History of Intel Core i3, i5 and 7 processors
Technologies advance at such a speed that sometimes makes us doubt what we have. This happens for example with processors, whether you know it or not every one or two years Intel has been offering us new versions.
Intel Core is the name that Intel has been using for its microphones since 2008 or so. To better understand what each of them offers us, you have to know the development cycle that this manufacturer uses and that they themselves call “tick/tock”.
This way of developing the mikes has two phases, one is called a tick and the other is a tock:
Tick. The mics are nothing more than small functional blocks that connect with each other. If we manage to reduce the size of these blocks we will be able to carry out more tasks using the same hardware. When Intel performs a tick, what decreases is the minimum size that it can use to create the transistors that are the basic blocks, the bricks with which these devices are created
Tock. The architecture of a processor is the map that defines the elements that compose it and how they are interconnected. A different way of distributing the blocks can make the mic behave in a totally different way.
Well, nothing is the way Intel works, first, it reduces the size of its transistors and then improves the architecture or adapts it to the needs it wants to satisfy.
First-generation
The first-generation Intel Core comes to replace the Core 2. Not all the first generation Core are the same since in 2008 there was already an i7, in 2009 the i5 appeared and in 2010 the i3. As you can understand the architecture of a 2008 i7 does not have much to do with that of 2010 3.
There are versions that use lithographs of both 45 and 32 nanometers. Among the improvements compared to the previous micros is that they add the memory controller inside and that have the integrated graphics card in the same package.
Second generation
It is a tock, that is, a new architecture. It appears in early 2011 and its code name is Sandy Bridge. The set of AVX instructions is added, designed to speed up the processing of images, sound, and 3D. In addition, other instructions such as AES that are used in cryptographic programs are added.
Its lithography is 32 nanometers and the graphics card is added inside the micro. 10% to 20% faster than the previous generation without taking into account the tremendous differences in graphics. Above all, it allows to Overclock, so much that many users have skipped several updates thanks to this.
Third generation
There is a reduction in size, specifically to 22 nanometers, it is a tick, its code name is Ivy Bridge. Performance is hardly improved at the same speed, only between 1-5% gain. About a 20% profit in the graphic section. Add support for PCIe 3.0.
Above all, consumption is reduced, support for DirectX 11 is added and the level three cache memory is increased.
Fourth generation
It is a tock and its code name is Haswell. Intel is trying to improve energy efficiency with the thought of not losing the market share of portable devices. Above all, consumption is reduced when the equipment is not used.
Between 5 and 10% improvement in the number of instructions per clock cycle.
As in each of the new generations, it is especially noticeable in the integrated graphics card. The one included in these was twice as fast as the one you found in a second-generation micro.
New instructions such as AVX2 and FMA3 are added for video and sound encoding. In addition, TSX is added to create applications that take advantage of the processor cores. The enthusiast version brings support for DDR4.
Fifth-generation
It is a tick, it is reduced in size to 14 nanometers, its code name is Broadwell. They are half as small as in the fourth generation. Follow the path set by Haswell regarding consumption.
Less than 5% improvement over Haswell at the same clock frequency. The fifth-generation cores are the ones that have brought DDR4 memories to the general public.
Sixth generation
It is a tock, it is released almost at the same time as Broadwell and it is called Skylake. Add technologies such as configurable TDP designed for 2-in-1 computers and tablets.
Stay on the path of adding new instruction sets like the AVX3.2. Less than 5% improvement at the same clock speed.
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