Intel has traditionally been grouping Core i5 processors into generations based on the microarchitecture they are based on with 1st generation being based on Nehalem in 45 nm with the latest chips based on Kaby Lake manufactured using a 14 nm process.ġst Generation (Nehalem) Main article: Nehalem Microarchitectureħth generation Core i5 processors, models which were introduced by Intel in early 2017, are manufactured on Intel's improved 14 nm process '14nm+' which allowed for higher clock speeds at similar voltage levels.
Core i5 processors usually have more cores than i3 (typically 4 vs 2 in i3), and offer more features (e.g. Core i5 are mid-range performance processors with performance higher than those offered by the Core i3 processors but below those offered by Core i7. Intel first announced the retirement of the Core 2 in mid-2009 and was introduced later the same year.