Intel Pentium

Background

Pentium is a line of processors from Intel. The first Pentium was introduced on March 22, 1993, and was followed up with the Pentium II on May 7, 1997, the Pentium III on February 28, 1999 and the Pentium 4 on November 20, 2000. From 1993 to 2006, the Pentium processors were Intel's flagship line, until they were succeeded by the Intel Core line of processors in January 2006. Since then, most Pentiums have little to do with their predecessors and are considered "entry level" processors. In 2023, the brand was retired on laptops in favor of the generic "Intel Processor" name (although it continues to be used on desktops).

Pentium Processor

Contents

(1994-2000)

Pentium II Processor

Contents

(1998-2003)

Pentium III Processor

Contents

(1999-2004)

Pentium III Mobile

Contents

(2001-2003)

Pentium 4 Processor

Contents

1st Tag (2001-2006)	2nd Tag (2002)

Pentium Processor

Tag (1994-2000)

Visuals: Same as the 1994 Intel Inside logo, but as the swirls are merging, "pentium" in the corporate Intel logo font and "P R O C E S S O R" zoom out from the middle of the screen and places themselves below the Intel Inside logo.

Variants:

Most commercials starting in 1996 (including all MMX commercials) have an Intel URL at the bottom.
Japanese commercials have the following disclaimer below: ""Intel Inside" and "Pentium" are trademarks of Intel Corporation."
Chinese commercials have "给电脑一靓驰的"芯"" ("Give the computer a beautiful "core"") fade in below the logo.
South Korean commercials have "인텔인사이드™" fade in at the top left and "펜티엄® 프로세서" at the bottom. The size of the Korean text may vary between commercials.
There is an alternate version for MMX commercials. The animation plays out as usual, but in the top-left corner of the Intel logo, a purple-yellow gradient shape blurs in, with white text saying "MMX".
On commercials advertising computers with a Pentium processor, the logo is tucked into the corner of the screen while the commercial plays.
On some commercials such as a Gateway 2000 commercial, the logo is in grayscale and the text just fades in instead of zooming (seen here).
- Inverted and transparent versions of this variant also exist.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The trademark Intel "bong" jingle, composed by Walter Werzowa.

Audio Variants:

Earlier Pentium commercials use a slower and lower-pitched jingle.
One Korean commercial has a semi-low pitched jingle.
For the MMX commercials, the jingle is shortened and an extra chime is played after the bong jingle. Occasionally, the full jingle is played with the chime.
On the "Conga" commercial, the jingle is reorchestrated.
Japanese commercials are generally accompanied with the commercial's announcer saying "インテル、入ってる。" ("Intel is in.")
The French version of the "Dolphins" commercial has a xylophone arrangement of the jingle in a different key.

Availability: Appears on almost all Pentium commercials from the time period.

Pentium II Processor

Tag (1998-2003)

Visuals: Same as the Pentium tag, but with a few differences:

The Intel logo doesn't shine or turn blue.
A registered trademark symbol is added next to "pentium", and "P R O C E S S O R" simply fades in after the logo has formed.
"pentium" veers off to the left slightly to make way for a purple "II", which zooms out from the center of the screen and places itself next to "pentium".

The MMX symbol from the Pentium tag fades in in the top-left corner of the Intel logo, and is always present in this version.

Variants:

On commercials advertising computers with a Pentium II processor, the logo is tucked into the corner of the screen while the commercial plays.
On commercials without MMX technology, the MMX symbol is removed.
A variant exists where the tag is open matte and remastered.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the regular variant of the Pentium tag.

Audio Variants:

Sometimes, the Pentium MMX chime is used instead.
As with the Pentium tag, the chime can be subject to pitch/speed alterations.

Availability: Appears on some Pentium II commercials from the time period; others use the standard Intel logo.

Pentium III Processor

Tag (1999-2004)

Visuals: The screen zooms through various blue and green lines in slight grid patterns. In the distance, there is a blurred Intel Inside logo, and the camera slowly rotates as we get closer. As the camera reaches the end, the Intel Inside logo comes into clear view, with "pentium P R O C E S S O R" already under it. Three green lines draw themselves next to the text, with white squares at the bottom, forming "III" in the form of exclamation points. The logo shines while that happens. The final result follows the same general formula as the previous Pentium tags, but with the "!!!".

Variants:

On commercials advertising computers with a Pentium III processor, the logo is tucked into the corner of the screen while the commercial plays.
There may be a URL below the Intel logo when it appears. Alongside the standard URL, there are variants with Brazilian, French, German, Mexican, South Korean and British URLs.
South Korean variants have "인텔인사이드™" at the top left of the screen.
A version exists without "P R O C E S S O R", mostly on scaled-down variants.

Technique: CGI by Imaginary Forces.

Audio: A modified version of the Intel "bong" with whooshes and some synth effects, with some crashing cymbals hitting the first note thereof.

Audio Trivia: This tag's version of the "bong" would be used regularly by Intel until 2006.

Audio Variants:

Occasionally, the original Pentium jingle is used.
In rare cases, it uses the jingle from the Pentium III-M series.

Availability: Appears on most Pentium III commercials from the time period.

Pentium III Mobile

Tag (2001-2003)

Visuals: It starts off similarly to the Pentium III tag, but instead of the Intel Inside logo, there is a large parallelogram containing a smaller blue rectangle on the bottom right corner. As we get closer, the emblem then flashes. Inside the emblem is this:

intel inside pentium !!!

White lines then streak throughout the parallelogram, as one travels inside of it and forms a black curve above "!!!". A white "m" flashes in.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A modified version of the "bong"; it is now fully synthesized with bell chimes. Sometimes, the regular jingle is used.

Availability: Most OEM commercials containing this Intel tag have the scaled-down and cropped version, so the full-screen tag is extremely hard to come by these days. Try going through the internet or check those old tapes to find out where the sole capture of it was found.

Pentium 4 Processor

1st Tag (2001-2006)

Visuals: There is a flash of light, creating orange "radiations" over a space-like blue atmosphere. Some of them then shine towards the camera, forming a new white emblem that blurs in. "intel inside" then emerge from the rectangle, as "pentium" and "4" fade in from the bottom. The emblem then rotates to face the camera, and an orange streak comes in from the left and creates a smaller flash over the emblem. The end result is this:

intel inside pentium 4

Variants:

A version exists with a URL at the bottom, which can be localized in some countries.
As with most tags, a scaled-down version for OEM ads exists.
On Intel Pentium 4 HT commercials, when the logo finishes, two streaks of orange lights form up to the Pentium 4 logo, resulting in 2 orange squares with "H" and "T".
On Intel Pentium 4 Mobile commercials, the logo starts as usual, but the emblem is different here, resembling the Pentium III Mobile logo, A white "m" then flashes in, the background is also different when the logo finishes, which the background is more blue than usual.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the Pentium III logo.

Availability: First appeared for the updated Blue Man Group advertising campaign for the Pentium 4 in 2001. It then started appearing on multiple commercials for the "Aliens" campaign, and numerous OEM commercials, with the first known one being for Gateway. Also used for Pentium 4 HT and Pentium 4 Mobile commercials.

2nd Tag (2002)

Visuals: A blue disc, textured with a processor die pattern, rotates towards the camera, with the word "Yes." on it. Then it rotates again, revealing a white Intel Inside logo. Then, the same emblem from the last tag rapidly zooms out onto the now orange disc.

Variant: A Korean version exists.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the last tag.

Availability: This appeared mostly on the "Intel Inside your..." commercials in 2002.