First versions of the processor will be 450 and 500MHz so it is obvious that Intel is not out to win any competitions based on speed. A 550MHz version of the Pentium III Xeon is due in mid-April and a 550MHz Pentium III shortly afterwards, with 700 or 800MHz versions slated to appear by the end of the year. Most end users have twigged that incremental improvements in clock speeds make little, if any, difference to day-to-day running of standard applications, and so it is the other features and architectural improvements that will make future processors releases more attractive.

Even the cache has not had a major overhaul with the Pentium III. The 1MB of cache on the Xeon processor has effectively limited � for commercial reasons, of course � the L2 cache size on the Pentium III which remains at 512KB. Some minor tweaks have been made under the hood to streamline cache and memory operation, even allowing time-sensitive applications to side-step the L2 cache completely to avoid performance-limiting cache misses.

One of the biggest improvements comes with 70 new instructions geared towards handling audio, video and applications up to 100 per cent faster than MMX and nearly 200 per cent faster than ordinary Pentiums. As a sort of "next-generation MMX", MMX2 � or Streaming SIMD (single instruction, multiple data) instructions, as they are officially known � are destined to become much more popular than the original 57 MMX instructions which were designed to allow multimedia applications to run faster. Unfortunately, not many software vendors took the trouble to support them, meaning that most machines with MMX processors run no faster than their non-MMX counterparts. However, Intel is already courting major software vendors � including Microsoft�� to persuade them to make their products MMX2-friendly.

The Streaming SIMD instruction set consists of approximately seventy new instructions and includes instructions for floating point data types. By comparison, MMX technology consists of fifty-seven instructions, and provides SIMD instructions for integer data types only. SIMD instructions take advantage of the fact that many software applications repeat certain operations over and over, and process these operations in parallel. In effect, the new extensions will allow the Pentium III to perform in a single step tasks that today take many steps to accomplish.

Streaming SIMD Extensions have been carefully architected for 3D software. For the operation of transforming 3D vertices, there is clear parallelism (i.e., the ability to transform several vertices simultaneously) that the SIMD instructions can utilise to improve performance. This results in the ability to transform more vertices per second � hence, higher speed graphics. For the end-user, the result is more dramatic realism from smoother (less blocky) and therefore more realistic surfaces, more objects rendered in a given scene, shadow effects rendered in real time, reflections, animation effects, and so on.

Along with pure graphics applications, video applications � such as video editing � will also benefit from the new instruction set. In such applications, complex imaging operations must be done in real-time on the individual frames of a video stream running at 24-30 frames per second. Streaming SIMD extensions will provide the ability to do more useful video manipulations in real-time for consumer video creativity and professional video production applications.

The other performance sensitive operations of video applications such as the core video compression and decompression algorithms will also be made that much more efficient. These algorithms benefited greatly from MMX technology, and Streaming SIMD extensions will add even more performance. This will result in higher resolution video images at faster frame rates in areas such as video conferencing and in applications that use DVD/MPEG, Indeo, and other video technologies.

Even audio applications will find a performance boost in the Streaming SIMD extensions. Once again, high levels of compression are used in the audio field and the algorithms used to compress and decompress can be speeded up significantly. For continuous speech recognition, the end result will be a reduced error rate and a shortened response time, and we may soon see effective software-only decoding of advanced compressed audio such as Dolby AC-3 (Dolby Digital 5.1).

Of course, only programs that make direct use of the SIMD instructions will run any faster. You will notice no difference whatsoever when running existing applications like Windows 98, Word or Excel. The worrying thing is that most of the new features will undoubtedly be exploited by games vendors first, leaving business users wondering if it is really worth upgrading for now. The additional dilemma for games writers is that the new instructions are similar to � but not compatible with � the 3DNow instructions already available in the AMD K6-2 chip and planned for inclusion in upcoming Cyrix processors.

One feature that will be warmly welcomed by most business users, however, is the new processor serial number � a unique number imprinted onto the circuitry of the processor itself. This number provides IT managers with a valuable means for identifying and tracking systems on the network. Client management software will be able to read the serial number on systems using the Pentium III processor, using the information to track assets, identify systems for upgrades and enhance security.

For example the processor serial number, when used with user name and password, can be used by internal and external systems (such as Web sites) to strengthen security when conducting e-commerce or setting up members-only chat rooms.

Of course, the paranoid privacy party poopers have already sounded off here talking about how they don�t want Microsoft using the number to find out "where they have been today�", which is probably taking their paranoia just a little too far. However, Intel has responded positively by stating that although the serial number will be there, the feature that "broadcasts" it will be switched off by default, and must be specifically enabled on individual systems as required.

So, should we all be rushing out to buy Pentium III machines or stuffing the new processors in our old boxes? For those for whom that latter question is relevant, they need to know that in theory, it has the same requirements as a high end Pentium II - a Slot1 440BX compatible motherboard with support for a minimum 450Mhz processor. But would you want to?

If you already have a Pentium II 400 or 500MHz machine there really is no point in upgrading. If you have money to spend, try using it to buy more, or faster, RAM � you will see much more improvement in the overall speed of your system. As new versions appear the clock speed will inevitably increase, but even then it is not often you would notice such incremental increases when running your word processing or e-mail program.

Of course, as new applications come on stream that take advantage of the SIMD instruction set you will begin to see some enormous benefits in owning one of the new processors. Those who make their living doing things audible and visual on their computers will begin to notice some real improvements as a result of the new processor and its SIMD extensions. We are also promised a whole new world of exciting Web-based content that will take advantage of the new features of the Pentium III � hence the bewildering claim on the TV ads that the processor has been "designed for the Internet".

By the time that happens, however, the prices will have dropped some anyway, and it is likely that the Pentium III will be much more of a "standard" item � nothing stands still for too long in this industry.

At the end of the day, the name "Pentium III" is more of a marketing device than a true indication of the processor�s status, which is more an evolution of the Pentium II than a whole new processor. Even the general public is aware of the Pentium name, and a new version should have a new number, surely?

Besides, Pentium 2.5 just doesn�t have the same ring to it, does it?