Pentium Dual-Core processor family is the latest Pentium-branded
family of budget dual-core desktop and mobile microprocessors. The
family was introduced in the first quarter of 2007 and currently (Feb
2010) includes 15 desktop and 15 mobile microprocessors. With the
exception of one recently released Nehalem Pentium processor, all
Pentium Dual-Cores are based on Core micro-architecture, and include
the following Core features:
- 32 KB instruction and 32 KB data cache per core;
- EM64T technology;
- SSE3 and supplemental SSE3 instructions;
- Wide Dynamic Execution - each core can execute up to 4 instructions
per clock;
- Advanced Digital Media Boost - ability to execute one 128-bit SSE
instruction each clock cycle.
- Execute disable bit - data memory segments can be marked as
non-executable, which prevents external programs to execute malicious
program code, that was loaded into system memory as data.
All desktop and mobile Pentiums have smaller size of level 2 cache,
and run at lower core and bus frequencies than Core 2 Duo
microprocessors released at the same time frame. Earlier desktop
CPUs, as well as all mobile Pentium Dual-Core processors don't
support Virtualization technology.
"Dual-Core" part was eventually dropped from the family name, and the
family is currently branded as "Pentium". Mobile Pentium dual-core
processors are currently branded as "Pentium Mobile".
| 
%20(top).jpg)