Intel Dual Core, Core 2 Due and Quad Core

Go to Home

This guide will answer the following questions:


    -What is a processor?
    -What is a core?
    -What is a multi-core processor?
    -Why do I need multiple cores?
    -Dual Core vs Core 2 Due
    -What is Dual Core?
    -What Core 2 Due?

 

What is a Processor?
The Processor or Central Processing Unit (CPU) component of your PC that carries out instructions given to it by your Operating System (Windows.) Think of the processor as a brain that receives instructions and messages and sends out instructions to other hardware.
What is a Core?
A standard processor has one core (single-core.) Single core processors only process one instruction at a time (although they do use pipelines internally, which allow several instructions to be processed together; however, they are still run one at a time.)
What is a Multi-Core Processor?
A multi-core processor is composed of two or more independent cores, each capable of processing individual instructions. A dual-core processor contains two cores, a quad-core processor contains four cores, and a hexa-core processor contains six cores.
Why do I Need Multiple Cores?
Multiple cores can be used to run two programs side by side and when an intensive program is running (AV Scan, Video conversion, CD ripping etc.) you can utilize another core to run your browser to check your email etc.
Multiple cores really shine when you’re using a program that can utilize more than one core (called Parallelization) to improve the program’s efficiency. Programs such as graphic software, games etc. can run multiple instructions at the same time and deliver faster, smoother results.
So if you use CPU-intensive software, multiple cores will likely provide a better experience when using your PC. If you use your PC to check emails and watch the occasional video, you really don’t need a multi-core processor.
How many cores do i3, i5, and i7's have?
    A Dual-core processor has two cores.
    A Quad-core processor has four cores.
    An i3 processor has 2 cores.
    An i5 processor has 2 or 4 cores (depending on the model you have.)
    An i7 processor has 2, 4 or 6 cores (depending on the model you have.)

Dual Core vs Core 2 Due
Dual core processors are those that contain 2 cores in a single silicon chip while Core 2 Duo is the name given by Intel to its second batch of dual core processors.
All processors that have 2 cores in them are collectively called as dual core processors regardless of which manufacturer it came from, while those that have 4 processors in a single chip are called quad core.

Initially, Intel called their dual core processors as Core Duo, a very obvious reference to two cores, while AMD called theirs the X2. Intel’s dual core processors were simply 2 Pentium 3 processors that were fabricated in a single chip. As they refined their product more, they decided to differentiate their second set of processors from the Core Duo and decided to call it Core 2 Duo.
Basically, the difference between dual core processors and the Core 2 Duo processors is just in the semantics as Core 2 Duo is simply a name given to a more recent family of dual core processors. If we translate this to the single core processors, we can say that Core Duo is Pentium 1 while Core 2 Duo is Pentium 2, while AMD has their own processors with different names; but all these are still single core processors. We can therefore say that Core 2 Duo is simply a subset of all the dual core processors that are out in the market today
Summary:
1. Dual core is the generic name given to processors that have 2 cores on the same chip
2. Core 2 Duo is the second line of dual core processors from Intel
3. Other dual core processors aside from Core 2 Duo are the Core Duo from Intel and the X2 series from AMD
4. All Core 2 Duo processors are dual core but not all dual core processors are Core 2 Duo

Dual-Core
The Pentium Dual-Core brand was used for mainstream x86(it means 32 bit architecture)-architecture microprocessors from Intel from 2006 to 2009 when it was renamed to Pentium. The processors are based on either the 32-bit Yonah or (with quite different microarchitectures) 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 but below Core and Core 2 microprocessors 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.

Produced                          From 2006 to 2009

Common manufacturer(s)  Intel

Max. CPU clock rate       1.3 GHz to 2.6 GHz

FSB speeds                     533 MHz to 800 MHz

Min. feature size               65 nm to 45 nm

Instruction set                   MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, x86-64

Microarchitecture             Core

Cores                               2

Predecessor                     Pentium M, Pentium D

Successor                        Pentium (2009)

Socket(s)                         LGA 775, Socket M,  Socket P

Core name(s)                   Yonah, Merom-2M, Allendale, Wolfdale-3M, Yonah

 Core 2 Due

Core 2 is a brand encompassing a range of Intel's consumer 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-core models comprise two dies, each containing two cores, packaged in a multi-chip module.[1] The introduction of Core 2 relegated the Pentium brand to the mid-range market, and reunified laptop and desktop CPU lines, which previously had been divided into the Pentium 4, Pentium D, and Pentium M brands.
The Core 2 brand was introduced on 27 July 2006,[2] comprising the Solo (single-core), Duo (dual-core), Quad (quad-core), and in 2007, the Extreme (dual- or quad-core CPUs for enthusiasts) subbrands.[3] Intel Core 2 processors with vPro technology (designed for businesses) include the dual-core and quad-core branches.[4]

Produced                         From 2006 to present
Common manufacturer(s) Intel
Max. CPU clock rate       1.06 GHz to 3.5 GHz
FSB speeds                     533 MHz to 1600 MHz
Min. feature size               65 nm to 45 nm
Instruction set                   x86, x86-64, (SSE4.1 is for 45 nm processors only)
Microarchitecture             Core
Cores                               1, 2, or 4 (2x2)
Socket(s)                  Socket T (LGA 775), Socket M (µPGA 478), Socket P (µPGA 478), Micro -FCBGA (µBGA 479),  Micro-FCBGA (µBGA 965)
Core name(s)                   Allendale, Conroe, Conroe-L, Merom-2M, Merom, Merom-L, Kentsfield,