Merom (microprocessor)
Merom is the code name for various Intel processors that are sold as Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Solo, Pentium Dual-Core and Celeron. It was the first mobile processor to be based on the Core microarchitecture, replacing the Enhanced Pentium M-based Yonah processor. Merom has the product code 80537, which is shared with Merom-2M and Merom-L that are very similar but have a smaller L2 cache. Merom-L has only one processor core and a different CPUID model. The desktop version of Merom is Conroe and the dual-socket server version is Woodcrest. Merom was manufactured in a 65 nanometer process, and was succeeded by Penryn, a 45 nm version of the Merom architecture. Together, Penryn and Merom represented the first 'tick-tock' in Intel's Tick-Tock manufacturing paradigm, in which Penryn was the 'tick' (new process) to Merom's 'tock' (new architecture).
 Celeron M 530 - SLA2G - 1.73GHz, 1 MB L2 Cache, 533 MT/s FSB | |
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Launched | 2006 |
| Discontinued | 2009 |
| CPUID code | 06Fx (Merom-L: 1066x) |
| Product code | 80537 |
| Performance | |
| Max. CPU clock rate | 1.6 GHz to 2.6 GHz |
| FSB speeds | 533 MHz to 800 MHz |
| Cache | |
| L2 cache | Merom: 4 MiB Merom-2M: 2 MiB Merom-L: 1 MiB |
| Architecture and classification | |
| Application | Mobile |
| Microarchitecture | Core |
| Instruction set | x86_64 (64-bit) |
| Physical specifications | |
| Cores |
|
| Socket(s) | |
| Products, models, variants | |
| Brand name(s) |
|
Variants
| Processor | Brand name | Model (list) | Cores | L2 Cache | Socket | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merom-L | Mobile Core 2 Solo | U2xxx | 1 | 2 MiB | BGA479 | 5.5 W |
| Merom-2M | Mobile Core 2 Duo | U7xxx | 2 | 2 MiB | BGA479 | 10 W |
| Merom | L7xxx | 4 MiB | 17 W | |||
| Merom Merom-2M |
T5xxx T7xxx | 2-4 MiB | Socket M Socket P BGA479 | 35 W | ||
| Merom | Mobile Core 2 Extreme | X7xxx | 2 | 4 MiB | Socket P | 44 W |
| Merom | Celeron M (Socket M) and Celeron (Socket P) | 5x0 | 1 | 1024 KiB | Socket M Socket P | 30 W |
| Merom-L | 5x0 | 27 W | ||||
| Merom-2M | 5x5 | 1024 KiB | Socket P | 31 W | ||
| Merom-L | 5x3 | 512-1024 KiB | BGA479 | 5.5-10 W | ||
| Merom-2M | Celeron Dual-Core | T1xxx | 2 | 512-1024 KiB | Socket P | 35 W |
| Merom-2M | Pentium Dual-Core | T2xxx T3xxx | 2 | 1 MiB | Socket P | 35 W |
Merom
Merom, the first mobile version of the Core 2, was officially released on July 27, 2006, but quietly began shipping to PC manufacturers in mid-July, alongside Conroe.[1][2] Merom became Intel's premier line of mobile processors, with mostly the same features as Conroe, but with a greater emphasis on low power consumption to enhance notebook battery life. Merom-based Core 2 Duo provides a slight performance increase associated with 3D rendering and media-encoding tasks,[3] yet maintains the same battery life as the Yonah-based Core Duo. Merom is the first Intel mobile processor to feature Intel 64 architecture.
The first version of Merom is "drop-in" compatible with Napa platform for Core Duo, requiring at most a motherboard BIOS update. It has a similar thermal envelope of 34 W and the same 667 MT/s FSB rate.[4] The Merom die features 4 MB L2 cache, half of which is deactivated in the T5xx0 CPUs. A native 2 MB L2 version of the Merom core, called Merom-2M, was rolled out in early 2007 as a counterpart to Allendale. The Merom-2M core uses the steppings L2 and M0 and the ultra-low-voltage versions of the Core 2 Duo use this core.
A second wave of Merom processors featuring an 800 MT/s FSB and using the new Socket P was launched on May 9, 2007.[5] These chips are part of Santa Rosa platform.[6] Low voltage versions were also released on May 9, 2007.
Merom (מרום) is the Hebrew word for a higher plane of existence or a level of heaven; BaMerom (במרום) means "in the heavens". The name was chosen by the Intel team in Haifa, Israel, who designed this processor.
Merom XE
The Core 2 Extreme Mobile processor, based on the Merom XE core, is a mobile CPU designed for laptops. It was released in two models, the X7900 and the X7800. These feature an 800 MT/s FSB. The X7800, introduced on July 16, 2007,[7] is clocked at 2.6 GHz and costs around $851 for OEMs. The processor features a 44 W TDP and requires the new Intel Centrino (Santa Rosa) platform. The X7900, introduced on August 22, 2007, is clocked at 2.8 GHz.
The X7900 processor was used in the top-end iMacs released on August 7, 2007.
Merom-2M
The mobile version of the Allendale desktop processor is often called Merom-2M to identify the smaller L2 cache. Some T5xxx and T7xxx processors have come out with both Merom and Merom-2M dies, which can only be distinguished through their stepping number.
Merom-L
The Merom-L processor is based on the same model as Conroe-L but is used in mobile Socket M and Socket P systems as Celeron 5xx and Core 2 Solo U2xxx, some of which also use regular Merom and Merom-2M chips with one core disabled in contrast to the real Merom-L that only has 1 MB L2 cache and a single core. The CPUID is family 6 model 23 (10661h), which is between Merom and Penryn.
The first Core 2 Solo processors were launched in Q3 2007 and consisted of the U2100 and U2200, which run at 1.06 and 1.2 GHz, respectively. They both feature a 533 MT/s FSB and are part of Intel's ULV family, running at only 5 W. Like the rest of the Core 2 family, they are 64-bit compatible. They were released with compatibility for the Napa platform rather than the newer Santa Rosa platform due to power consumption concerns.[8]
Fixes
Microsoft has released a microcode update (KB2493989) for Windows 7 that addresses several stability issues on selected "Penryn" and "Merom" CPUs.[9]
See also
References
- "Intel's Core 2 Duo chips arrive early". MacNN. July 21, 2006. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2006.
- "Intel second quarter 2006 earnings release; see page 3" (PDF). Intel. July 19, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2006.
- Shimpi, Anand Lal (August 3, 2006). "Mobile CPU Wars: Core 2 Duo vs. Core Duo". AnandTech. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- Shimpi, Anand Lal (March 7, 2006). "Spring IDF 2006: Merom and Ultra Mobile PCs". AnandTech. Retrieved July 17, 2006.
- Olsen, Sven (March 7, 2007). "Intel Forecasts "Santa Rosa" for May 2007". Computer Shopper. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
- Kubicki, Kristopher (May 26, 2006). "Intel 2006 Mobile CPU Roadmap Update". DailyTech. Archived from the original on May 28, 2006. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- "Intel Takes Popular Laptops to 'Extreme' with First-Ever Extreme Edition Mobile Processor; Adds New Desktop Chip". Intel News Release. July 16, 2007. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
- "Intel Core 2 Solo ULV Processors Coming in Q3 2007". laptoping.com. December 21, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
- "Microcode update for Intel processors in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2". Retrieved November 3, 2020.