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The continued segmentation of the computer marketplace is creating a world characterized by many different application needs and priorities. In response to this trend, Intel is developing and marketing multiple processor products—all based on the same P6 microarchitecture (core processor technology)—to meet the diverse requirements of today's users.
The most recent example of this strategy in action is the introduction on April 15th of the Pentium® II processor at 350 and 400 MHz. This product is designed specifically to meet the needs of professional desktop users in the business community, high-performance enthusiasts in the consumer marketplace, as well as dual and single processor high-volume servers and workstations. Based on Intel's 0.25-micron process technology, the new Pentium II processors at 350 and 400 MHz are the first processors to feature a 100-MHz system bus. The 100-MHz P6 bus provides a system with 50% more bandwidth than the current 66-MHz system bus. Overall, 400-MHz Pentium II processor-based systems will provide up to 20% more performance than those based on the 333-MHz Pentium II processor.
On April 15th Intel also introduced the new Intel® Celeron™ processor. The Intel Celeron processor has been designed specifically to meet the needs of the Basic PC market. The first Celeron processor operates at 266 MHz and is based on the same P6 microarchitecture as the Pentium II processor. Lacking a L2 cache and housed in a new Single Edge Processor Package (SEPP), the Celeron processor has been designed to enable systems priced below $1,000. While supporting this affordable system price point, the Celeron processor offers the best performance for a Basic PC processor. A 266-MHz Celeron processor-based system will perform up to 15% faster on multimedia applications and 35% faster on 3D/floating-point applications than a system based on the 233-MHz Pentium processor with MMX™ technology.
These products follow on the heels of the April 2nd introduction of the first Pentium II processors for the mobile market segment. Operating at 233 and 266 MHz, the mobile Pentium II processors bring the desktop-equivalent performance of a Pentium II processor to notebooks for the first time. And since the mobile Pentium II processor is also based on the low-power 0.25-micron process technology, notebooks based on the mobile Pentium II processor will have the same long battery lives users have come to expect from notebooks based on the Pentium processor with MMX technology.
Multiple Processors for Multiple Market Segments
With these major product introductions in April, Intel now offers P6 microarchitecture-based processors for all market segments. The chart below shows the product transition occurring in 1998 for each segment.
The volume-priced mainstream segment in business computing is the Performance Desktop, which today is the domain of the Pentium II processor at 300 and 333 MHz. The next segment is the Professional Desktop. Business users in this segment require the highest processing performance available on the PC platform, to accommodate the demanding requirements of visual computing and electronic business applications such as digital imaging, 3D visualization, video communications and the newer plug-ins for Internet and Intranet communications. The Pentium II processor at 350 and 400 MHz is ideally suited for the Professional Desktop segment. Its multiprocessing capabilities and high-bandwidth 100-MHz system bus also make it well-suited for the High-Volume Server and Workstation segments. In the entry-level, the 266-MHz Celeron processor provides the best solution for Basic PCs for business. The Celeron processor provides the performance necessary for standard productivity and Internet applications at an affordable system price. For notebook users, the mobile Pentium II processors at 233 or 266 MHz provide desktop level performance while maintaining long battery lives.
Similar price/performance segmentation exists in consumer computing, starting with Basic PCs based on the Intel Celeron processor, leading to volume-mainstream Performance Desktops and culminating with the highest performance Enthusiast Desktops. The Enthusiast segment features high-speed, advanced-design PCs that have the performance to handle leading-edge Internet technologies and content, as well as visually realistic 3D graphics, video capabilities and the newest games and multimedia applications. With the Pentium II processor at 350 and 400 MHz, PCs in the Enthusiast Desktop segment will now be capable of delivering host-based DVD playback, faster digital imaging, detailed 3D graphics for realistic effects, and smooth animation for fast-paced action.
Balanced Platforms based on the Pentium II Processor
Systems based on the new Pentium II processors at 350 and 400 MHz offer much more than just higher clock frequencies. Its high-bandwidth 100-MHz system bus paves the way for much faster transfer of data from main memory to the processor, marking it as the first Intel® processor to go beyond today's prevailing state-of-the-art 66-MHz system bus. This new feature is ideal for large data set applications that cannot fit into L1 and L2 cache memory.
Intel has also enabled other building blocks that balance the platform to take full advantage of the performance of the new Pentium II processors. This includes AGP graphics support via the new Intel® 440BX AGPset and Intel740™ graphics processor, fast 100-MHz SDRAM memory, and high-performance I/O interfaces to support USB peripherals. To help the platform developer put together all the pieces, Intel is providing a complete set of design tools, including guidelines for 100-MHz system interconnect, as well as design guidelines for the Intel 440BX AGPset.
More coming in 1998
The new Pentium II processor at 350 and 400 MHz, and the 266-MHz Celeron processor, are the latest examples of Intel's strategy of introducing a variety of processors for multiple market segments during 1998. Each processor combines the high performance of the P6 microarchitecture with design characteristics and pricing optimized for specific platform implementations. Later in 1998, Intel will introduce additional processors that offer greater performance and enable Intel® Architecture based systems to reach new market segments.
Coming mid-year will be new Pentium II processors based on the Slot 2 form factor. These Pentium II processors are being designed to meet the specific needs of the mid- to high-range of the workstation and server market segments. The Slot 2 Pentium II processors will feature L2 caches larger than 512K, operating off an L2 cache bus operating at the same speed as the processor. The bigger and faster L2 caches will enable the Slot 2 Pentium II processor to meet the data-intensive requirements of high-end server and workstation applications. The Slot 2 Pentium II processors will also be highly scalable, offering 4-way multiprocessing and beyond.
In addition to the Slot 2 processor, Intel will introduce improved versions of its other P6 microarchitecture processors. The mobile Pentium II processor will reach 300 MHz, the next member of the Intel Celeron processor family with on-die L2 cache will also make its debut, and the Pentium II processor will reach 450 MHz.
In 1998, all segments of computing will continue to reap the benefits of a common core Intel Architecture and the move to Intel's 0.25-micron process.
Richard Dracott is Director of Marketing in Intel's Microprocessor Products Group MD6 division, where he is responsible for product and technical marketing strategy and communications related to Intel's Pentium II processor product line.
For More Information
Pentium II processor developer web site
Celeron processor developer web site
Mobile Pentium II processor developer web site
Intel 440BX AGPset product web site
100-MHz System Interconnect Design Guidelines
Intel 440BX AGPset Design Guidelines
Memory Technology news page in PSN
System Design Technology news page in PSN
Microprocessor Technology news page in PSN
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* Legal Information © 1998 Intel Corporation
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