14 DAY TRIAL // Most news pieces about central processing units revolve around the really bigwigs like the Intel Core series or the AMD FX-Series, as well as A-Series APUs. However, some of the less advertised chips often end up selling more than them.
One of those less advertised processor lines is the Intel Pentium series, which is a brand name commonly associated with business systems and entry-level PCs.
It is this series that will receive an update in the second quarter of the year (Q2 2015), in the form of the Pentium N3700 CPU. Or rather the desktop version of that chip.
The Intel Pentium N3700 CPU
This chip is powered by the Braswell micro-architecture built on the 14nm fabrication process technology.
In the grand scheme of things, it isn't all that powerful. However, the processor makes up for it with how efficient it is, having a TDP (thermal design power) of 6W.
The base clock of the N3700 central processor is 1.6 GHz, which is not all that much for a quad-core chip but considerable for something that will sell as part of PCs costing five hundred bucks.
Moreover, the Turbo Boost technology is supported, meaning that high enough loads will trigger the dynamic overclock function, bringing the frequency to 2.4 GHz if needed.
The drawback is that 2.4 GHz can be reached only on a single core. Milder Turbo Boost states will have the four cores only mildly boosted.
Either way, 4K Ultra HD resolution streaming is possible at 60 Hz via DisplayPort and eDP, and even support for Microsoft’s DirectX 12 API is included.
All in all, the quad-core Braswell chip with 6W TDP is a fine piece of work for its market, that of business PCs.
Availability and pricing
The Intel Pentium N3700 Braswell processor will debut in the second quarter, a whole three months before the notebook version of the processor. The price is unknown, but that's because it will sell as part of pre-made (business) systems of around $500 / €440.