Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
cooler and quieter PC operation by providing a wide range of processor speeds in response to
workload and thermal issues.
The Pentium Extreme Edition is a high-end version of the Pentium D, but with the following
differences:
• HT Technology is supported, enabling each core to simulate two processor cores for even
better performance with multithreaded applications.
• Enhanced Intel Speed Step Technology is not supported.
• It includes unlocked clock multipliers, enabling easy overclocking.
Table 3.16
compares the features of the various Pentium D and Pentium Extreme Edition processors.
Table 3.16. Pentium D and Pentium Extreme Edition Processors
Intel Core Processors
During production of the Pentium 4, Intel realized that the high power consumption of the NetBurst
architecture was becoming a serious problem. As the clock speeds increased, so did the power
consumption. At the heart of the problem was the 31-stage deep internal pipeline, which made the
processor fast but much less efficient. To continue evolving processors with faster versions featuring
multiple cores, a solution was needed to increase efficiency and reduce power consumption
dramatically. Fortunately, Intel had the perfect solution in its mobile processors, already regarded as
the most efficient PC processors in the world. Starting with the Pentium M, Intel's mobile processors
used a completely different internal architecture from its desktop processors such as the Pentium 4. In
fact, the Pentium M mobile processor was originally based on the Pentium III! To create a powerful
new desktop processor, Intel started with the highly efficient mobile processors and then added
several new features and technologies to increase performance. These new processors were designed
from the outset to be multicore chips, with two or more cores per physical chip. The result of this
development was the Core processor family, which was released on July 27, 2006 as the Core 2.
Intel Core 2 Family
The highly efficient Core microarchitecture design featured in the Core 2 processor family provides
40% better performance and is 40% more energy efficient than the previous generation Pentium D
processor. It is also interesting to note that the Core 2 Duo processor is Intel's third-generation dual-
core processor; the first generation was the Pentium D processor for desktop PCs, and the second
generation was the Core Duo processor for mobile PCs.
The naming of both the Core 2 processor and the Core microarchitecture is somewhat confusing
because the Core name was also used on the Core Solo and Core Duo processors, which were the
successors to the Pentium M in Intel's mobile processor family. What is strange is that the Core Solo
and Duo do
not
incorporate Intel's Core microarchitecture, and although they served as a
developmental starting point for the Core 2, the Core Solo and Duo are internally different and not in
the same family as the Core 2 processors. Because the Core Solo and Core Duo processors are
