Pentium D Processor Information
Intel's Pentium D brand of processors was Intel's first major push into dual-core technology. Prior to this Intel had experimented with emulating two processor cores with "Hyper Threading" technology that was included in later models of the Pentium 4. While the processor is all but forgotten by today's computing standards, it serves as an important step in the evolution of dual-core technology.
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Pentium D Variants
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In its lifetime the Pentium D family had four distinct processors. The first was the "Smithfield", a 90nm (nanometer) processor released in May 2005. Seven months later, a second processor, code-named "Presler" was released. This processor had more L2 cache memory and the consumed of less power than the Smithfield, using only 95 watts to the Smithfield's 130 watts.
In addition to the mainstream processors, both the Smithfield and the Presler processors were released with "Extreme" edition chips. These chips both retailed for $999 and featured a substantially faster processor frequency than the standard chipsets. These chips were marketed to hardcore PC enthusiasts and PC gamers.
Intel NetBurst
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The Intel NetBurst Microarchitecture, in addition to being a mouthful to say, was the direct successor to the P6 microarchitecture that was heavily used in Pentium II, Pentium Pro and Pentium M processors. NetBurst was first used in the early 2000s, primarily in the Xeon and Celeron microprocessor families. Later on, the NetBurst technology was used in Pentium 4 processors and Pentium D processors.
Pentium D was the last Intel microprocessor line to use the NetBurst technology. By the time the Pentium D line ended in 2008, the NetBurst technology had been completely replaced by the Intel Core microarchitecture.
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Power Consumption
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The Pentium D family of processors were notorious for their high-power consumption rates. The Smithfield 90nm chip required 130 watts of power for the 830 and 840 series, while the 805 and the 820 chips only required 95 watts. While significantly lower than the higher frequency 830 and 840 chips, the 805 and 820 still consumed more power than Intel's Pentium 4 processors, which only required, on average, between 84 and 89-watts.
The Presler 65nm chips, with the exception of the Pentium D 940 SL94Q (B1), 950 SL94P (B1) and 960 SL9AP (C1), all were able to operate on 95 watts of electricity.
All three of the Pentium Extreme Edition processors, which were all based on Pentium D technology, ran on 130 watts of electricity. To compare, the line of processors that superseded the Pentium D, the Pentium Core 2 line of microprocessors, only require between 32 and 65 watts of power to run optimally.
DRM Controversy
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One week after the launch of the Smithfield processor chip, a report was published in an Australian computer publication that claimed that Intel had programmed DRM features into the Pentium D processor line. According to the report, the DRM could be used by Microsoft, Apple or any other OS developer for any variety of reasons.
The DRM did exist, but as it turned out it was longstanding technology that Intel had included with their technology since 2003, and the 875P Pentium 4 Motherboard chipset.
Retirement
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In 2006, Intel launched the immediate successor to the Pentium D, the Core 2. The Core 2 was faster, more resource-friendly and consumed much less power than the Pentium D. Once the Core 2 was on the market, the Pentium D was relegated to being used on bargain PCs and systems with older motherboards.
On Aug. 8, 2008, Intel shipped the final batch of Pentium D processors to retailers. This final shipment, consisting entirely of Presler processors, marked the end of both the Pentium D and the NetBurst microarchictecture that powered it.
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