O Core i3 é o sucessor do Intel Core 2 - series. Ele tem um GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) integrado e pode ser visto como a menor versão da série Intel Core i7 e Core i5. E sim, tem dois núcleos.
ATUALIZAÇÃO: Também de aqui :
With the Nehalem microarchitecture[14], Intel introduced a new naming scheme for its Core processors. There are three variants, Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7, but the names no longer correspond to specific technical features like the number of cores. Instead, the brand is now divided from low-level (i3), through mid-range (i5) to high-end (i7)[15]. Common features of all Nehalem based processors include an integrated DDR3 memory controller as well as QuickPath Interconnect or PCI Express and Direct Media Interface on the processor replacing the aging quad-pumped Front Side Bus used in all earlier Core processors. Also, all these processors have 256 KB L2 cache per core, plus up to 12 MB shared level 3 cache. Because of the new I/O interconnect, chipsets and mainboards from previous generations can no longer be used with Nehalem based processors.