This article is about the Core 2 Solo/Duo/Quad/Extreme line of Intel processors. For the overall Intel Core brand, including Core 2 and later Core i, see Intel Core. For the microarchitecture being used in the Core 2 line, see Intel Core (microarchitecture).
Intel Core 2 was a processor family encompassing a range of Intel's mainstream 64-bitx86-64 single-, dual-, and quad-core microprocessors based on the Core microarchitecture. The single- and dual-core models are single-die, whereas the quad-core models comprise two dies, each containing two cores, packaged in a multi-chip module.[2] The Core 2 range was the last flagship range of Intel desktop processors to use a front-side bus (FSB).
The introduction of Core 2 relegated the Pentium brand to the mid-range market, and reunified laptop and desktop CPU lines for marketing purposes under the same product name, which were formerly divided into the Pentium 4, Pentium D, and Core Solo/Duo brands.
The Core 2 processor line was introduced on July 27, 2006,[3] comprising the Duo (dual-core) and Extreme (dual- or quad-core CPUs for enthusiasts), and in 2007, the Quad (quad-core) and Solo (single-core) sub-brands.[4] Intel Core 2 processors with vPro technology (designed for businesses) include the dual-core and quad-core branches.[5]
Although Woodcrest processors are also based on the Core 2 architecture, they are available under the Xeon brand. From December 2006, all Core 2 processors were manufactured from 300-millimeter plates at Fab 12 factory in Arizona and at Fab 24-2 in County Kildare, Ireland.
Virtual machine or virtualization abilities
Core 2 and other LGA 775 processors can support virtualization if the virtual machine (VM) software supports those processors, e.g. if the processor supports VT-x.
Newer versions of VM software do not support processors older than Nehalem (Core 2 and older) because they lack support for VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also called Second Level Address Translation (SLAT).
The Core 2-branded CPUs include: Conroe/Allendale (dual-core for desktops), Merom (dual-core for laptops), Merom-L (single-core for laptops), Kentsfield (quad-core for desktops), and the updated variants named Wolfdale (dual-core for desktops), Penryn (dual-core for laptops), Penryn-QC (quad-core for laptops), and Yorkfield (quad-core for desktops).[lower-alpha 1]
With the release of the Core 2 processor, the abbreviation C2 has come into common use, with its variants C2S (the present Core 2 Solo) C2D (the present Core 2 Duo), and C2Q, C2E to refer to the Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme processors respectively. C2QX stands for the Extreme-Editions of the Quad (such as QX6700, QX6800, QX6850).
Successors
The successors to the Core 2 brand are a set of Nehalem-based processors called Core i3, i5, and i7. The Core i7 was officially launched on November 17, 2008, as a family of three quad-core processor high-end desktop models; further models started appearing throughout 2009. The last processor of the family to be released was the Core 2 Quad Q9500 in January 2010. The Core 2 processor line was removed from the official price lists in July 2011,[9][10] and the last processors were discontinued in June 2012.[1]
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Core_2, and is written by contributors.
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