14 DAY TRIAL // Dual-core central processing units aren't promoted that heavily these days because, with 6-core and 8-core chips selling, the ones considered “mid-range,” whether or not they really are mainstream CPUs, are the quad-core units.
That didn't stop Intel from preparing the Celeron 2955U and Core i5-4200H though, just like it didn't prevent the launch of all the other two-core chips in the past.
There will actually be 20 dual-core SKUs (stock-keeping units) in the Haswell collection alone, according to CPU World.
Only two of them have been detailed, but we suppose even that much is better than nothing.
Obviously, the chips we are talking about are the aforementioned Celeron 2955U and Core i5-4200H.
The Core i5-4200H is, obviously, the stronger of the two. Utilizing the BGA1364 socket, it has 2 cores, 4 threads (Hyper-Threading technology), 3 MB of cache memory, and a TDP of 47 Watts.
There is no data on the integrated graphics chip, but an HD iGP should be in there somewhere.
For those in need of a reminder, Hyper-Threading is a technology that doubles the number of cores in an OS. 2 cores become 4 virtual ones, 4 cores become 8, etc.
The other CPU, Celeron 2955U, lacks Hyper-Threading, which means its 2 cores are seen as 2 threads in Windows.
The frequency is quite low as well, compared to Core i5-4200H, at 1.4 GHz, but that's expected. After all, the Celeron 2955U is made for low-power systems, and has a TDP of only 15W. It uses the BGA1168 socket and boasts HD graphics as well.
As those familiar with the BGA type of socket might have guessed (BGA is the sort that doesn't allow the CPU to be removed/changed/upgraded), these two are mobile processors (used in laptops and maybe Intel-based tablets too).
Sadly, the rest of the specifications are unknown, and that includes the Turbo Boost clock dynamic overclocking technique, the memory controllers, etc.