Intel launches MMX-enabled Pentiums

Intel formally launched their first line of MMX-enabled Pentium CPUs todaywith ringing endorsements from all major desktop and notebook PC makers.The new CPUs, which feature built-in multimedia extensions, have beeneagerly anticipated since they were announced last March. The first CPUsin the MMX line include 166 and 200Mhz versions for desktop users and 150and 166Mhz versions for notebook users. Intel's Pentium MMX chips are designed to boost multimedia performance, offering users better built-in audio, video, and graphics quality in applications that are written to take advantage of the new technology.Performance increases vary: in applications that don't take advantage of the MMX extensions, CPUs with the same speed perform 10-20% faster. If anapplication does support MMX, the speed increase rises to about 60%. Windows 97 and NT take advantage of MMX extensions, as do some applicationprograms like PhotoShop 4.0, Macromedia Director 5.0, 3D Studio MAX, andgames like Rebel Moon Rising. The MMX CPU's addition 32K of onboard cacheexplains the speed increase in older applications.Interestingly, modem users can benefit from MMX as well. Motorola demonstrated software modems running on MMX CPUs that allow simultaneousvoice and data transmission. MMX CPUs have special extensions for thisuse and the technology is expected to be used primarily as a way formodem manufacturers to create easy speed upgrades to modem purchasers:you still have to stick the phone cord into something and as of todayno motherboard vendors are offering modem ports on the board, thoughthis could change