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 First Pentium logo (1993) | |
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Launched | March 22, 1993; 32 years ago (1993-03-22) |
| Discontinued | 2023; 2 years ago (2023)[1] |
| Marketed by | Intel |
| Designed by | Intel |
| Common manufacturer |
|
| Performance | |
| Max.CPUclock rate | 60 MHz to 4.4 GHz |
| FSB speeds | 50 MHz to 800 MT/s |
| DMI speeds | 2 GT/s to 16 GT/s |
| Architecture and classification | |
| Technology node | 800 nm toIntel 7 |
| Microarchitecture | |
| Instruction set | IA-32,x86-64 |
| Instructions | x86 |
| Physical specifications | |
| Cores |
|
| Sockets | |
| Products, models, variants | |
| Brand names | |
| Variant | |
| History | |
| Predecessor | i486 |
| Successors | Core, Intel Processor |
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Pentium is a series ofx86 architecture-compatiblemicroprocessors produced byIntel from 1993 to 2023. Theoriginal Pentium was Intel's fifth generation processor, succeeding thei486; Pentium was Intel's flagship processor line for over a decade until the introduction of theIntel Core line in 2006. Pentium-branded processors released from 2009 onwards were considered entry-level products[2][3] positioned above the low-endAtom andCeleron series, but below the faster Core lineup and workstation/serverXeon series.
The later Pentiums, which have little more than their name in common with earlier Pentiums, were based on both the architecture used in Atom and that of Core processors. In the case of Atom architectures, Pentiums were the highest performance implementations of the architecture. Pentium processors with Core architectures prior to 2017 were distinguished from the faster, higher-end i-series processors by lowerclock rates and disabling some features, such ashyper-threading,virtualization and sometimes L3cache. In 2017, the Pentium brand was split up into two separate lines using the Pentium name: Pentium Silver, aiming for low-power devices using the Atom and Celeron architectures; and Pentium Gold, aiming for entry-level desktop and using existing architectures such asKaby Lake orCoffee Lake.
In September 2022, Intel announced that the Pentium and Celeron brands were to be replaced with the new "Intel Processor" branding for low-end processors in laptops from 2023 onwards.[1] This applied to desktops using Pentium processors as well, and was discontinued around the same time laptops stopped using Pentium processors in favor of "Intel Processor" processors in 2023.
During development, Intel generally identifies processors withcodenames, such asPrescott,Willamette,Coppermine,Katmai,Klamath, orDeschutes. These usually become widely known, even after the processors are given official names on launch.[4]
The original Pentium-branded CPUs were expected to be named 586 or i586, to follow the naming convention of prior generations (286,i386,i486). However, as the firm wanted to prevent their competitors from branding their processors with similar names (as AMD had done with theirAm486), Intel filed atrademark application on the name in the United States, but was denied because a series of numbers was considered to lacktrademark distinctiveness.[5] Instead, they would name their processors as "Pentium" rather than using numbers, whichAndrew Grove wanted to trademark that generation processor.[6]
Following Intel's prior series of8086,80186,80286,80386, and80486 microprocessors, the firm's first P5-based processor was released as theoriginal Intel Pentium on March 22, 1993. Marketing firmLexicon Branding was hired to coin a name for the new processor. The suffix-ium was chosen as it could connote a fundamental ingredient of a computer, like achemical element,[7] while the prefixpent- could refer to the fifth generation of x86.[5]
Due to its success, the Pentium brand would continue through several generations of high-end processors. In 2006, the name briefly disappeared from Intel'stechnology roadmaps,[8][9] only to re-emerge in 2007.[10]
In 1998, Intel introduced theCeleron[11] brand for low-priced processors. With the 2006 introduction of theIntel Core brand as the company's new flagship line of processors, the Pentium series was to be discontinued. However, due to a demand for mid-range dual-core processors, the Pentium brand was repurposed to be Intel's mid-range processor series, between the Celeron and Core series, continuing with thePentium Dual-Core line.[12][13][14]
In 2009, the "Dual-Core" suffix was dropped, and new x86 processors started carrying the plainPentium name again.
In 2014, Intel released thePentium 20th Anniversary Edition, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Pentium brand. These processors are unlocked and highly overclockable.
In 2017, Intel split the Pentium branding into two line-ups. Pentium Silver targets low-power devices and shares architecture with Atom and Celeron, while Pentium Gold targets entry-level desktops and uses existing architecture, such asKaby Lake andCoffee Lake.
In September 2022, Intel announced that the Pentium and Celeron brands were to be replaced with the new "Intel Processor" branding for low-end processors in laptops from 2023 onwards.[1] This applied to desktops using Pentium and Celeron processors as well, and both brands were discontinued in 2023 in favor of "Intel Processor" branded processors.
| Brand | Microarchitecture | Desktop | Laptop | Server |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentium Pentium OverDrive | P5 | P5 (0.8 μm) P54C (0.6 μm) P54CS (0.35 μm) | ||
| Pentium MMX Pentium OverDrive MMX | P55C (0.35 μm) Tillamook (0.25 μm) | |||
| Pentium Pro | P6 | P6 (0.5 μm) P6 (0.35 μm) | ||
| Pentium II Pentium II Xeon Pentium II OverDrive Mobile Pentium II | Klamath (0.35 μm) Deschutes (0.25 μm) | Tonga (0.25 μm) Dixon (0.25 μm) Dixon (0.18 μm) | Drake (0.25 μm) | |
| Pentium III Pentium III Xeon Mobile Pentium III Pentium III M | Katmai (0.25 μm) Coppermine (180 nm) Tualatin (130 nm) | Coppermine (180 nm) Tualatin(130 nm) | Tanner (0.25 μm) Cascades (180 nm) | |
| Pentium 4 Pentium 4 Extreme Edition | NetBurst | Willamette (180 nm) Northwood (130 nm) Gallatin (130 nm) Prescott-2M (90 nm) Prescott (90 nm) Cedar Mill (65 nm) | Northwood (130 nm) Prescott (90 nm) | Rebranded asXeon |
| Pentium D Pentium Extreme Edition | Smithfield (90 nm) Presler (65 nm) | |||
| Pentium M | P6 based | Banias (130 nm) Dothan (90 nm) | ||
| Pentium Dual-Core | Yonah (65 nm) | |||
| Core | Allendale (65 nm) Wolfdale-3M (45 nm) | Merom-2M (65 nm) | ||
| Pentium | Core | Wolfdale-3M (45 nm) | Penryn-3M (45 nm) | |
| Nehalem | Clarkdale (32 nm) | Arrandale (32 nm) | ||
| Sandy Bridge | Sandy Bridge (32 nm) | |||
| Ivy Bridge | Ivy Bridge (22 nm) | |||
| Haswell | Haswell (22 nm) | |||
| Broadwell | Broadwell (14 nm) | |||
| Skylake | Skylake (14 nm) | Braswell; Goldmont | ||
| Kaby Lake | Kaby Lake (14 nm) | Goldmont Plus (Gemini Lake) | ||
| Coffee Lake | Coffee Lake (14 nm) | |||
| Comet Lake | Comet Lake (14 nm) | |||
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The originalIntel P5 orPentium andPentium MMX processors were thesuperscalar follow-on to the80486 processor and were marketed from 1993 to 1999. Some versions of these were available asPentium OverDrive that would fit into olderCPU sockets.
| Core p | Process | Clock rates | L1cache | FSB | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P5 | 0.8 μm | 60–66 MHz | 16 KB | 60–66 MHz | Socket 4 | March 1993 |
| P54C | 0.6 μm | 75–120 MHz | 16 KB | 50–66 MHz | Socket 5 | October 1994 |
| P54CS | 0.35 μm | 133–200 MHz | 16 KB | 60–66 MHz | Socket 7 | June 1995 |
| P55C | 0.35 μm | 120–233 MHz | 32 KB | 60–66 MHz | Socket 7 | January 1997[15] |
| Tillamook | 0.25 μm | 166–300 MHz | 32 KB | 66 MHz | Socket 7 | August 1997 |
In parallel with the P5 microarchitecture, Intel developed theP6 microarchitecture and started marketing it as thePentium Pro for the high-end market in 1995. It introducedout-of-order execution and an integrated second-levelcache on dual-chip processor package.The second P6 generation replaced the original P5 with thePentium II and rebranded the high-end version asPentium II Xeon. It was followed by a third version named thePentium III andPentium III Xeon respectively. The Pentium II line added theMMX instructions that were also present in the Pentium MMX.
Versions of these processors for the laptop market were initially namedMobile Pentium II andMobile Pentium III, later versions were namedPentium III-M. Starting with the Pentium II, theCeleron brand was used for low-end versions of most Pentium processors with a reduced feature set such as a smaller cache or missing power management features.
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L2cache | FSB | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P6 | 0.5 μm | 150 MHz | 256 KB | 60–66 MHz | Socket 8 | November 1995 |
| P6 | 0.35 μm | 166–200 MHz | 256–1024 KB | 60–66 MHz | Socket 8 |
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L2cache | FSB | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath | 0.35 μm | 233–300 MHz | 512 KB | 66 MHz | Slot 1 | May 1997 |
| Deschutes | 0.25 μm | 266–450 MHz | 512 KB | 66–100 MHz | Slot 1 | January 1998 |
| Tonga | 0.25 μm | 233–300 MHz | 512 KB | 66 MHz | MMC-2 | April 1998 |
| Dixon | 0.25 μm | 266–366 MHz | 256 KB | 66 MHz | MMC-2 | January 1999 |
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L2cache | FSB | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katmai | 0.25 μm | 450–600 MHz | 512 KB | 100–133 MHz | Slot 1 | February 1999 |
| Coppermine | 0.18 μm | 400 MHz–1.13 GHz | 256 KB | 100–133 MHz | Slot 1,Socket 370,BGA2,μPGA2 | October 1999 |
| Tualatin | 0.13 μm | 700 MHz–1.4 GHz | 512 KB | 100–133 MHz | Socket 370, BGA2, μPGA2 | July 2001 |
In 2000, Intel introduced a new microarchitecture namedNetBurst, with a much longer pipeline enabling higher clock frequencies than the P6-based processors. Initially, these were namedPentium 4, and the high-end versions have since been named simplyXeon. As with Pentium III, there are bothMobile Pentium 4 andPentium 4 M processors for the laptop market, with Pentium 4 M denoting the more power-efficient versions. Enthusiast versions of the Pentium 4 with the highestclock rates were namedPentium 4 Extreme Edition.
ThePentium D was the firstmulti-core Pentium, integrating two Pentium 4 chips in one package and was available as the enthusiastPentium Extreme Edition.
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L2cache | FSB rates | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willamette | 180 nm | 1.3–2.0 GHz | 256 KB | 400 MT/s | Socket 423,Socket 478 | November 2000 |
| Northwood | 130 nm | 1.6–3.4 GHz | 512 KB | 400 MT/s–800 MT/s | Socket 478 | January 2002 |
| Gallatin | 130 nm | 3.2–3.46 GHz | 512 KB + 2 MB L3 | 800–1066 MT/s | Socket 478,LGA 775 | November 2003 |
| Prescott | 90 nm | 2.4–3.8 GHz | 1 MB | 533 MT/s–800 MT/s | Socket 478, LGA 775 | February 2004 |
| Prescott-2M | 90 nm | 2.8–3.8 GHz | 2 MB | 800–1066 MT/s | LGA 775 | February 2005 |
| Cedar Mill | 65 nm | 3.0–3.6 GHz | 2 MB | 800 MT/s | LGA 775 | January 2006 |
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L2cache | FSB rates | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithfield | 90 nm | 2.66–3.2 GHz | 2 MB | 533–800 MT/s | LGA 775 | May 2005 |
| Smithfield XE | 90 nm | 3.2 GHz | 2 MB | 800 MT/s | LGA 775 | May 2005 |
| Presler | 65 nm | 2.8–3.6 GHz | 4 MB | 800 MT/s | LGA 775 | January 2006 |
| Presler XE | 65 nm | 3.46–3.73 GHz | 4 MB | 1066 MT/s | LGA 775 | January 2006 |
In 2003, Intel introduced a new processor based on the P6 microarchitecture namedPentium M, which was much more power-efficient than the Mobile Pentium 4, Pentium 4 M, and Pentium III M. Dual-core versions of the Pentium M were developed under the code nameYonah and sold under the marketing namesCore Duo andPentium Dual-Core. Unlike Pentium D, it integrated both cores on one chip. From this point, theIntel Core brand name was used for the mainstream Intel processors, and the Pentium brand became a low-end version between Celeron and Core. All Pentium M based designs including Yonah are for the mobile market.
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L1cache | L2cache | FSB | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banias | 130 nm | 0.9–1.7 GHz | 64 KB | 1 MB | 400 Mhz (== MT/s) | Socket 479 | March 2003 |
| Dothan | 90 nm | 1.00–2.26 GHz | 64 KB | 2 MB | 400–533 Mhz (== MT/s) | FC-uBGA | June 2004 |
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L1cache | L2cache | FSB rates | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yonah | 65 nm | 1.6–1.86 GHz | 64 KB | 1 MB | 533 MT/s | Socket M | January 2007 |
ThePentium Dual-Core name continued to be used when the Yonah design was extended with 64-bit support, now named theCore microarchitecture. This eventually replaced all NetBurst-based processors across the four brands Celeron, Pentium, Core, and Xeon. Pentium Dual-Core processors based on the Core microarchitecture use theAllendale andWolfdale-3M designs for desktop processors andMerom-2M for mobile processors.
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L1cache | L2cache | FSB rates | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merom-2M | 65 nm | 1.46–2.16 GHz | 64 KB | 1 MB | 533–667 MT/s | Socket P | Q4 2007 |
| Allendale | 65 nm | 1.6–2.4 GHz | 64 KB | 1 MB | 800 MT/s | Socket 775 | June 2007 |
| Wolfdale-3M | 45 nm | 2.2–2.7 GHz | 64 KB | 2 MB | 800 MT/s | Socket 775 | August 2008 |
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L1cache | L2cache | FSB rates | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfdale-3M | 45 nm | 2.8–3.2 GHz | 64 KB | 2 MB | 1066 MT/s | Socket 775 | May 2009 |
| Penryn-3M | 45 nm | 2.0–2.3 GHz | 64 KB | 1 MB | 800 MT/s | Socket P | January 2009 |
| Penryn-3M ULV | 45 nm | 1.3–1.5 GHz | 64 KB | 2 MB | 800 MT/s | BGA 956 | September 2009 |
| Penryn-L ULV1 | 45 nm | 1.3–1.4 GHz | 64 KB | 2 MB | 800 MT/s | BGA 956 | May 2009 |
| Codename | Brand name | Model (list) | Cores | L2cache | Socket | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allendale | Pentium Dual-Core | E2xxx | 2 | 1 MB | LGA 775 | 65 W |
| Merom-2M | MobilePentium Dual-Core | T2xxx T3xxx | 2 | 1 MB | Socket P | 35 W |
| Wolfdale-3M | Pentium Dual-Core | E2xxx | 2 | 1 MB | LGA 775 | 65 W |
| E5xxx | 2 MB | |||||
| Pentium | E6xxx | |||||
| Penryn-3M | Mobile Pentium | T4xxx | 2 | 1 MB | Socket P | 35 W |
| SU4xxx | 2 MB | μFC-BGA 956 | 10 W | |||
| Penryn-L | SU2xxx | 1 | 5.5 W |
In 2009, Intel changed the naming system for Pentium processors, renaming the Wolfdale-3M based processors toPentium, without the Dual-Core name, and introduced new single- and dual-core processors based onPenryn under the Pentium name.
The Penryn core is the successor to the Merom core and Intel's 45 nm version of their mobile series of Pentium processors. The FSB frequency is increased from 667 MHz to 800 MHz, and the voltage is lowered. Intel released the first Penryn Core, the Pentium T4200, in December 2008. In June 2009, Intel released the first single-core processor to use the Pentium name, aConsumer Ultra-Low Voltage (CULV) Penryn core named Pentium SU2700.
In September 2009, Intel introduced the Pentium SU4000 series together with the Celeron SU2000 and Core 2 Duo SU7000 series, which are dual-core CULV processors based on Penryn-3M and using 800 MHz FSB. The Pentium SU4000 series has 2 MB L2 cache but is otherwise basically identical to the other two lines.
TheNehalem microarchitecture was introduced in late 2008 as a successor to the Core microarchitecture, and in early 2010, a newPentium G6950 processor based on theClarkdale design was introduced based on theWestmere refresh of Nehalem, which were followed by the mobile P6xxx based onArrandale a few months later.
| Core | Process | Clock rates | L2cache | L3cache | I/O bus | Socket | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkdale | 32 nm | 2.8 GHz | 512 KB | 3 MB | DMI | Socket 1156 | January 2010 |
| Arrandale | 32 nm | 1.2–1.86 GHz | 512 KB | 3 MB | DMI | Socket 988 BGA | Q2 2010 |
| Codename | Brand name | L3cache | Socket | TDP | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkdale | PentiumG6xxx | 3 MB | LGA 1156 | 73 W | IntegratedGPU |
| Arrandale | PentiumP6xxx | 3 MB | LGA 1156 | 35 W | IntegratedGPU |
| PentiumU5xxx | BGA | 18 W |
On January 7, 2010, Intel launched a new Pentium model using the Clarkdale chip in parallel with other desktop and mobile CPUs based on their new Westmere microarchitecture. The first model in this series is the Pentium G6950. The Clarkdale chip is also used in the Core i3-5xx and Core i5-6xx series and features a 32 nm process (as it is based on the Westmere microarchitecture), integrated memory controller and 45 nm graphics controller and a third-level cache. In the Pentium series, some features of Clarkdale are disabled, includingAES-NI,hyper-threading (versus Core i3), and the graphics controller in the Pentium runs at 533 MHz, while in the Core i3 i3-5xx series they run at 733 MHz, and Dual Video Decode that enables Blu-ray picture-in picture hardware acceleration, and support for Deep Color andxvYCC.[citation needed] The memory controller in the Pentium supports DDR3-1066 max, the same as the Core i3 i3-5xx series.[16] The L3 cache is also 1 MB less than in the Core i3-5xx series.
TheSandy Bridge microarchitecture was released in the Pentium line on May 22, 2011.
| Codename | Brand namea | L3cacheb | Socket | TDP | Featuresc,d |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Bridge | Pentium3xx | 3 MB | LGA 1155 | 15 W | hyper-threading,ECC |
| Pentium 9x7 | 2 MB | BGA1023 | 17 W | IntegratedGPU | |
| Pentium B9x0 | 2 MB | rPGA988B | 35 W | IntegratedGPU | |
| PentiumG6xxT[17] | 3 MB, 8-way set associative, 64 byte line size | LGA 1155 | 35 W | IntegratedGPUe | |
| PentiumG6xx[18] | 65 W | ||||
| PentiumG8xx[19][20] | 3 MB, 12-way set associative, 64 byte line size | ||||
| Sandy Bridge-EN | Pentium140x | 5 MB | LGA 1356 | 40–80 W | ECC,AVX,TXT,Intel VT-d,AES-NI |
Currently, there existIvy Bridge models G2010, G2020, G2120, G2030, and G2130. All are dual-core and have no hyper-threading or Turbo Boost.
| Codename | Brand name | L3cache | Socket | TDP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivy Bridge | G2010, G2020, G2030, G2120,[21] G2130 | 3 MB | LGA 1155 | 55 W | w/o hyper-threading |
Several Haswell-based Pentium processors were released in 2013, among them the G3258 "Anniversary Edition", first released in 2014 by Intel to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the line. As with prior-generation Pentium processors, Haswell and Haswell Refresh-based parts have two cores only, lack support for hyper-threading, and use the LGA1150 socket form factor.
Broadwell-based Pentiums[specify] were launched in Q1 2015 using a 14 nm process (e.g. the dual-core 1.9 GHz Intel Pentium 3805U with 2 MB cache). They used the FCBGA1168 socket.
Skylake-based Pentium processors support up to 64 GB RAM. Features likeTurbo Boost, IntelvPro,Hyper-Threading are not available. SupportsAES-NI andRDRAND.[22]
Integrated graphics are provided by Intel HD Graphics 510, utilizing a maximum of 1.7 GB of memory, for resolutions up to 4096×2304 @ 60 Hz usingDisplay Port supporting up to 3 displays.[23]
In Q1 2017 Intel released theKaby Lake-based Pentium G4560; it is the first Pentium-branded CPU since theNetBurst-based Pentium 4 to supporthyper-threading, a feature available in some "Core"-branded products. Features include a clock speed of 3.5 GHz with four threads, 3 MB ofL3 cache and Intel HD 610 integrated graphics.
All Coffee Lake Pentium processors supportHyper-threading,[24] and integratedIntel UHD Graphics.
All Comet Lake Pentium processors supportHyper-threading, and integratedIntel UHD 610 Graphics.
Due to its prominence, the term "Pentium-compatible" is often used to describe any x86 processor that supports theIA-32 instruction set and architecture. Even though they do not use the Pentium name, Intel also manufactures other processors based on the Pentium series for other markets. Most of these processors share the core design with one of the Pentium processor lines, usually differing in the amount ofCPU cache, power efficiency or other features. The notable exception is the Atom line, which is an independent design.
