The Pentium Dual-Core brand refers to mainstream x86-architecture microprocessors from Intel. They are based on either the 32-bit Yonah or (with quite different microarchitectures) 64-bit Merom or Allendale processors targeted at mobile or desktop computers respectively.
In 2006, Intel announced a plan to return the Pentium brand from retirement to the market, as a moniker of low-cost Core architecture processors based on single-core Conroe-L, but with 1 MB cache. The numbers for those planned Pentiums were similar to the numbers of the latter Pentium Dual-Core CPUs, but with the first digit "1", instead of "2", suggesting their single-core functionality. Apparently, a single-core Conroe-L with 1 MB cache was not strong enough to distinguish the planned Pentiums from other planned Celerons, so it was substituted by dual-core CPUs, bringing the "Dual-Core" add-on to the "Pentium" moniker.
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-derived Yonah core, and closely resembled the Core Duo T2050 processor with the exception of having 1 MB L2 cache instead of 2 MB. All three of them had a 533 MHz FSB connecting CPU with memory. "Intel developed the Pentium Dual-Core at the request of laptop manufacturers".
Subsequently, on June 3, 2007, Intel released the desktop Pentium Dual-Core branded processors known as the Pentium E2140 and E2160. A E2180 model was released later in September 2007. These processors support the Intel64 extensions, being based on the newer, 64-bit Allendale core with Core microarchitecture. These closely resembled the Core 2 Duo E4300 processor with the exception of having 1 MB L2 cache instead of 2 MB Both of them had an 800 MHz FSB. They targeted the budget market above the Intel Celeron (Conroe-L single-core series) processors featuring only 512 kB of L2 cache. The 45nm E5200 model was released by Intel on August 31, 2008, with a larger 2MB L2 cache over the 65nm E21xx series and the 2.5GHz clock speed. The E5200 model is also a highly overclockable processor, as the Taiwanese computer enthusiast "Coolaler" was able to overclock an enginnering sample of the E5200 to a high 4.0GHz clock speed.
Such a step marked a change in the Pentium brand, relegating it to the budget segment rather than its former position as the mainstream/premium brand. An article on Tom's Hardware claims that these CPUs are highly overclockable.
In 2006, Intel announced a plan to return the Pentium brand from retirement to the market, as a moniker of low-cost Core architecture processors based on single-core Conroe-L, but with 1 MB cache. The numbers for those planned Pentiums were similar to the numbers of the latter Pentium Dual-Core CPUs, but with the first digit "1", instead of "2", suggesting their single-core functionality. Apparently, a single-core Conroe-L with 1 MB cache was not strong enough to distinguish the planned Pentiums from other planned Celerons, so it was substituted by dual-core CPUs, bringing the "Dual-Core" add-on to the "Pentium" moniker.
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-derived Yonah core, and closely resembled the Core Duo T2050 processor with the exception of having 1 MB L2 cache instead of 2 MB. All three of them had a 533 MHz FSB connecting CPU with memory. "Intel developed the Pentium Dual-Core at the request of laptop manufacturers".
Subsequently, on June 3, 2007, Intel released the desktop Pentium Dual-Core branded processors known as the Pentium E2140 and E2160. A E2180 model was released later in September 2007. These processors support the Intel64 extensions, being based on the newer, 64-bit Allendale core with Core microarchitecture. These closely resembled the Core 2 Duo E4300 processor with the exception of having 1 MB L2 cache instead of 2 MB Both of them had an 800 MHz FSB. They targeted the budget market above the Intel Celeron (Conroe-L single-core series) processors featuring only 512 kB of L2 cache. The 45nm E5200 model was released by Intel on August 31, 2008, with a larger 2MB L2 cache over the 65nm E21xx series and the 2.5GHz clock speed. The E5200 model is also a highly overclockable processor, as the Taiwanese computer enthusiast "Coolaler" was able to overclock an enginnering sample of the E5200 to a high 4.0GHz clock speed.
Such a step marked a change in the Pentium brand, relegating it to the budget segment rather than its former position as the mainstream/premium brand. An article on Tom's Hardware claims that these CPUs are highly overclockable.