pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

Pentium III

Intel’s successor to the Pentium II, formerly codenamed Katmai, came to market in the spring of 1999. With the introduction of the MMX came the process called Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD). This enabled one instruction to perform the same function on several pieces of data simultaneously, improving the speed at which sets of data requiring the same operations could be processed. The new processor introduced 70 new Streaming SIMD Extensions – but doesn’t make any other architecture improvements.

50 of the new SIMD Extensions are intended to improve floating-point performance. In order to assist data manipulation there are eight new 128-bit floating-point registers. In combination, these enhancements can lead to up to four floating-point results being returned at each cycle of the processor. There are also 12 New Media instructions to complement the existing 57 integer MMX instructions by providing further support for multimedia data processing. The final 8 instructions are referred to by Intel as the New Cacheability instructions. They improve the efficiency of the CPU’s Level 1 cache and allow sophisticated software developers to boost the performance of their applications or games.

Other than this, the Pentium III makes no other architecture improvements. It still fits into Slot 1 motherboards, albeit with simplified packaging – the new SECC2 cartridge allows a heatsink to be mounted directly onto the processor card and uses less plastic in the casing. The CPU still has 32KB of Level 1 cache and will initially ship in 450MHz and 500MHz models with a frontside bus speed of 100MHz and 512KB of half-speed Level 2 cache, as in the Pentium II. This means that unless a user is running a 3D/games application that has been specifically written to take advantage of Streaming SIMD Extensions – or uses the 6.1 version or later of Microsoft’s DirectX API – they’re unlikely to see a significant performance benefit over a similarly clocked Pentium II.

October 1999 saw the launch of Pentium III processors, codenamed Coppermine, built using Intel’s advanced 0.18-micron process technology. This features structures that are smaller than 1/500th the thickness of a human hair – smaller than bacteria and smaller than the (human-) visible wavelength of light. The associated benefits include smaller die sizes and lower operating voltages, facilitating more compact and power-efficient system designs and making possible clock speeds of 1GHz and beyond. The desktop part was initially available in two forms, with either 100MHz or 133MHz FSBs at speeds ranging from 500MHz to 700MHz and 733MHz respectively. The part notation used differentiated 0.18-micron from 0.25-micron processors at the same frequency by the suffix E and versions with the 133MHz FSB by the suffix B.

Although the size of the Level 2 cache on the new Pentium IIIs was halved to 256KB, it was placed on the die itself to run at the same speed as the processor, rather than half the speed as before. The ability to operate at full-speed more than makes up for the missing 256KB. Intel refers to the enhanced cache as Advanced Transfer Cache. In real terms ATC means the cache is connected to the CPU via a 256-bit wide bus – four times wider than the 64-bit bus of a Katmai-based Pentium III. Overall system performance is further enhanced by Intel’s Advanced System Buffering technology, which increases the number of buffers between the processor and its system bus resulting in a consequent increase in information flow.

The announcement of the 850MHz and 866MHz Pentium IIIs in the spring of 2000 appeared to confirm Intel’s intention to rationalise CPU form factors across the board – signalled earlier by the announcement of the first 0.18-micron Celerons in a new FC-PGA (flip-chip pin grid array) packaging – with these versions being available in both SECC2 and FC-PGA packaging. The limited availability of FC-PGA compatible motherboards in the first half of 2000 created a market for the slot-to-socket adapter (SSA). This, however, resulted in something of a minefield for consumers, with some SSA/motherboard combinations causing CPUs to operate out of specification – thereby voiding the Intel processor limited warranty – and potentially damaging the processor and/or motherboard!

Soon after its launch on 31 July 2000, Intel faced the embarrassment of having to recall all of its shipped 1.13GHz Coppermine CPUs after it was discovered that the chip caused systems to hang when running certain applications. Many linked the problem with the increasing competition from rival chipmaker AMD – who had succeeded in beating Intel to the 1GHz barrier a few weeks earlier – believing that Intel may have been forced into introducing faster chips earlier than it had originally planned.

The new Tualatin Pentium III core was another example of the degree to which Intel had allowed its long-term technology plans to be derailed by short-term marketing considerations.

  • Pentium Architecture
  • Pentium Pro
  • Pentium MMX Technology
  • Pentium II
  • Pentium SEC
  • Pentium “Deschutes
  • Pentium Xeon
  • Pentium III
  • Pentium Tualatin
  • Pentium 4
  • Pentium Northwood
  • Hyper-Threading Technology
  • Pentium Prescott
  • Pentium Processor Numbers
  • Multi-Core Processors
  • Pentium Smithfield
  • Pentium D
  • Pentium Roadmap

Filed Under: Pentium CPUs

Latest Articles

Top 4 Free Online Design Tools that Use Machine Learning

A few months ago, we told you about a series of free online image editing tools. In practice, these are simple alternatives to Adobe Photoshop that are often used for common actions such as cropping an image, placing a frame or adding brightness to a photograph. However, all these tools, including … [Read More...]

IEEE 802.11g

2001 was a tough year for the proposed 802.11g standard, with endless disagreements amongst the IEEE members over how it should be implemented and a real threat that it might be abandoned altogether. Towards the end of the year a compromise was … [Read More...]

Here Are Some Of The Current Web Design Trends 2019

The year 2019 is leading us quickly to the final chapter of this decade. Over the years, the internet has grown significantly. It has also changed the lives of everyone, and it is exciting. One of the evident changes is that more and more businesses are shifting to online markets and advertising on … [Read More...]

Streamline Startup Operations with Virtual Data Rooms

Modern startup projects that we see in the business cluster today are more than just a brilliant idea of a potentially successful project at the … [Read More...]

The Importance of Data Security in Retail IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the retail industry by connecting physical stores with digital platforms, enabling smart inventory … [Read More...]

Review of Temu From Purchaser and Affiliate

Temu is a relatively new online shopping platform that has quickly gained popularity, especially among Gen Z shoppers. It is known for its ultra-cheap … [Read More...]

Avoid Data Breaches Caused by Weak Passwords

Weak passwords are a common cause of data breaches and security vulnerabilities. Weak passwords make it easier for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized … [Read More...]

20 Cool Pictures of Silicon Valley You’re Sure to Love

Silicon Valley, a name synonymous with innovation and technological prowess, is a place where dreams and ideas come to life. Nestled in the heart of … [Read More...]

13 Funky Images of Laptops

In our digital age, laptops have become our faithful companions, indispensable tools for work, leisure, and everything in between. They've evolved … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

Inbox Zero with Streak

Email is perhaps the most important communication medium we use in business. It can be used to keep tasks going, document tasks and procedures and … [Read More...]

Windows Custom Safety

Windows Custom Safety Windows Custom Safety is another delightful fake Safety client infection. The idea behind infections of this nature is to trick … [Read More...]

404 Not Found Error

A 404 error is an HTTP status codemnuj0 that indicates the page you were trying to reach is not available on the web server you are accessing. It … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors