Introduction

Intel has also recently announced its dual-core technology for their processors. Two new CPUs for the desktop market were announced: Pentium D, which is the dual-core version of Pentium 4, and Pentium Extreme Edition, which is the dual-core version of Pentium 4 Extreme Edition. As you can see, the dual-core processors aren't called "Pentium 4" as one should expect.

Together with these two new processors two new chipset series were released, i945 and i955. The current Intel chipsets aren't compatible with dual core technology because they don't support multiprocessor systems. So, even if you have a high-end socket 775 motherboard based on the latest Intel 925X chipset it won't be compatible with the new dual-core Pentium processors. To upgrade your system you will need to replace the motherboard as well.

Before we talk more in depth about these new processors and chipsets, let's take a look on Intel's roadmap on dual-core technology, shown on Figures 1 and 2. As you can see, Intel plans to put dual-core (or even more cores) in all their processor lines, from notebooks to servers.

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Figure 1: Intel's roadmap on multi-core.

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Figure 2: Intel's roadmap on multi-core.

Intel expects that by the end of 2006 70% of the desktop maket will be of dual-core processors.

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Figure 3: Intel's forecast on multi-core market share.

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