Intel core 2 vs intel core: is your old cpu worth renewing?

And is that the launch of the tenth generation of Intel Core processors seems to have materialized at last. The long-awaited leap to the manufacturing process at 10nm and the introduction of novelties, such as its advances in departments such as integrated graphics, imply that we are facing a true generational leap and not another review, at least in notebook processors.

It is the end of the longest hiatus of the extinct tic-tac model of those of Mountain View, for which we will still have to wait to see them in action, so in this time of contemplation until then we have believed it consistent to see the first stages of the base on which Sunny-Cove is built, the first generational leap of the Intel Core architecture, or what is the same: Core 2 against first generation Intel Core.

Index of contents

Goodbye Intel Core 2, hello Intel Core

If we look back, specifically between 2007-08, few names within the processor sector had as much presence as the Intel Core 2. The abandonment of the almighty name Pentium was a complicated move for the blue semiconductor giant, but he knew how to confront it firmly and with the help of a new architecture.

The first generation of Intel Core 2

The Merom and Conroe architectures articulated the change thanks to good energy efficiency and attractive products in various sectors. The reign of dual-core processors was giving way to the enthusiasm of all four in the domestic range with the Core 2 Quad, and this was firmly extended during the following year with the application of a better manufacturing process and smaller chips..

A step forward

However, the competition was not quiet. Phenom (AMD) was another name that was manifesting itself strongly among many desktop computers in the most enthusiastic sector and Intel knew that it could not be left behind in the core marketing fight that was beginning to manifest itself.

For this, and many other reasons, between 2009 and 2010 it launched a series with a new nomenclature on a new architecture: the first-generation Intel Core i5 and i7, under the name that we still find today in the company's processors (although there are increased).

This change not only dominated the domestic range, in the same way that Nehalem, the architecture of these new processors, was not just another revision of Conroe, but a complete update that implied new ranges for laptops, servers, companies and the enthusiastic sector.

Core 2 performance vs. Nehalem

Nehalem was a more modern architecture and with improvements on many fronts, prepared to transform itself into what would later become Sandy-Bridge. However, they share certain similarities with Conroe's latest revisions, such as the manufacturing process, as well as the foundations of architecture, and yet despite this, the generational leap is evident.

To reflect this change we have extracted some information from databases on synthetic tests that reflect, through some numbers, these changes. Some of the most interesting were:

Videogames, the claim of the general public

If we take another scenario, that of video games, as a reference, the differences are striking between the processors of the same range (especially in the high one).

Testing equipment:

ASUS Compatible Motherboard (DDR3) on Core 2 Duo / Gigabyte Motherboard Compatible on Intel Core 8 GB RAM DDR3 - 1333 MHz GTX 1060 6GB Gigabyte 248 GB SSD Sandisk

At that time, games did not benefit excessively from a greater number of cores, the average was in 2, more than enough for the vast majority of titles available. On the other hand, video games have always been closely related to high frequencies in efficient cores, and there Core 2 had a weapon with which to fight with its successors.

Overclock: one of the benchmarks of the Intel Core 2 and Intel Core

Overclocking was far from a feature only akin to Core 2. In fact, first-generation Intel Core processors could achieve good results through overclocking.

However, the revisions of the first generation of Intel processors would take some time to reach the market. During that time, processors like the Core 2 Quad Q6600 (G0), or the E6600 had a clear advantage, easily passing the 3 GHz barrier and catching up with the first iterations of their successors.

This situation remained for a time in the domestic range, but it was not the case for the enthusiast, where models like the i7-920 broke all records shortly after its launch.

A good time to buy a processor

Regardless of the numbers, both Core 2 and Intel Core were two great moments for the Mountain View company. The first of those named meant abandoning Netburst architecture and returning to the fight for the general sector.

On the other hand, Nehalem and Intel Core was a turning point in the company's future journey. The foundations of its stage of greatest market dominance and that transports us to its current situation, awaiting its tenth generation.

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