Palermo: The Centrino Rival
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The AMD Palermo Core was released on February 2005. It was fabricated at 90nm Silicon on Insulator (SOI) process. Early models are labeled as Oakville mobile Athlon64. The chips is clocked from 1.4-2GHz with 800MHz HyperTransport bus on a 754-pin Socket. It carries 64KB data & 64KB instruction L1 Cache and 128/256KB full-speed L2 Cache. This CPU features MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, AMD64, Cool’n'Quiet and the NX bit Enhanced Virus Protection. It has integrated 72-bit single channel and ECC capable DDR RAM controller.
The Multi-Core Era: Ending the Gigahertz War
The microprocessor reached the 1GHz-mark on 2000, 2GHz on 2001 and 3GHz on 2002. But the chip makers can no longer push the limit of CPU frequency because of physical barriers. In 2005, the multi-core processor era officially ended the Gigahertz War. The instead of pumping the CPU speed, the miniaturization technology allowed chip makers to pack more than 1 processing cores into a single physical processor. Operating Systems can now execute 2 threads simultaneously.
The New Core Wars
Because of this multi-core revolution, the Centrino brand drafted the dual-core CPU in its product line. The Napa platform entered the arena on 2006 which featured an Intel Core or Core 2 processor, Intel 945 chipset on 667MHz FSB and a 54-108MBps Wi-Fi draft-N adaptor.
AMD Turion 64 is previously known as Mobile Athlon 64. It is a 64-bit mobile processor for low-power consumption. The Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2 processors raced with Intel’s Pentium M, Core and Core 2 mobile processors.
The new Richmond core Turion 64 CPUs will mount on AMD’s S1 Socket. These processors have a 512/1024KB L2 cache, an 800MHz HyperTransport bus and a 64-bit single channel on-die memory controller. The PowerNow! battery saving feature emphasized its mobile role.
Intel Inside Apple
During the Apple-Intel Transition in 2006, the MacBook Family of laptops were redesigned to incorporate Intel Core and Core 2 Duo microprocessors. The main reason for this was IBM’s inability to deliver on Apple’s processor requirements. This transition covered all Macintosh product lines whether nettops, desktops or laptops. The notebook segment included the consumer-targeted MacBook, the high-end MacBook Pro and the slim-type MacBook Air.
Centrino 2: Judgment Day
The Centrino brand launched the Santa Rosa platform in 2007 which had a Core 2 Duo chip with SSE4.1, Intel 965 chipset and a Wi-Fi draft-N adaptor with better coverage. Montevina platform arrived on 2008 with a 2-3GHz Core 2 Duo CPU with SSE4.1, Intel 4 series chipset and an Intel WiMax/Wi-Fi N combination adaptor. The Montevina platform is also known as Centrino 2.
Core Yonah: Intel’s 1st Mobile Dual-Core CPU
Yonah is Intel’s first generation of 65nm process mobile CPUs from 2006. It packed 151 million transistors with 12 stage pipeline and run from 2.33-2.5GHz with a 533-667MHz FSB and 2MB L2 cache. It is based on the Banias/Dothan-core Pentium M microarchitecture. SIMD performance was improved through the addition of SSE3 instructions. The SSE and SSE2 implementations were also improved. But integer performance slightly decreased because of higher latency cache.
Core 2 Merom: Intel’s 2nd Mobile Dual-Core CPU
Intel Merom cores are sold as Pentium Dual-Core, Core 2 Solo, Core 2 Duo and Celeron. It operates from 1.6-2.6GHz with a 533-800MHz FSB and 2-4MB L2 cache. It was the first mobile processor based on the Intel Core microarchitecture. It replaces the Pentium M-based Yonah processor. Merom XE core behind the Core 2 Extreme Mobile processor. It was clocked at 2.6-2.8GHz and was used in top-end iMacs.
Penryn: Merom Derivative
Intel Penryn core are also sold as Pentium, Core 2 Solo, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Celeron. It is basically a shrunk Merom by 45nm process. From here evolved your first quad core laptop. It introduces new fabrication materials of a hafnium-based high-k dielectric. It is rated at 1.2-3.06GHz core frequency with a 800-1066MHz FSB and 3-6MB L2 cache. It was mainly designed for mobile applications
The Tiny Atom
The ultra-low voltage Intel Atom processor incarnated in 2008 from the 45nm CMOS process. This entry-level performance CPU is specifically designed to power the small and lightweight Netbooks or Nettops. These miniature laptops and desktops are intended for low performance computing and web-based applications. Netbooks typically weigh less than 1kg (2.2lbs.) and are commonly used for web browsing. While office-use Nettops are small desktop cases where full-sized monitors, keyboards and mouse are attached.
The 32-bit Atom CPU delivers core speeds of 800MHz-2GHz with a 400-667MHz FSB. It comes with in single or dual core versions processor. The capacity of a single core Atom is about half of the Celeron with the same speed but only has about 2.5W of TDP.
Centrino’s a-Calpella
The Centrino brand released the Calpella platform on 2009 with the new 45/32 nanometer Intel Core i5 or i7 microprocessor, Intel 5 series chipset with up to DDR3-1600 RAM support and Centrino Wi-Fi N + WiMax combo adapter.
Rise of Nehalem
Nehalem is the successor to the Core microarchitecture. The first processor with this architecture is the desktop Core i7 released on November 2008. The quad-core variant houses 731 million transistors. Initial Nehalem processors use the same 45nm process of Penryn. The CPU line is natively monolithic for quad- and octal-core processors, all processor cores fit on a single die.
Nehalem-based microprocessors utilize higher clock speeds and are more energy-efficient than Penryn microprocessors. Hyper-Threading is reintroduced along with an L3 Cache missing from most Core-based microprocessors. In the chip resides a 32KB L1 (instruction) and a 32KB L1 (data) cache per core, 256KB L2 cache per core and 4–8MB L3 cache shared by all cores.
The Intel QuickPath Interconnect manages point-to-point processor communication and replaced the aging Front Side Bus. The memory controller is integrated to support 2-3 channels of DDR3 SDRAM. The Integrated Graphics Processor (IGP) is located off-die but in the same CPU package. In mid-range models, the PCI Express and Direct Media Interface are integrated into the processor eliminating the northbridge.
Clarksfield Mobile: Core i5 & i7
Clarksfield is an Intel processor sold as Intel Core i7 mobile. It’s core speed is rated at 1.6-2GHz and up to 3.2GHz on Turbo. It has 4x 256KB L1 cache for each core and an 8MB L2 cache. Like the desktop Lynnfield processor, Clarksfield also uses the 45nm Nehalem quad-core dies. They both have integrated PCI Express and DMI links. Clarksfield CPUs were significantly faster than any other laptop processor on September 2009.
Arrandale Mobile: Core i3, i5 & i7
Arrandale is an Intel processor sold as mobile Intel Core i3, i5 and i7. It was released last January during CES 2010. Similar to the desktop Clarkdale processor, Arrandale also uses the 32nm Westmere dual-core dies. Both have integrated Graphics as well as PCI Express and DMI links. Westmere was derived from the Nehalem microarchitecture. Arrandale contains two dies: the actual 32 nm processor with the I/O bus and the 45 nm graphics controller with memory interface.
Arrandale succeeds the Penryn core that is used in many mobile Intel Core 2, Celeron and Pentium Dual-Core CPUs. Unlike Penryn, this new CPU already contains the major north bridge components. This includes: the memory controller, PCI Express (external graphics), integrated graphics and the DMI connector. This makes it possible to build more compact systems without using a separate northbridge or discrete graphics like the desktop Lynnfield.
Intel’s Core i3, i5 & i7 Branding
Intel introduced a new naming scheme for its Core processors based on the Nehalem microarchitecture. The names no longer correspond to specific technical features three variants. The brand is instead divided from the low-level Core i3, to the mid-range Core i5 and up to the high-end Core i7.
The Core i3
The Intel Core i3 brand is marketed at the new entry-level processor that will retire the Core 2 brand. The first batch of these CPUs were released last January 7, 2010. The first Nehalem based Core i3 was based on Clarkdale. It come with an integrated GPU and two cores. The same chip can configured differently and be labeled as Core i5 or Pentium.
Arrandale is the mobile version of the Clarkdale desktop processor. Derived from it is the Core i3-3xxM processor. This will be similar to the Core i5-4xx series except for the lower clock speeds and no Turbo Boost.
Core i5
The first Intel Core i5 was introduced on September 2009. It is positioned between the mid-level Core i3/Core 2 and the high-end Core i7/Xeon brands. Core i5 is a mainstream variant of Core i7. Core i5 notebooks are from the Lynnfield-based quad-core desktop processors. It could also be from the dual-core Arrandale (mobile) and Clarkdale (desktop) processors scheduled in 2010.
The Core i5 750 is a 2.66GHz quad-core Lynnfield-based CPU without Hyper-threading. This Core i5 processor boasts an 8MB L3 cache, a DMI bus running at 2.5GT/s. It natively supports 800/1,066/1,333MHz dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM.
The Core i5-5xx mobile CPUs named Arrandale are derived from the 32nm Westmere shrink of Nehalem. Arrandale chips only have two processor cores but integrated graphics is enabled. The L3 cache in Core i5-5xx processors is limited to only 3MB. These edition was released on January 2010.
Core i7
Intel Core i7 covers several 64-bit desktop and laptop processors families under Nehalem technology. It is the successor of the Intel Core 2 brand. The Core i7 label was first used on the earlier batch of Bloomfield processors introduced in 2008. The name was applied to some Lynnfield and all Clarksfield models in 2009. All Core i7 models were quad-core before 2010. The label was later applied to dual-core Arrandale models. The forthcoming Gulftown desktop Core i7-9×0x Extreme chip will have 6 Hyper-Threaded cores.
Clarksfield is the mobile version of Lynnfield. It will be placed under the Core i7 Mobile name of the Centrino 2 Calpella platform. It debuted at the Intel Developer Forum last September 2009.
Arrandale will be the second mobile Core i7 processor. It will be designated as Core i7-6xx and feature an integrated graphics processing unit with only 2 processor cores, half of Clarksfield.
CES 2010: The Minority Report
The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas presented the Intel Infoscape that was powered by an Intel Core i7 processor. A laptop displayed two 7-foot screens and showed 576 cubes. These cubes are streamed by 20,000 sources and 20 live video feeds. Spectators can tap a cube and an information box showing the content will appear. A participant exclaimed that the giant screens were extremely smooth and responsive in rendering the display. It was compared to the holographic interface in the futuristic movie Minority Report.
Multi-Core on your Lap
Our society is now thriving in the Information Age. With the help of these multi-core processor platforms, we will soon experience computing power that we can only dream of. The laptop with its modern mobile processor will take us into greater heights. We are living in exciting times.
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