Intel Core

This article is about the Intel processor brand name. For the Intel microarchitecture that is the basis for the Core 2 processor family, see Core (microarchitecture).

Intel Core is a brand name used for various mid-range to high-end consumer and business microprocessors.

In general, processors sold as Core are more powerful variants of the same processors marketed as entry-level Celeron and Pentium. Similarly, identical or more capable versions of Core processors are also sold as Xeon processors for the server market.

The current lineup of Core processors includes the latest Intel Core i7, Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i3, and the older Intel Core 2 Solo, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core 2 Quad and Intel Core 2 Extreme lines.

Overview

Intel Core processor family

Brand	Desktop				Laptop
	Code-named	Cores	Fab	Date released	Code-named	Cores	Fab	Date released
Core Solo	Desktop version not available				Yonah	1	65 nm	Jan 2006
Core Duo	Desktop version not available				Yonah	2	65 nm	Jan 2006
Core 2 Solo	Desktop version not available				Merom-L Penryn-3M	1 1	65 nm 45 nm	Sep 2007 May 2008
Core 2 Duo	Conroe Allendale Wolfdale	2 2 2	65 nm 65 nm 45 nm	Aug 2006 Jan 2007 Jan 2008	Merom Penryn	2 2	65 nm 45 nm	Jul 2006 Jan 2008
Core 2 Quad	Kentsfield Yorkfield	4 4	65 nm 45 nm	Jan 2007 Mar 2008	Penryn	4	45 nm	Aug 2008
Core 2 Extreme	Conroe XE Kentsfield XE Yorkfield XE	2 4 4	65 nm 65 nm 45 nm	Jul 2006 Nov 2006 Nov 2007	Merom XE Penryn XE Penryn XE	2 2 4	65 nm 45 nm 45 nm	Jul 2007 Jan 2008 Aug 2008
Core i3	Clarkdale	2	32 nm	Jan 2010	Arrandale	2	32 nm	Jan 2010
Core i5	Lynnfield Clarkdale	4 2	45 nm 32 nm	Sep 2009 Jan 2010	Arrandale	2	32 nm	Jan 2010
Core i7	Bloomfield Lynnfield Gulftown	4 4 6	45 nm 45 nm 32 nm	Nov 2008 Sep 2009 Jul 2010	Clarksfield Arrandale	4 2	45 nm 32 nm	Sep 2009 Jan 2010
Core i7 Extreme Edition	Bloomfield Gulftown	4 6	45 nm 32 nm	Nov 2008 March 2010	Clarksfield	4	45 nm	Sep 2009
List of Intel Core microprocessors List of Intel Core 2 microprocessors List of Intel Core i3 microprocessors List of Intel Core i5 microprocessors List of Intel Core i7 microprocessors List of future Intel microprocessors

Enhanced Pentium M based

Main article: Enhanced Pentium M (microarchitecture)

For details about the processor core, see Yonah (microprocessor).

The original Core brand refers to Intel's 32-bit mobile dual-core x86 CPUs that derived from the Pentium M branded processors. The processor family used a more enhanced version of the Intel P6 microarchitecture. It emerged in parallel with the NetBurst microarchitecture (Intel P68) of the Pentium 4 brand, and was a precursor of the 64-bit Core microarchitecture of Core 2 branded CPUs. The Core brand comprised two branches: the Duo (dual-core) and Solo (Duo with one disabled core, which replaced the Pentium M brand of single-core mobile processor).

The Core brand was launched on January 6, 2006 by the release of the 32-bit Yonah CPU – Intel's first dual-core mobile (low-power) processor. Its dual-core layout closely resembled two interconnected Pentium M branded CPUs packaged as a single die (piece) silicon chip (IC). Hence, the 32-bit microarchitecture of Core branded CPUs – contrary to its name – had more in common with Pentium M branded CPUs than with the subsequent 64-bit Core microarchitecture of Core 2 branded CPUs. Despite a major rebranding effort by Intel starting January 2006, some computers with the Yonah core continued to be marked as Pentium M.

The Core series is also known for being the first Intel processor to be used as the main CPU for an Apple Macintosh computer. The Core Duo was the CPU for the first generation Macbook Pro while the Core Solo appeared in Apple's Mac Mini line. Core Duo signified the beginning of Apple's shift to Intel processors across their entire line.

In 2007, Intel began branding the Yonah core CPUs intended for mainstream mobile computers as Pentium Dual-Core. These are not to be confused with the desktop 64-bit Core microarchitecture CPUs also branded as Pentium Dual-Core.

September 2007 and January 4, 2008 mark a discontinuation of many Core branded CPUs.

Core Duo

Intel Core Duo (product code 80539) consists of two cores on one die, a 2 MB L2 cache shared by both cores, and an arbiter bus that controls both L2 cache and FSB access. Upcoming steppings of Core Duo processors will also include the ability to disable one core to conserve power.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L2 Cache	Socket	TDP
Yonah	Core Duo T2xxx	2 MB	Socket M	31 W
	Core Duo L2xxx			15 W
	Core Duo U2xxx			9 W

Core Solo

Intel Core Solo (product code 80538) uses the same two-core die as the Core Duo, but features only one active core. This allows Intel to sell dies that have a manufacturing defect in one but not both of the cores. Depending on demand, Intel may also simply disable one of the cores to sell the chip at the Core Solo price—this requires less effort than launching and maintaining a separate line of CPUs that physically only have one core. Intel used the same strategy previously with the 486 CPU in which early 486SX CPUs were in fact manufactured as 486DX CPUs but with the FPU disabled.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L2 Cache	Socket	TDP
Yonah	Core Solo T1xxx	2 MB	Socket M	27–31 W
	Core Solo U1xxx			5.5–6 W

64-bit Core microarchitecture based

Main article: Intel Core 2

For details about the processor core, see Core (microarchitecture).

The successor to Core is the mobile version of the Intel Core 2 line of processors using cores based upon the Intel Core microarchitecture, released on July 27, 2006. The release of the mobile version of Intel Core 2 marks the reunification of Intel's desktop and mobile product lines as Core 2 processors were released for desktops and notebooks, unlike the first Intel Core CPUs that were targeted only for notebooks (although some small form factor and all-in-one desktops, like the iMac and the Mac Mini, also used Core processors).

Unlike the Intel Core, Intel Core 2 is a 64-bit processor, supporting Intel 64. Another difference between the original Core Duo and the new Core 2 Duo is an increase in the amount of Level 2 cache. The new Core 2 Duo has tripled the amount of on-board cache to 6 MB. Core 2 also introduced a quad-core performance variant to the single- and dual-core chips, branded Core 2 Quad, as well as an enthusiast variant, Core 2 Extreme. All three chips are manufactured at a 65 nm lithography, and in 2008, a 45 nm lithography and support Front Side Bus speeds ranging from 533 MHz to 1600 MHz. In addition, the 45 nm die shrink of the Core microarchitecture adds SSE4.1 support to all Core 2 microprocessors manufactured at a 45 nm lithography, therefore increasing the calculation rate of the processors.

Core 2 Solo

The Core 2 Solo, introduced in September 2007, is the successor to the Core Solo and is available only as an ultra-low-power mobile processor with 5.5 Watt thermal design power. The original U2xxx series "Merom-L" was using a special version of the Merom chip with CPUID number 10661 (model 22, stepping A1) that only had a single core and was also used in some Celeron processors. The later SU3xxx are part of Intel's CULV range of processors in a smaller µFC-BGA 956 package but contain the same Penryn chip as the dual-core variants, with one of the cores disabled during manufacturing.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L2 Cache	Socket	TDP
Merom-L	Mobile Core 2 Solo U2xxx	1 MB	FCBGA	5.5 W
Penryn-L	Mobile Core 2 Solo SU3xxx	3 MB	BGA956	5.5 W

Core 2 Duo

The majority of the desktop and mobile Core 2 processor variants are Core 2 Duo with two processor cores on a single Merom, Conroe, Allendale, Penryn or Wolfdale chip. These come in a wide range of performance and power consumption, starting with the relatively slow ultra-low-power Uxxxx (10 W) and low-power Lxxxx (17 W) versions, to the more performance oriented Pxxxx (25 W) and Txxxx (35 W) mobile versions and the Exxxx (65 W) desktop models. The mobile Core 2 Duo processors with an 'S' prefix in the name are produced in a smaller µFC-BGA 956 package which allows building more compact laptops.

Within each line, a higher number usually refers to a better performance, which depends largely on core and front-side bus clock frequency and amount of second level cache, which are model specific. Core 2 Duo processors typically use the full L2 cache of 2, 3, 4 or 6 MB available in the specific stepping of the chip, while versions with the amount of cache reduced during manufacturing are sold for the low-end consumer market as Celeron or Pentium Dual-Core processors. Like those processors, some low-end Core 2 Duo models disable features such as Intel Virtualization Technology. Details can be found at the list of Intel Core 2 microprocessors.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L2 Cache	Socket	TDP
Merom	Mobile Core 2 Solo U7xxx	2 MB	BGA479	10 W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo L7xxx	4 MB		17 W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo T5xxx	2 MB	Socket M Socket P BGA479	35 W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo T7xxx	2–4 MB
Conroe and Allendale	Core 2 Duo E4xxx	2 MB	LGA 775	65 W
	Core 2 Duo E6xxx	2–4 MB
Penryn	Mobile Core 2 Duo SU7xxx	3 MB	BGA956	10W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo SU9xxx
	Mobile Core 2 Duo SL9xxx	6 MB		17 W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo SP9xxx			25 W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo P7xxx	3 MB	Socket P FCBGA6	25 W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo P8xxx
	Mobile Core 2 Duo P9xxx	6 MB
	Mobile Core 2 Duo T6xxx	2 MB		35 W
	Mobile Core 2 Duo T8xxx	3 MB
	Mobile Core 2 Duo T9xxx	6 MB
	Mobile Core 2 Duo E8xxx	6 MB	Socket P	35-55 W
Wolfdale	Core 2 Duo E7xxx	3 MB	LGA 775	65 W
	Core 2 Duo E8xxx	6 MB

Core 2 Quad

Core 2 Quad processors are multi-chip modules consisting of two dies similar to those used in Core 2 Duo, forming a quad-core processor. While this allows twice the performance to a dual-core processors at the same clock frequency in ideal conditions, this is highly workload specific and requires applications to take advantage of the extra cores. Also, high-end Core 2 Duo processors often operate at higher clock frequencies, so the performance for single-thread workloads would be worse on a Core 2 Quad.

Initially, all Core 2 Quad models were versions of Core 2 Duo desktop processors, Kentsfield derived from Conroe and Yorkfield from Wolfdale, but later Penryn-QC was added as a high-end version of the mobile dual-core Penryn.

The Xeon 32xx and 33xx processors are mostly identical versions of the desktop Core 2 Quad processors and can be used interchangeably.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L2 Cache	Socket	TDP
Kentsfield	Core 2 Quad Q6xxx	2x4 MB	LGA 775	95–105 W
Yorkfield	Core 2 Quad Q7xxx	2x1 MB		95 W
	Core 2 Quad Q8xxx	2x2 MB		65–95 W
	Core 2 Quad Q9xxx	2x3-2x6 MB
Penryn-QC	Mobile Core 2 Quad Q9xxx	2x3-2x6 MB	Socket P	45 W

Core 2 Extreme

Core 2 Extreme processors are enthusiast versions of Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, usually with a higher clock frequency and an unlocked clock multiplier, which makes them especially attractive for overclocking. This is similar to earlier Pentium processors labeled as Extreme Edition. Core 2 Extreme processors were released at a much higher price than their regular version, often $999 or more.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L2 Cache	Socket	TDP
Merom	Mobile Core 2 Extreme X7xxx	4 MB	Socket P	44 W
Conroe	Core 2 Extreme X6xxx	4 MB	LGA 775	65 W
Kentsfield	Core 2 Extreme QX6xxx	2x4 MB	LGA 775	130 W
Penryn	Mobile Core 2 Extreme X9xxx	6 MB	Socket P	44 W
Penryn-QC	Mobile Core 2 Extreme QX9xxx	2x6 MB	Socket P	45 W
Yorkfield	Core 2 Extreme QX9xxx	2x6 MB	LGA 775	130–150 W

Nehalem microarchitecture based

Main article: Nehalem (microarchitecture)

With the Nehalem microarchitecture, Intel introduced a new naming scheme for its Core processors. There are three variants, Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7, but the names no longer correspond to specific technical features like the number of cores. Instead, the brand is now divided from low-level (i3), through mid-range (i5) to high-end performance (i7), which correspond to three to five stars in Intel's Intel Processor Rating as opposed to the entry-level Celeron (one star) and Pentium (two stars) processors. Common features of all Nehalem based processors include an integrated DDR3 memory controller as well as QuickPath Interconnect or PCI Express and Direct Media Interface on the processor replacing the aging quad-pumped Front Side Bus used in all earlier Core processors. Also, all these processors have 256 KB L2 cache per core, plus up to 12 MB shared level 3 cache. Because of the new I/O interconnect, chipsets and mainboards from previous generations can no longer be used with Nehalem based processors.

Core i3

The Core i3 was intended to be the new low end of the performance processor line 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 is also 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 are similar to the Core i5-4xx series but running at lower clock speeds and without Turbo Boost.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L3 Cache	Socket	TDP	I/O Bus
Clarkdale	Core i3-5xx	4 MB	LGA 1156	73 W	Direct Media Interface, Integrated GPU
Arrandale	Core i3-3xxM	3 MB	µPGA-989	35 W

Core i5

Main article: Intel Core i5

Core i5, like Core i7, is based on the Nehalem microarchitecture. The first Core i5 was introduced on September 8, 2009 and is a mainstream variant of the Core i7, initially only quad-core desktop processors based on Lynnfield, with dual-core mobile (Arrandale) and desktop processors (Clarkdale) following in 2010.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L3 Cache	Socket	TDP	I/O Bus
Lynnfield	Core i5-7xx	8 MB	LGA 1156	95 W	Direct Media Interface
	Core i5-7xxS			82 W
Clarkdale	Core i5-6xx	4 MB		73–87 W	Direct Media Interface, Integrated GPU
Arrandale	Core i5-5xxM	3 MB	µPGA-989	35 W
	Core i5-4xxM
	Core i5-5xxUM			18 W

Core i7

Main article: Intel Core i7

As of 2010, Core i7 is the high end of the Core brand, which was introduced with the Bloomfield Quad-core processor in late 2008. In 2009, new Core i7 models based on the Lynnfield desktop quad-core processor and the Clarksfield quad-core mobile were added, and models based on the Arrandale dual-core mobile processor have been announced. The first six-core processor in the Core lineup is the Gulftown, which was launched on March 16, 2010. Both the regular Core i7 and the Extreme Edition are advertised as five stars in the Intel Processor Rating.

Codename (main article)	Brand name (list)	L3 Cache	Socket	TDP	I/O Bus
Gulftown	Core i7-980X	12 MB	LGA 1366	130 W	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	55 W
	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

See also

• Centrino
• Pentium
• Xeon
• Celeron
• List of Intel Core microprocessors
• List of Intel Core 2 microprocessors
• List of Intel Core i3 microprocessors
• List of Intel Core i5 microprocessors
• List of Intel Core i7 microprocessors

External links

• Processor comparison table
• Intel Core technical specifications
• techPowerUp! CPU Database
• Tested against AMD's 64 X2 line and Intel's own Pentium M
• Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology papers