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Glite Dictionary
💻 A computer chip 🖥️ A basic computer
Pentium

Pentium

1 4.2
A personal computer that uses an older Intel processor
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛn.ti.əm/
  • Informal
translation icon : Pentium
  • Many people still use their old Pentium computers for basic tasks like browsing the internet.
  • Pentium PCs
  • Pentium processor
  • Pentium chip

Examples

  • Most of the people I know are using Windows 98 or 2000 on their 166 MHz e-machine Pentiums and connect using NetZero.

    Blog text (9)

  • So this is progress because this of course is a fairly modern quad core Pentium or whatever it is running Linux.

  • Pentium models are as follows:

    Blog text (11)

  • It's basically the version of the Pentium line that we would buy as DIY PC builders.

  • More like arm-wrestling the dean for those Pentiums.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • I can say my phone is easily equivalent to an early Pentium class machine, productivity-wise, with only its small screen limiting usability.

    Blog text (21)

  • The price is right (for a Pentium, anyway, or a small mortgage), and the bundled printer is an exceptional value; it is on the next page separately for $400.

    Blog text (11)

  • Its solid stainless steel container and environmental control system protect the 2.0 GHz Pentium processor and power supply in ambient temperatures up to 50°C.

    Academic text (2004)

  • If you want to play the latest video games, you need a PC that has a Pentium processor.

  • Upgrading to a Pentium PC can significantly improve your computing performance.

Synonyms

laptop
vsPentium
309 1.0

A small, light computer you can use on your lap

refers to such portable machines only when they contain a specific Intel processor
PC
vsPentium
  • Specialized
192 1.8

A small computer for one person to use at home or work

refers to such machines but specifically those using a certain Intel processor model
personal computer
vsPentium
43 2.4

A small machine one person uses to work, study, or play

refers to those machines only when they use a specific Intel processor model
desktop
vsPentium
35 2.8

A personal computer that sits on a desk and is not carried

refers to machines by processor type rather than by being large or stationary
notebook
vsPentium
30 2.5

A small portable computer you carry and use on battery power

refers to these mobile machines only when they use a particular Intel processor model
laptop computer
vsPentium
17 1.3

A small, light machine you can carry to use for work or study

refers to machines by their processor model rather than by portability
notebook computer
vsPentium
3 2.8

A small light portable computer like a laptop

refers to machines by the processor they contain rather than by slim size
microcomputer
vsPentium
  • Specialized
2 4.7

A small computer for one person that uses a small chip to run programs

refers to those microprocessor machines only if they use a certain Intel model

Surface Forms

Pentium singular
Pentiums plural

Etymology

Pentium is also used to name a whole personal computer when it has a Pentium chip inside, a bit like calling a car by its engine type; a helpful way to remember this is to think of the computer as being named after its 'engine' the Pentium processor. So when people say a PC is a Pentium, they mean it uses an Intel Pentium chip.