Intel Core 2 Duo

Core 2 is an eighth-generation x86 architecture microprocessor produced by Intel and based on the Intel Core microarchitecture. Core 2 was to mark the retirement of Intel's Pentium brand name that had been used since 1993, Core 2 saw the reunion of Intel's notebook and desktop product lines, which had diverged with the Pentium M and Pentium 4 in 2003.

The first wave of Core 2 processors was officially released on July 27, 2006. Like the Intel Core brand that it supersedes, Intel currently offers the Core 2 series processor in Duo (two-core), Quad (four-core), and Extreme (two- or four-core with higher speed and unlocked multiplier) models. The base processors are code-named "Conroe" (for desktop use) and "Merom" (for portable use); their variants have code names such as "Kentsfield" (quad-core Conroe) and "Penryn" (45nm Merom). Although the "Woodcrest" server CPUs are also based on Core microarchitecture, they are marketed under the Xeon brand rather than Core 2.[1] As of December 2006, all Core 2 Duo processors are fabricated on 300mm wafers in Fab 12 in Arizona in the US and Fab 24-2 in County Kildare in Ireland.[citation needed] The 65nm manufacturing process was developed at Intel's Oregon D1D facility.[citation needed]

Unlike NetBurst-based processors, such as the Pentium 4 and Pentium D, Core 2 does not stress designs based on extremely high clock speeds but rather improvements in the processor's usage of both available clock cycles and power. This translates into more efficient decoding stages, execution units, caches, and buses, as well as many other factors. The CPU-family may also have more than one core on a single chip. The power consumption of these processors is much lower than the Pentium desktop line of products. With a TDP of only 65W, Core 2 features a significantly reduced power consumption compared to its predecessor desktop chip, the Pentium 4 Prescott with a TDP of 130W.[citation needed]

Intel Core 2 processors feature Intel 64, Virtualization Technology (except T5500 or lower end E4x00), Execute Disable Bit, and SSE3. Core 2 also introduced SSSE3, LaGrande Technology[citation needed], Enhanced SpeedStep Technology, and Active Management Technology (iAMT2).

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