Intel Clarkdale Core i5 Desktop Processor Debuts

by Marco Chiappetta — Monday, January 04, 2010, 12:43 AM EDT

A couple of weeks ago, we evaluated Intel's Pinetrail platform for netbooks, which features an Atom CPU core, fused to a graphics processor on a single, monolithic die. Today, Intel is taking a similar approach in the desktop space with the company's much more powerful Clarkdale family of processors, although Clarkdale's integrated graphics processor isn't on-die--it is on the same package as the CPU though.

Clarkdale-based processors feature a number of cutting edge Intel technologies. For one, the processor cores are manufactured using a 32nm high-k process. They also feature Intel Turbo Mode technology, Hyper-Threading, AES acceleration, and Intel's latest graphics processing core, branded Intel HD Graphics, that also happens to house a memory controller and PCI Express connectivity.

The Clarkdale architecture will be used for a whole family of new processors in the Core i5, Core i3, and Pentium series. We've had one of the higher-end offerings in house for a few weeks, the Core i5 661, and have been putting it through its paces for most of that time. Read on for the full scoop...

Intel Clarkdale Core i5 Desktop Processor Debuts

Clarkdale Processor with Integrated Graphics, H57 Chipset

Tags: Intel, HD, graphics, GPU, CPU, 32nm, processor, Core i5

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com