Engineering:Pentium

Short description: Brand of discontinued microprocessors produced by Intel

Pentium

First Pentium logo (1993)
General Info
Launched	March 22, 1993 (1993-03-22)
Discontinued	2023
Marketed by	Intel
Designed by	Intel
Common manufacturer(s)	Intel
Performance
Max. CPU clock 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
Min. feature size	800 nm to Intel 7
Microarchitecture	P5 P6 NetBurst Core Nehalem Westmere Sandy Bridge Ivy Bridge Haswell Broadwell Skylake Willow Cove Golden Cove
Instruction set	IA-32, x86-64
Instructions	x86
Physical specifications
Cores	1-5
Socket(s)	Desktop Socket 4 Socket 5 Socket 7 Socket 8 Slot 1 Socket 370 Socket 423 Socket 478 LGA 775 LGA 1155 LGA 1150 LGA 1151 LGA 1200 LGA 1700 Mobile Socket 495 Socket 479 Socket M Socket P Socket G1 Socket G2
Products, models, variants
Brand name(s)	Pentium Pentium Pro Pentium II Pentium III Pentium 4 Pentium D Pentium M Pentium Silver Pentium Gold
Variant(s)	Celeron
History
Predecessor	i486
Successor	Core, Intel Processor

Pentium logos

1993–2003

2003–2006

2006–2009

2009–2013

2013-2015

2015–2020

2020–2023

Pentium is a discontinued series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel. The original Pentium was first released on March 22, 1993. The name "Pentium" is originally derived from the Greek word pente (πεντε), meaning "five", a reference to the prior numeric naming convention of Intel's 80x86 processors (8086–80486), with the Latin ending -ium since the processor would otherwise have been named 80586 using that convention.

Pentium was Intel's flagship processor line for over a decade until the introduction of the Intel Core line in 2006. Pentium-branded processors released from 2009 to 2023 were considered entry-level products that Intel rated as "two stars", meaning that they were above the low-end Atom and Celeron series, but below the faster Intel Core lineup and workstation/server Xeon series. These later Pentium processors have little more than their name in common with earlier Pentiums.

The later 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 lower clock rates and disabling some features, such as hyper-threading, virtualization and sometimes L3 cache.

In 2017, Intel split Pentium into two line-ups:

• Pentium Silver, aiming for low-power devices and shares architecture with Atom and Celeron.
• Pentium Gold, aiming for entry-level desktop and using existing architecture, such as Kaby Lake or Coffee Lake.

In September 2022, Intel announced that the Pentium and Celeron brands will be replaced with the new "Intel Processor" branding for low-end processors in desktops and laptops from 2023 onwards.

Overview

During development, Intel generally identifies processors with codenames, such as Prescott, Willamette, Coppermine, Katmai, Klamath, or Deschutes. These usually become widely known, even after the processors are given official names on launch.

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 their Am486), Intel filed a trademark application on the name in the United States, but was denied because a series of numbers was considered to lack trademark distinctiveness.

Following Intel's prior series of 8086, 80186, 80286, 80386, and 80486 microprocessors, the firm's first P5-based processor was released as the original Intel Pentium on March 22, 1993. Marketing firm Lexicon 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 a chemical element, while the prefix pent- could refer to the fifth generation of x86.

Due to its success, the Pentium brand would continue through several generations of high-end processors. In 2006, the name briefly disappeared from Intel's technology roadmaps, only to re-emerge in 2007.

In 1998, Intel introduced the Celeron brand for low-priced processors. With the 2006 introduction of the Intel 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 the Pentium Dual-Core line.

In 2009, the "Dual-Core" suffix was dropped, and new x86 processors started carrying the plain Pentium name again.

In 2014, Intel released the Pentium 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 as Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake.

In September 2022, Intel announced that the Pentium and Celeron brands will be replaced with the new "Intel Processor" branding for low-end processors in desktops and laptops from 2023 onwards.

Intel Pentium processor family

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 as Xeon
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)

Pentium-branded processors

The die of a Pentium processor

P5 microarchitecture based

The original Intel P5 or Pentium and Pentium MMX processors were the superscalar follow-on to the 80486 processor and were marketed from 1993 to 1999. Some versions of these were available as Pentium OverDrive that would fit into older CPU sockets.

Pentium

Core p	Process	Clock rates	L1 cache	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
Tillamook	0.25 μm	166–300 MHz	32 KB	66 MHz	Socket 7	August 1997

P6 microarchitecture based

A 100 MHz Pentium (ICOMP=815) processor manufactured in 1996

In parallel with the P5 microarchitecture, Intel developed the P6 microarchitecture and started marketing it as the Pentium Pro for the high-end market in 1995. It introduced out-of-order execution and an integrated second-level cache on dual-chip processor package. The second P6 generation replaced the original P5 with the Pentium II and rebranded the high-end version as Pentium II Xeon. It was followed by a third version named the Pentium III and Pentium III Xeon respectively. The Pentium II line added the MMX instructions that were also present in the Pentium MMX.

Versions of these processors for the laptop market were initially named Mobile Pentium II and Mobile Pentium III, later versions were named Pentium III-M. Starting with the Pentium II, the Celeron 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.

Pentium Pro

Core	Process	Clock rates	L2 cache	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

Pentium II

Core	Process	Clock rates	L2 cache	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

Pentium III

Core	Process	Clock rates	L2 cache	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

NetBurst microarchitecture based

In 2000, Intel introduced a new microarchitecture named NetBurst, with a much longer pipeline enabling higher clock frequencies than the P6-based processors. Initially, these were named Pentium 4, and the high-end versions have since been named simply Xeon. As with Pentium III, there are both Mobile Pentium 4 and Pentium 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 highest clock rates were named Pentium 4 Extreme Edition.

The Pentium D was the first multi-core Pentium, integrating two Pentium 4 chips in one package and was available as the enthusiast Pentium Extreme Edition.

Pentium 4

Core	Process	Clock rates	L2 cache	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

Pentium D

Core	Process	Clock rates	L2 cache	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

Pentium M microarchitecture based

In 2003, Intel introduced a new processor based on the P6 microarchitecture named Pentium 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 name Yonah and sold under the marketing names Core Duo and Pentium Dual-Core. Unlike Pentium D, it integrated both cores on one chip. From this point, the Intel 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.

Pentium M

Core	Process	Clock rates	L1 cache	L2 cache	FSB	Socket	Release date
Banias	130 nm	0.9–1.7 GHz	64 KB	1 MB	400 MT/s	Socket 479	March 2003
Dothan	90 nm	1.00–2.26 GHz	64 KB	2 MB	400–533 MT/s	FC-uBGA	June 2004

Pentium Dual-Core

Core	Process	Clock rates	L1 cache	L2 cache	FSB rates	Socket	Release date
Yonah	65 nm	1.6–1.86 GHz	64 KB	1 MB	533 MT/s	Socket M	January 2007

Core microarchitecture based

The Pentium Dual-Core name continued to be used when the Yonah design was extended with 64-bit support, now named the Core 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 the Allendale and Wolfdale-3M designs for desktop processors and Merom-2M for mobile processors.

Pentium Dual-Core

Pentium Dual Core logo

Core	Process	Clock rates	L1 cache	L2 cache	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

Pentium (2009)

Core	Process	Clock rates	L1 cache	L2 cache	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 ULV 1	45 nm	1.3–1.4 GHz	64 KB	2 MB	800 MT/s	BGA 956	May 2009

Codename	Brand name	Model (list)	Cores	L2 cache	Socket	TDP
Allendale	Pentium Dual-Core	E2xxx	2	1 MB	LGA 775	65 W
Merom-2M	Mobile Pentium 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 to Pentium, without the Dual-Core name, and introduced new single- and dual-core processors based on Penryn 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, a Consumer 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.

Nehalem microarchitecture based

The Nehalem microarchitecture was introduced in late 2008 as a successor to the Core microarchitecture, and in early 2010, a new Pentium G6950 processor based on the Clarkdale design was introduced based on the Westmere refresh of Nehalem, which were followed by the mobile P6xxx based on Arrandale a few months later.

Core	Process	Clock rates	L2 cache	L3 cache	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	L3 cache	Socket	TDP	Features
Clarkdale	Pentium G6xxx	3 MB	LGA 1156	73 W	Integrated GPU
Arrandale	Pentium P6xxx	3 MB	LGA 1156	35 W	Integrated GPU
	Pentium U5xxx		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, including AES-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 and xvYCC. The memory controller in the Pentium supports DDR3-1066 max, the same as the Core i3 i3-5xx series. The L3 cache is also 1 MB less than in the Core i3-5xx series.

Sandy Bridge microarchitecture based

The Sandy Bridge microarchitecture was released in the Pentium line on May 22, 2011.

• ^aAll models share the following details: 2 cores, 2 logical processors (4 on Pentium 3xx with hyper-threading), CPUID signature 206A7, family 6 (06h), model 42 (02Ah), stepping 7 (07h)
• ^bTranslation lookaside buffer (TLB) and cache 64-byte prefetching; data TLB0 2-MB or 4-MB pages, 4-way associative, 32 entries; data TLB 4-KB pages, 4-way set associative, 64 entries; instruction TLB 4-KB pages, 4-way set associative, 128 entries, L2 TLB 1-MB, 4-way set associative, 64-byte line size; shared 2nd-level TLB 4 KB pages, 4-way set associative, 512 entries.
• ^cAll models feature: on-chip floating-point unit, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST), Intel 64, XD bit (an NX bit implementation), Intel VT-x, Smart Cache.
• ^dAll models support: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2
• ^eHD Graphics (Sandy Bridge) contain 6 EUs and HD Graphics 2000, but does not support these technologies: Intel Quick Sync Video, InTru 3D, Clear Video HD, Wireless Display, 3D Video, or 3D graphics acceleration.

Codename	Brand namea	L3 cacheb	Socket	TDP	Featuresc,d
Sandy Bridge	Pentium 3xx	3 MB	LGA 1155	15 W	hyper-threading, ECC
	Pentium 9x7	2 MB	BGA1023	17 W	Integrated GPU
	Pentium B9x0	2 MB	rPGA988B	35 W	Integrated GPU
	Pentium G6xxT	3 MB, 8-way set associative, 64 byte line size	LGA 1155	35 W	Integrated GPUe
	Pentium G6xx			65 W
	Pentium G8xx	3 MB, 12-way set associative, 64 byte line size
Sandy Bridge-EN	Pentium 140x	5 MB	LGA 1356	40–80 W	ECC, AVX, TXT, Intel VT-d, AES-NI

Ivy Bridge microarchitecture based

Currently, there exist Ivy Bridge models G2010, G2020, G2120, G2030, and G2130. All are dual-core and have no hyper-threading or Turbo Boost.

Codename	Brand name	L3 cache	Socket	TDP	Notes
Ivy Bridge	G2010, G2020, G2030, G2120, G2130	3 MB	LGA 1155	55 W	w/o hyper-threading

Haswell microarchitecture based

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 microarchitecture based

Broadwell-based Pentiums 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 microarchitecture based

Skylake-based Pentium processors support up to 64 GB RAM. Features like Turbo Boost, Intel vPro, Hyper-Threading are not available. Supports AES-NI and RDRAND.

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 using Display Port supporting up to 3 displays.

Kaby Lake microarchitecture based

In Q1 2017 Intel released the Kaby Lake-based Pentium G4560; it is the first Pentium-branded CPU since the NetBurst-based Pentium 4 to support hyper-threading, a feature available in some "Core"-branded products. Features include a clock speed of 3.5 GHz with four threads, 3 MB of L3 cache and Intel HD 610 integrated graphics.

Coffee Lake microarchitecture based

All Coffee Lake Pentium processors support Hyper-threading, and integrated Intel UHD Graphics.

Comet Lake microarchitecture based

All Comet Lake Pentium processors support Hyper-threading, and integrated Intel UHD 610 Graphics.

Pentium-compatible Intel processors

Due to its prominence, the term "Pentium-compatible" is often used to describe any x86 processor that supports the IA-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 of CPU cache, power efficiency or other features. The notable exception is the Atom line, which is an independent design.

• Celeron, a low-end version
• Core, the mainstream version including Core 2, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9, now placed above Pentium
• Xeon, a high-end version used in servers and workstations
• A100 (discontinued), an ultra-mobile version of Pentium M, succeeded by Intel Atom
• EP80579, a system-on-a-chip based on Pentium M
• Xeon Phi, a high-end version used in servers and workstations
• Intel Quark, a now-discontinued, low-power reimplementation of the Pentium architecture for use as microcontroller and in other embedded applications

See also

• List of Intel Pentium processors
• Intel Inside
• Pentium FDIV bug, a well-publicized flaw in the original processor
• Performance Rating, informally termed Pentium Rating
• "It's All About the Pentiums", a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
• Athlon