Intel MMX Technology

MMX technology is Intel’s most recent processor enhancement that will change the multimedia and communications world.

Combine a PC with software both designed for Intel MMX technology, and you’re in for an amazing experience.

A PC with a Pentium processor with MMX Technology is 10-20% faster than a Pentium processor-based system at the same clock speed. It’s over 60% faster for multi-media performance.

The Pentium processor with MMX technology includes all of the features of a standard Pentium processor plus more. It boasts three primary architectural design enhancements.

What are they? Find out more information:

• New Instructions
• SIMD
• More Cache

New Instructions:

Intel engineers have added 57 powerful new instructions specifically designed to manipulate and process video, audio and graphical data efficiently. These instructions are oriented to the highly parallel repetitive sequences often found in multimedia operations.

SIMD:

Today’s multimedia and communication applications often use repetitive loops that, while occupying 10 percent or less of the overall application code, can account for up to 90 percent of the execution time. A process called Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) enables one instruction to perform the same function on multiple pieces of data. It allows the chip to reduce compute-intensive loops common with video, audio, graphics and animation. As an analogy, consider a drill sergeant telling an entire platoon "About face, " rather than commanding each individual soldier one at a time.

More Cache:

Intel has doubled on chip cache size to 32k on the Intel Pentium processor with MMX technology. Now, more instructions and data can be stored on the chip reducing the number of times the processor has to access slower, off-chip memory areas for information.

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