The name given to Intel's P5 chip, the successor to the 80486. The
name was chosen because of difficulties Intel had in trademarking a
number. It suggests the number five (implying 586) while (according to
Intel) conveying a meaning of strength like titanium
. Among
hackers, the plural is frequently ‘pentia’. See also
Pentagram Pro.
Intel did not stick to this convention when naming its P6 processor
the Pentium Pro; many believe this is due to difficulties in selling a chip
with hex
or sex
in its name. Successor chips
have been called Pentium II,
Pentium III, and Pentium IV.