency, Pentium Dual-Core processors were positioned above

Celeron Celeron is a series of IA-32 and x86-64 computer microprocessor, microprocessors targeted at low-cost Personal computer, personal computers, manufactured by Intel from 1998 until 2023. The first Celeron-branded CPU was introduced on April 15, ...

but below

Core Core or cores may refer to: Science and technology * Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages * Core (laboratory), a highly specialized shared research resource * Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding * Core (optical fiber ...

and

Core 2 Intel Core 2 is a processor family encompassing a range of Intel's mainstream 64-bit x86-64 single-, dual-, and quad-core microprocessors based on the Core microarchitecture. The single- and dual-core models are single- die, whereas the quad-c ...

processors in Intel's product range. The Pentium Dual-Core was also a very popular choice for overclocking, as it can deliver high performance (when overclocked) at a low price. Pentium E2220 with Intel i945GC Chipset

Processor cores

In 2006,

announced a plan to return the

trademark from retirement to the market, as a moniker of low-cost Core microarchitecture processors based on the single-core Conroe-L but with 1 MB of

cache Cache, caching, or caché may refer to: Science and technology * Cache (computing), a technique used in computer storage for easier data access * Cache (biology) or hoarding, a food storing behavior of animals * Cache (archaeology), artifacts p ...

. The identification numbers for those planned

s were similar to the numbers of the latter Pentium Dual-Core

s, but with the first digit "1" instead of "2", suggesting their single-core function. A single-core Conroe-L with 1 MB cache was deemed as not strong enough to distinguish the planned Pentiums from the Celerons, so it was replaced by

dual-core A multi-core processor (MCP) is a microprocessor on a single integrated circuit (IC) with two or more separate central processing units (CPUs), called ''cores'' to emphasize their multiplicity (for example, ''dual-core'' or ''quad-core''). Ea ...

central processing unit A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor, or just processor, is the primary Processor (computing), processor in a given computer. Its electronic circuitry executes Instruction (computing), instructions ...

s (CPU), adding "Dual-Core" to the line's name. Throughout 2009, Intel changed the name from Pentium Dual-Core to Pentium in its publications. Some processors were sold under both names, but the newer E5400 through E6800 desktop and SU4100/T4x00 mobile processors were not officially part of the Pentium Dual-Core line.

Yonah

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 The Pentium M is a family of mobile 32-bit single-core x86 microprocessors (with the modified Intel P6 (microarchitecture), P6 microarchitecture) introduced in March 2003 and forming a part of the Intel Centrino#Carmel platform (2003), Carmel no ...

-derived Yonah core, and closely resembled the

Duo T2050 processor with the exception of having 1 MB of

L2 cache A CPU cache is a hardware cache used by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to reduce the average cost (time or energy) to access data from the main memory. A cache is a smaller, faster memory, located closer to a processor core, which ...

instead of 2 MB. All three of them had a 533 MHz

front-side bus The front-side bus (FSB) is a computer communication interface ( bus) that was often used in Intel-chip-based computers during the 1990s and 2000s. The EV6 bus served the same function for competing AMD CPUs. Both typically carry data between th ...

(FSB) connecting the CPU with the double-data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory (DDR SDRAM). Intel developed the Pentium Dual-Core at the request of laptop manufacturers.

Allendale

Subsequently, on June 3, 2007, Intel released the desktop Pentium Dual-Core branded processors known as the Pentium E2140 and E2160. An E2180 model was released later in September 2007. These processors support the

Intel 64 x86-64 (also known as x64, x86_64, AMD64, and Intel 64) is a 64-bit extension of the x86 instruction set. It was announced in 1999 and first available in the AMD Opteron family in 2003. It introduces two new operating modes: 64-bit mode an ...

extensions, being based on the newer, 64-bit Allendale core with Core microarchitecture. These closely resembled the

Core 2 Duo Intel Core is a line of multi-core (with the exception of Core Solo and Core 2 Solo) central processing units (CPUs) for midrange, embedded, workstation, high-end and enthusiast computer markets marketed by Intel Corporation. These processors ...

E4300 processor, with the exception of having 1 MB of

instead of 2 MB. Both of them had an 800 MHz

(FSB). They targeted the budget market above the

( Conroe-L single-core series) processors featuring only 512 KB of L2 cache. Such a step marked a change in the

brand, relegating it to the budget segment rather than its former position as a mainstream or premium brand. These CPUs are highly

overclock In computing, overclocking is the practice of increasing the clock rate of a computer to exceed that certified by the manufacturer. Commonly, operating voltage is also increased to maintain a component's operational stability at accelerated sp ...

able.

Merom-2M

The mobile version of the Allendale processor, the Merom-2M, was also introduced in 2007, featuring 1MB of

but only 533 MT/s FSB with the T23xx processors. The bus clock was subsequently raised to 667 MT/s with the T3xxx Pentium processors made from the same dies.

Wolfdale-3M

The 45 nm E5200 model was released by

on August 31, 2008, with a larger 2MB L2 cache over the 65 nm E21xx series and the 2.5 GHz clock speed. The E5200 model is also a highly

able processor, with many reaching over 3.75 GHz clock speed using just the stock Intel cooler. Intel released the E6500K model using this core. The model features an unlocked multiplier, but was only sold in China.

Penryn-3M

The Penryn core is the successor to the Merom core and Intel's 45 nm version of their mobile series of Pentium Dual-Core processors. The FSB is increased from 667 MHz to 800 MHz and the voltage is lowered. Intel released the first Penryn-based Pentium Dual-Core, the T4200, in December 2008. Later, mobile Pentium T4000, SU2000, and SU4000 processors based on Penryn were marketed as Pentium.

Rebranding

The ''Pentium Dual-Core'' brand was discontinued in early 2010 and replaced by the ''Pentium'' name. The Desktop E6000 series and the OEM-only mobile Pentium SU2000, and all later models were always called Pentium, but the Desktop Pentium Dual-Core E2000 and E5000 series processors had to be rebranded.

Comparison to the Pentium D

Although using the ''Pentium'' name, the desktop Pentium Dual-Core is based on the Core microarchitecture, which can be seen when comparing the specification to the

Pentium D Pentium D is a range of desktop 64-bit x86-64 processors based on the NetBurst microarchitecture, which is the Multi-core processor, dual-core variant of the Pentium 4 manufactured by Intel. Each CPU comprised two cores. The brand's first process ...

, which is based on the

NetBurst The NetBurst microarchitecture, called P68 inside Intel, was the successor to the P6 microarchitecture in the x86 family of central processing units (CPUs) made by Intel. The first CPU to use this architecture was the Willamette-core Pentium ...

microarchitecture first introduced in the Pentium 4. Below the 2 or 4 MB of shared-L2-cache-enabled Core 2 Duo, the desktop Pentium Dual-Core has 1 or 2 MB of shared L2 Cache. In contrast, the Pentium D processors have either 2 or 4 MB of non-shared L2 cache. Additionally, the fastest-clocked Pentium D has a factory boundary of 3.73 GHz, while the fastest-clocked desktop Pentium Dual-Core reaches 3.2 GHz. A significant difference among these processors is that the desktop Pentium Dual-Core processors have a TDP of only 65 W while the Pentium D ranges between 95 and 130 W. The Pentium Dual-Core outperforms the Pentium D by a reasonably large margin despite the reduced clock speed and lower amounts of cache.

References

{{Intel processors, core Computer-related introductions in 2006 Intel x86 microprocessors