Intel® Desktop Processors CPU (Processors) > Intel® Desktop Processors
Core 2 is an eighth-generation x86 architecture microprocessor produced by Intel based on an all-new CPU design called the Intel Core Microarchitecture, which is the successor of NetBurst microarchitecture that has powered most Intel processors since 2000. Core 2 also marks the retirement of Intel's Pentium brand name that has been used from 1993 and the reunion of Intel's notebook and desktop product lines since Pentium M was released apart from Pentium 4 in 2003.
The first Intel Core 2 Duo processor core, codenamed Conroe, was launched on 27 July 2006. This processor is built on a 65 nm process and is intended for desktops, replacing the Pentium 4 and Pentium D. Intel has claimed that Conroe provides 40% more performance at 40% less power compared to the Pentium D.
