Intel Core 2

{{short description|Processor family}} {{about|the Core 2 Solo/Duo/Quad/Extreme line of Intel processors|the overall Intel Core brand, including Core 2 and later Core i|Intel Core|the microarchitecture being used in the Core 2 line|Intel Core (microarchitecture)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}} {{Infobox CPU | name = Core 2 | image = Intel Core2 Duo2009.svg | caption = Intel Core 2 Duo logo from 2009 to 2012 | produced-start = July 26, 2006 | produced-end = June 8, 2012<ref name="c2dc">{{cite web|url=http://qdms.intel.com/dm/i.aspx/985684EB-C0D5-4151-919D-12235462525B/PCN110665-00.pdf|title=Product Change Notification #110665-00|date=June 6, 2011|publisher=Intel Corp.|access-date=October 14, 2019}}</ref> | slowest = 1.06 | slow-unit = GHz | fastest = 3.5 | fast-unit = GHz | fsb-slowest = 533 | fsb-slow-unit = MT/s | fsb-fastest = 1.6 | fsb-fast-unit = GT/s | manuf1 = Intel | core1 = '''Desktop''': Allendale, Conroe, Kentsfield, Wolfdale, Yorkfield, | core2 = '''Mobile''': Merom, Penryn, Penryn QC | size-from = 65 nm | size-to = 45 nm | arch = x86-64 | microarch = '''Core''': Merom (65 nm) Penryn (45 nm) | sock1 = Socket T (LGA 775) | sock2 = Socket M (μPGA 478MT) | sock3 = Socket P (μPGA 478MN) | sock4 = Micro-FCBGA (μBGA 479) | sock5 = Micro-FCBGA (μBGA 965) | numcores = 1, 2, or 4 | predecessor = Pentium D (desktop) Intel Core Solo/Duo (mobile) | successor = Core i3/i5/i7 | support status = Unsupported |soldby=Intel|designfirm=Intel|l2cache=Up to 12 MB|l1cache=64 KB per core (32 KB data + 32 KB instructions)|transistors=291 million to 820 million|model1=Core 2 Solo|model2=Core 2 Duo|model3=Core 2 Quad|model4=Core 2 Extreme|instructions=MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1|variant1=Pentium Dual-Core|pcode1=C2S|pcode2=C2D|pcode3=C2E|pcode4=C2Q|pcode5=C2QX|data-width=64 bits|address-width=36 bits|virtual-width=48 bits|pack1=Flip-chip land grid array (FC-LGA)|pack2=Micro pin grid array (mPGA)|pack3=Flip-chip ball grid array (FC-BGA)|application=Desktop Mobile}} '''Intel Core 2''' is a processor family encompassing a range of Intel's mainstream 64-bit x86-64 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.<ref name="TG Daily">{{cite web |title=Intel Clovertowns step up, reduce power |url=http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/33708/135/ |publisher=TG Daily |access-date=September 5, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911222341/http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/33708/135/ |archive-date=September 11, 2007}}</ref> The Core 2 range is 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,<ref>{{cite web|title=Intel Unveils World's Best Processor |url=http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20060727comp.htm?cid=rss-83642-c1-135841 |publisher=Intel |access-date=August 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403081121/http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20060727comp.htm?cid=rss-83642-c1-135841 |archive-date=April 3, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Intel to unify product naming scheme |url=http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/33234/122/ |publisher=TG Daily |access-date=August 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926232224/http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/33234/122/ |archive-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref> Intel Core 2 processors with vPro technology (designed for businesses) include the dual-core and quad-core branches.<ref>{{cite web |title=Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology and Intel Core2 processor with vPro technology |url=http://download.intel.com/products/vpro/whitepaper/crossclient.pdf |publisher=Intel|access-date=August 7, 2008}}</ref>

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), as they lack support for VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also called Second Level Address Translation (SLAT).

==Models== {{anchor|Duo, Quad, and Extreme|Processor cores}} {{For|a detailed discussion of CPU cores|Intel Core (microarchitecture)#Processor cores}} 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).{{Efn|For the server and workstation ''Woodcrest'', "Clovertown", ''Tigerton'', "Wolfdale-DP", ''Harpertown'', and ''Dunnington'' CPUs, see the Xeon brand.<ref>{{cite web|title=Intel Unleashes New Server Processors That Deliver World-Class Performance And Power Efficiency |url=http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20060626comp.htm |publisher=Intel |access-date=June 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701231201/http://intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20060626comp.htm |archive-date=July 1, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

The Core 2-branded processors feature Virtualization Technology without extended page tables (EPT) (with some exceptions), the NX bit and SSE3. The Merom microarchitecture introduced SSSE3, Trusted Execution Technology, Enhanced SpeedStep and Active Management Technology 2.0 (iAMT2). The Penryn microarchitecture, a shrink of the former, introduced SSE4.1. With a maximum thermal design power (TDP) of 65 W, the Core 2 Duo Conroe dissipates half the power of the less capable contemporary Pentium D-branded desktop chips<ref>{{cite web |title=The 65 nm Pentium D 900's Coming Out Party: Test Setup |url=http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/05/the_65_nm_pentium_d_900s_coming_out_party/page6.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120703150521/http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/05/the_65_nm_pentium_d_900s_coming_out_party/page6.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 3, 2012 |publisher=Tom's Hardware |access-date=June 15, 2007 }}</ref> that have a max TDP of 130 W.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 65 nm Pentium D 900's Coming Out Party: Thermal Design Power Overview |url=http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/05/the_65_nm_pentium_d_900s_coming_out_party/page5.html |publisher=Tom's Hardware |access-date=June 15, 2007 |archive-date=July 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120702232159/http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/05/the_65_nm_pentium_d_900s_coming_out_party/page5.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; text-align: right"

|+Intel Core 2 processor family |- ! rowspan="2" |Original logo ! rowspan="2" |2009 logo ! colspan="3" |Desktop ! colspan="3" |Mobile |- !Code-name !Cores !Release date !Code-name !Cores !Release date |- style="background:white" |62px|Core 2 Solo brand logo | style="text-align:center;" |85px|Core 2 Solo logo as of 2009 | colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |Desktop version not available |Merom-L Penryn-L |Single (65 nm) Single (45 nm) |September 2007 May 2008 |- style="background:white" |62px|Core 2 Duo logo |85px|Core 2 Duo logo as of 2009 |Conroe Allendale Wolfdale |Dual (65 nm) Dual (65 nm) Dual (45 nm) |July 2006 January 2007 January 2008 |Merom Penryn |Dual (65 nm) Dual (45 nm) |August 2006 January 2008 |- style="background:white" |62px|Core 2 Quad logo |85px|Core 2 Quad logo as of 2009 |Kentsfield Yorkfield |Quad (65 nm) Quad (45 nm) |January 2007 March 2008 |Penryn-QC |Quad (45 nm) |August 2008 |- style="background:white" |62px|Core 2 Extreme logo |85px|Core 2 Extreme logo as of 2009 ||Conroe XE Kentsfield XE Yorkfield XE |Dual (65 nm) Quad (65 nm) Quad (45 nm) |July 2006 November 2006 November 2007 |Merom XE Penryn XE Penryn-QC XE |Dual (65 nm) Dual (45 nm) Quad (45 nm) |July 2007 January 2008 August 2008 |- ! colspan="2" |Full list ! colspan="3" |List of desktop processors ! colspan="3" |List of mobile processors |} [[File:Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz.jpg|thumb|An Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 "Wolfdale-3M"]]

==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,<ref>{{cite web|title=Intel Processor Pricing, Effective July 10, 2011|url=http://www.intc.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=INTC&fileid=481200&filekey=85BC9BF7-1931-4032-8ADE-68D9A255973E&filename=July_10_11_1ku_Price.pdf|publisher=Intel Corp|access-date=July 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926131841/http://www.intc.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=INTC|archive-date=September 26, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Intel Processor Pricing, Effective July 17, 2011|url=http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/INTC/843929813x0x482714/D04F4947-6821-4B2B-A478-7A592F5CD716/July_17_11_1ku_Price.pdf|publisher=Intel Corp |access-date=July 17, 2011}}</ref> and the last processors were discontinued in June 2012.<ref name="c2dc" />

== Compatibility issues with modern operating systems == As of 2025, a handful of Linux distributions will not run on Intel Core 2-series CPUs due to them requiring the x86-64-v2 microarchitecture level, which is not fully supported by any of the Core 2-series CPUs. Examples include Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weimer |first1=Florian |title=openSUSE Tumbleweed Begins Transitioning To x86-64-v2 CPU Requirements |url=https://developers.redhat.com/blog/2021/01/05/building-red-hat-enterprise-linux-9-for-the-x86-64-v2-microarchitecture-level |website=Red Hat Developer |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Larabel |first1=Michael |title=RHEL9 Raises Base Target For x86_64 CPUs Plus Possible Optimized Libraries With glibc-hwcaps |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/RHEL-9-x86-64-v2-Plans |website=Phoronix |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref> as well as openSUSE Tumbleweed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tumbleweed – Move to x86-64-v2 (plus mitigation plan and call for help) |url=https://lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/factory@lists.opensuse.org/thread/4OIMNHRDMSRLUNZRA5OPHMVSPXRRQVSB/ |website=openSUSE Mailing Lists |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Larabel |first1=Michael |title=openSUSE Tumbleweed Begins Transitioning To x86-64-v2 CPU Requirements |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/openSUSE-Tumbleweed-x86-64-v2 |website=Phoronix |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref> Attempting to run these distributions on a Core 2 CPU will result in an error message or crash during the boot process.<ref>{{cite web |title=RHEL 9 guest panic's during boot with following error 'Fatal glibc error: CPU does not support x86-64-v2' |url=https://access.redhat.com/solutions/6833751 |website=Red Hat Customer Portal |access-date=2025-03-11 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RockyLinux 8.7 updated kernel 4.18.0-425 crash |url=https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/rockylinux-8-7-updated-kernel-4-18-0-425-crash/8238 |website=Rocky Linux Forums |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref>

Windows IoT Enterprise releases, starting with Windows 11, version 24H2, will also not run on Intel Core 2 CPUs as it requires the SSE4.2 and POPCNT instruction sets, neither of which are supported by Core 2 CPUs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Klotz |first1=Aaron |title=Existing workarounds fail with new Windows 11 requirement that invalidates older CPUs — Microsoft's PopCnt restriction appears to be unbreakable |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/existing-workarounds-fail-with-new-windows-11-requirement-that-invalidates-older-cpus-microsofts-popcnt-restriction-appears-to-be-unbreakable |website=Tom's Hardware |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tkachenko |first1=Sergey |title=Windows 11 24H2 now clearly states that you need a CPU with POPCNT support |url=https://winaero.com/windows-11-24h2-now-clearly-states-that-you-need-a-cpu-with-popcnt-support/ |website=Winaero.com |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Buria |first1=Taras |title=Microsoft adds SSE4.2 to the list of compatibility blocks in Windows 11 |url=https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-adds-sse42-to-the-list-of-compatibility-blocks-in-windows-11/ |website=Neowin |access-date=2025-03-11}}</ref>

==Notes== {{Notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== 1st public demonstration: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100502033956/http://www.anandtech.com/show/1963 Anandtech discovers Core 2 Duo performance under the supervision of Francois Piednoel] * [http://www.hothardware.com/Articles/Intel_Wolfdale_and_Yorkfield_Performance_Penryn/ Intel Penryn Architecture and Performance Preview] * [http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2006/volume10issue02/ Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology papers] * [http://www.intel.com/technology/architecture-silicon/core/ Intel Core Microarchitecture] * {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714194952/http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2/ |date=July 14, 2006 |title=Intel's Core 2 page}}

{{s-start}} {{s-bef | before = Pentium D (desktop) }} {{s-bef | before = Core Solo/Duo (mobile) }} {{s-ttl | rows = 3 | title = Intel Core 2 | years = 2006–2011 }} {{s-aft | rows = 3 | after = Core i }} {{s-end}}

Category:Computer-related introductions in 2006 Core 2 Category:64-bit microprocessors