Update - Aug. 9, 2023 - 4:54 p.m. ET - An earlier version of this article stated that the chip's reported specs included a 3.6GHz base frequency; this has been updated to reflect the alleged specs actually mentioned a 3.9GHz base frequency.
Just when we thought dual-cores were dead, Intel is rumored to be bringing back the "obsolete" core configuration for another generation. A Tweet by leaker chi11eddog alleges Intel is developing a new 14th Gen entry-level dual-core chip that will feature one of Intel's three hybrid CPU architectures found in its Best CPUs, Alder Lake, Raptor Lake, or Raptor Lake Refresh.
According to chi11eddog, this new chip will be the spiritual successor of the Pentium Gold G7400. Thanks to Intel's removal of the Celeron and Pentium sub-brands altogether, the new chip will be dubbed the "Intel 300," similar to other entry-level chips (like the "Intel Processor N200").
The chip's reported specifications include a 3.9GHz base frequency (no turbo clock), a 6MB L3 cache capacity, and a core configuration consisting of two P-cores with four threads. Power consumption is rated at 46W. The Twitter leaker did not reveal any specifications for the iGPU, but for obvious reasons, we expect this CPU to sport one of Intel's lower-end configurations — like its UHD 730 Graphics unit.
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Compared to Intel's other entry-level CPUs like the Core i3 series, this "Intel 300" will be the cheapest and least powerful entry in Intel's desktop lineup. The chip features two fewer cores than the Core i3-13100 (Intel's lowest-end i3 right now), and a much slower clock speed thanks to the lack of Turbo Boost technology. As previously stated the Intel 300 will also effectively be the replacement of Intel's previous-generation desktop Celeron and Pentium processors which also sported dual-core configurations.
Because of its dual-core design, we don't expect this chip to be great for anything beyond casual web browsing, office work, and video streaming. Even with the addition of Hyper-Threading, the physical limits of dual-core designs make them sub-optimal for gaming tasks, especially in modern game engines which can take advantage of 6 six CPU cores.
Chi11eddog believes the CPU will be arriving as soon as this quarter, so we shouldn't have to wait long for this new entry-level chip to arrive on store shelves — assuming it exists. With its 14th Gen moniker, the new dual-core will allegedly arrive in conjunction with Intel's 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh lineup which is also expected to launch very soon.
