Pentium M

Introduced in March 2003, the Pentium M is an x86 architecture microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel and forms part of the Intel Centrino platform. The processor was originally designed for use in laptop personal computers, thus the "M" for mobile. It was codenamed "Banias" before its introduction. The codenames of the Pentium M are all locations in Israel, the location of the Pentium M design team.

Dothan

Intel launched its improved Pentium M, formerly known as Dothan, on May 10, 2004. Dothan Pentium M processors are among the first Intel processors to be identified using a "processor number" rather than a clockspeed rating, and the mainstream versions are known as Pentium M 715 (1.5 GHz), 725 (1.6 GHz), 735 (1.7 GHz), 745 (1.8 GHz), 755 (2.0 GHz), and 765 (2.1 GHz).

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These 700 series Pentium M processors retain the same basic design as the original Pentium M, but are manufactured on a 90 nm process, with twice the secondary cache. Die size, at 84 mm2, remains in the same neighborhood as the original Pentium M, even though the 700 series contains ~140 million transistors, most of which make up the massive 2 MB cache. TDP is also down to 21 watts (from 24.5 watts in Banias), though power use at lower clockspeeds has increased slightly. However, tests conducted by third party hardware review sites show that Banias and Dothan equipped notebooks have roughly equivalent battery life.

Related Topics:
90 nm - TDP

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The processor line has models running at clock speeds from 1.0 to 2.26 GHz as of July 2005. The models with lower frequencies were either low voltage or ultra-low voltage CPUs designed for even better battery life and reduced heat output. The 718 (1.3 GHz), 738 (1.4 GHz), and 758 (1.5 GHz) models are low-voltage (1.116V) with a TDP of 10W, while the 723 (1.0 GHz), 733 (1.1 GHz), and 753 (1.2 GHz) models are ultra-low voltage (0.940V) with a TDP of 5W.

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Revisions of the Dothan core were released in Q1 2005 with the Sonoma chipsets and supported a 533 MHz FSB (133 MHz quad-pumped) and XD (Intel's name for the NX bit). These processors include the 730 (1.6 GHz), 740 (1.73 GHz), 750 (1.86 GHz), 760 (2.0 GHz), and 770 (2.13 GHz). These models all have a TDP of 27W.

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In July 2005, Intel released the 780 (2.26 GHz) and the low-voltage 778 (1.60 GHz).

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