Is the Intel Pentium name really dead? What happened to the Celeron low end processor brand? It seems that Intel is renewing the Pentium name to replace the Celeron processors and go after the low end user market.
A while back, we started to hear rumblings of a “new” Pentium processor. While the Pentium had always targeted the performance crowd, it appeared that Intel would be taking the name in a new direction, pushing it to the value sector where their Celeron brand typically resided. As the Celeron name does not have a strong following, replacing it with an aging (but still well known) brand like Pentium does make quite a lot of sense.
So what is the new Pentium processor?
The Pentium E2140 processor is shipping at two speeds, 1.6 GHz (E2140) and 1.8 GHz (E2160). Both processors are based on a dual-core architecture (Intel also ships them in the same blue box that the Core 2 Duo come in).
The Specs:
- Dual Core Processor at 1.6 GHz (E2140) or 1.8 GHz (E2160)
- "Conroe" Core Architecture
- 1 MB (Shared) L2 Cache (Full Speed)
- 800 MHz FSB
- Socket-775
- 1.35V Core Voltage
- Supports Intel 64-bit Technology
- Supports SSE/SSE2/SSE3/Execute Disable
- Supports Intel Speedstep / C1E
After all the numbers what is Intel really offering with the Pentium E2100 series? A stripped down Core 2 Duo processor. Intel has cut down on the L2 cache , to save on die space (less transistors), decreased the speed and the FSB. Other then that, the Pentium E2100-series is pretty much identical to the Core 2 Duo. Both of the processors are manufactured at 65nm, use Socket-775 interfaces, and support 64-bit processing.
All in all, benchmark testing shows that the Intel Pentium E2140 put up a surprisingly solid performance. The Pentium E2140 only runs about 10% slower in most cases than Intel’s cheapest Core 2 Duo processor, the E6300, which is impressive, considering the drop in speed L2 cache and FSB. At $95, which is around 40% cheaper then the cheapest Core 2 Duo models, it seems that Intel is finally moving their Core 2 Duo (Conroe) dual-core architecture down to the budget markets. If you are looking for a budget Intel based dual core system, then the Pentium E2100 series looks like a good choice. |
