Intel Core

Intel Core

Intel's current brand of x86 CPUs. Starting in 2006, Core chips superseded the 13-year run of the Pentium; however, the Core name was assigned to three different architectures summarized below, starting with the most recent. See microarchitecture and Pentium.

Core i Series (i3, i5, i7)
The i7, the first model of the i series was launched in 2008, and the less-powerful i5 and i3 models were introduced in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The microarchitecture of the Core i series was code-named Nehalem, and the second generation of the line was code-named Sandy Bridge. For more details, see Core i7, Nehalem, Sandy Bridge, Core i3 and Core i5.

Core 2
Prior to the i series, the 64-bit Core 2 family, introduced in mid-2006, was a major departure from the previous Core Duo chips. Using the Penryn microarchitecture, Core 2 chips became available in single, dual and quad core models. See Core 2.

Core Duo
In early 2006, and based on the existing Pentium M (mobile) architecture, the dual core, 32-bit Core Duo was the first chip introduced with the Core brand. Used only in laptops, the Core Duo chips were superseded by the Core 2 family. See Core Duo.