'Intel Pentium Dual Core T2060', What is it?

[mcoope3]

Intel has come out with a new value/performance oem notebook processor. It is featured on the front page of many sunday newspaper inserts in preorder Vista laptops. The trouble is that there is no information about it on the Intel web page, no reviews on the web, and the Intel retail sales support guy who was nice to help me could only find the basic information.

It runs at 1.6Ghz with a 533Mhz fsb and has a 1MB L2 Cache.

The naming of this processor is extremely confusing:

It is a dual core mobile processor but it doesnt use the Duo name.

It is a value processor with a reduced L2 cache but it doesnt use the Celeron name.

It uses the Pentium name, but a duo-like numbering scheme, as the T2050 is a Core Duo with 1.6Ghz, 533Mhz fsb, and 2MB L2 cache.

I think it is based on Core Duo architecture but I am just guessing. Maybe it is a crippled Core 2 Duo or some weird Pentium Dual Core for desktops.

The questions are:

Does it have the full power saving features of a Core Duo or is speedstep disabled, etc?

Is it just basically a T2050 with less cache or are there other important differences? Is it even Core Duo architecture?

Does it have other features disabled to slow it down, like a Celeron? Or to limit future memory upgrades etc.

Is there any reason to believe that if I choose to configure a notebook with this processor, I could not upgrade to a Core 2 Duo later, like does it have dramatically different power requirements etc where they might put in a totally different Mobo to support it in the same model laptop?

I dont like it how Intel has mass released this processor and set it up as probably the top selling mobile processor for the Vista release day without mentioning this processor or even its family or naming scheme on their website.

 

[mcoope3]

I called HP and they have no idea what this processor is that they are selling either.

The sales guy noted that it seems to have replaced the Core Solo in their selection options.

I am sort of worried too that this could be some kind of adapted desktop processor or a processor manufactured at some plant that cannot technically produce the current Core Duos and Core 2 Duos, though I do not know how that issue works. Maybe it runs hotter and/or is based on a higher nm technology? Maybe Intel just somehow found a way to switch capacities to get more dual core notebook processors to fill demand and is nervous about this product and therefore releasing few details.

I know most of you are more into what is the fastest and how to overclock it, but I dont have the expertise to solve this mystery and I dont like it that a new processor quasi-family can be introduced with no press release and no full specs available.

Is Intel perhaps planning to replace the Celeron name with the Pentium name, since the Pentium name has more value and the Duo / Quad names have replaced Pentium at the top?

 

[neokill3r]

According to this its the last version of the core duo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_microprocessors

 

[mcoope3]

Except there is no source listed, two parts are incorrect (the Core Duo name and the L2 cache size), and lots of specs are left blank.

The T2060 is consistently referred to as Pentium Dual Core not Core Duo in sunday ads, hp shopping, circuitcity.com, etc.

Specifications like 1MB L2 cache fairly consistently, wikipedia has 2MB listed. It seems that wikipedia just copied the T2050 specs and left some unknowns blank, but worse, they list it as a Core Duo brand name, which it is not. That throws all the Core Duo standard features into question.

Look at this link for a Circuit City laptop

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Specifications-of-Gateway-14-1-Widescreen-Notebook-PC-MT3705/sem/rpsm/oid/170404/rpem/ccd/productDetailSpecification.do#tabs

They have it listed as 667Mhz fsb and 2MB L2 cache in highlights and 533Mhz fsb and 1MB L2 cache in specifications.

There seems to be no public information on what this chip really is.

Another question is whether this supports 64 bit. It could be an equivalent of some other chip with 64bit disabled and a smaller cache.

 

[CaptRobertApril]

My bet is that somebody along the advertising agency line screwed up and it got passed down all the way to the retail level. Happens all the time. Most agency types wouldn't know a Pentium from a Pizza. T2060 is not a nomenclature for any Pentium product I've ever heard of. It's a C2D name.

 

[exit2dos]

According to Gateway, it is a T2060.

http://www.gateway.com/home/products/ret/ret_MT3705.shtml

Must be new, since Intel's chart only has the T2050, which is a Core Duo - not a C2D. My guess is that it's just a T2050 with half the cache for better power/thermals.
http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number/proc_info_table.pdf

 

[CaptRobertApril]

According to Gateway, it is a T2060.

http://www.gateway.com/home/products/ret/ret_MT3705.shtml

Must be new, since Intel's chart only has the T2050, which is a Core Duo - not a C2D. My guess is that it's just a T2050 with half the cache for better power/thermals.
http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number/proc_info_table.pdf

Ok, but we're agreed that is emphatically not a Pentium of any kind, right?

 

[exit2dos]

Found this:

The T2050 is from the Intel Core Duo Family and as pointed out has the following Specs: 1.60Ghz/2MB L2/533FSB. The T2060 is a new Processor midway between a Celeron and a Core Duo. It is called the Pentium Dual Core T2060, it is lower spec'd than the Core Duo and it runs hotter. It is almost akin to having a turbocharged Celeron.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqaZBQZTJLMEf.msMKSDNPIjzKIX?qid=20070123222050AAx4340

So, if this is correct, then it is definately, maybe, not really a Pentium, probably. :?

 

[mcoope3]

Even if it is based on Core Duo architecture, it would still be nice to know if they disabled half the instruction set and made it run at full wattage all the time on battery. On the other hand, it could be a T2050 with less cache but better in other ways, perhaps using less power, supporting virtualization, etc. There is a big difference between those two scenarios for me.

Also, I am thinking of getting this processor for my sister in a Compaq V6000T. Does anyone know if these processors sit in a socket with a lever and can be upgraded later to other processors offered on this notebook, like a Core 2 Duo. I would be more ok with taking the jump on this unknown processor if an eventual upgrade were possible. The Hpshopping sales guy acted like it is soldered in, but I am not sure if he really knows.

 

[exit2dos]

I doubt that it's soldered in (although with HP, you can never be sure), and it should be a socket M chip, so a C2D mobile chip should be a drop-in. The chipset should support an upgrade (but, again, HP might have a custom BIOS/chipset, so you can't be sure).

There just isn't enough reliable information yet to give any kind of definative answer.

For what it's worth (not sure how accurate - I don't always trust Wiki) it's listed here (as neokill3r posted earlier):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_microprocessors

 

[CaptRobertApril]

Damn!!!!

IT IS A PENTIUM!!!

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070130PD214.html

What in the name of **** is Intel doing bringing back the Pentium name?

Are they taking marketing lessons from the wizards at AMD? :?

 

[exit2dos]

Damn!!!!

IT IS A PENTIUM!!!

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070130PD214.html

What in the name of **** is Intel doing bringing back the Pentium name?

Are they taking marketing lessons from the wizards at AMD? :?

:?
You'd think they would name it after pasta instead. Orzo 2060 sounds pretty good. Or maybe the Couscous 1000.

 

[AZHeat]

Ummm... no - the _T_2060 is not a Pentium... The E2000 is.
The first char being T indicates this will be a mobile Core (x) Duo... probably a slightly better follow-on to the 2050, which is a very low-end Core Duo out there currently. (First char of E indicates desktop)

And don't get caught up in the circuit city and other advertisements... honestly, they typically get many parts of the spec wrong, or simply leave them out just b/c they have no clue... it's not technical people that write those, it's advertisers... thus you can see a "Pentium Core Quaddro" if you search around enough

 

[neokill3r]

According to the model number it should be a core duo. It looks like it just like the T2050 but with VT enabled and only 1mb of cache. They probably just call it a pentium to make it sell better because pentiums are now low end and since theres no c2d celeron yet they need more low end moible cpus
.

 

[mcoope3]

This is the part number

LF80539GE0251M

Does that help?

Only difference is T2050 ends in 252M. Maybe the 1/2 is the L2 cache.

But I dont know if other Celeron type modifications like speedstep disabling would be in this model number.

 

[mcoope3]

Here is a chinese page google translation with english cpu-z screenshots.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://cn.tech.yahoo.com/070109/472/2oh88.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DT2060%2Bcpu-z%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

I think basically they say it is a Core Duo with 1MB L2 and it does include power saving technology, but the translation is a bit difficult to make sense of.

Here is a screenshot of the true T2050 in cpu-z to compare:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.chinait.net/company_news/company_news_detail.asp%3Fid%3D8925&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DT2050%2Bcpu-z%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

 

[RussA]

That was bothering me too. Check this….

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3484

Russ

 

[bytes]

The latest processor number table lists the T2060 at the top of page 4:
http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number/proc_info_table.pdf

No visualization, no hyperthreading, no 64-bit.

Listed in its own family of Intel Pentium dual-core processors.

 

[pausert20]

See if this model has shown up on Intel's processor finder website.

Intels processor finder site

 

[tamalero]

Found this:
The T2050 is from the Intel Core Duo Family and as pointed out has the following Specs: 1.60Ghz/2MB L2/533FSB. The T2060 is a new Processor midway between a Celeron and a Core Duo. It is called the Pentium Dual Core T2060, it is lower spec'd than the Core Duo and it runs hotter. It is almost akin to having a turbocharged Celeron.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqaZBQZTJLMEf.msMKSDNPIjzKIX?qid=20070123222050AAx4340

So, if this is correct, then it is definately, maybe, not really a Pentium, probably. :?
that smells like a weaker pentium 4 and renamed as "pentium dual core"

sort of AMD did to their amd athlon XP ( now Sempron )

 

[exit2dos]

According to bytes link above, Intel finally added it to the charts. Looks like a T2050 with half the cache. I wonder if Intel had some bad yields on the T2050 and disabled some of the cache. Since all of the Core Duos have 2MB of L2, and the Pentium M's have only one core - I'm wondering if Intel invented the "Pentium dual-core" name to distinguish it - since it belongs in neither category.

 

[zarooch]

yes, it is indeed cut-down version of T2060, half-cache, lower bus speed!, maybe for value segment notebooks.

 

[mcoope3]

I am glad it has speedstep. Regardless of the speed issues, I think it should have as good or better battery performance than the T2050 so that is nice. So far, it appears the smaller cache is the only difference versus the T2050. Hopefully there are no instructions disabled that would not show up in the chart.

 

[CaptRobertApril]

According to bytes link above, Intel finally added it to the charts. Looks like a T2050 with half the cache. I wonder if Intel had some bad yields on the T2050 and disabled some of the cache. Since all of the Core Duos have 2MB of L2, and the Pentium M's have only one core - I'm wondering if Intel invented the "Pentium dual-core" name to distinguish it - since it belongs in neither category.

Yeah, I think you're spot on about the bad yields. They had to do something with the chips so they dusted off the old Pentium name. BAD MARKETING MANEOUVER!!!! SHAME ON YOU INTEL!!!! Couldn't you have called it something else? But then again, their current naming structure was developed by a ferret on hash.

 

[mcoope3]

How does a bad yield result in exactly half of the cache being missing? Would anything else be wrong with the chip? I guess one day someone can get ahold of these chips and see if all the cache is really there or not.