Intel plug the new Pentium as AMD ships K6-III

Intel Corporation held a Pentium III Processor Preview Day in San Jose, California on February 17, prior to the new chip’s launch on February 28. The new family of processors contain Streaming SIMD Extensions, new processor instructions that developers are using to accelerate 3D processing, audio and video streaming, digital imaging and speech recognition.

“The Pentium III processor is designed to power a new Internet experience filled with rich audio, video, animations and 3D that make information come alive,” said Mike Aymar, vice president and director of Intel’s Platform Launch Organisation.

It’s probably no coincidence that AMD have decided that now is the time to launch their own next-generation processor, the K6-III. Boasting support from PC retail giants such as Compaq and Gateway, AMD are hoping to take some of the shine off Intel’s big day, and provide consumers with a viable alternative.

“The AMD-K6-III processor with 3DNow! technology is the ultimate sixth-generation PC processor for consumer enthusiasts and business power users,” said S. Atiq Raza, AMD co-chief operating officer and chief technical officer. “By combining AMD’s innovative 3DNow! instructions with our new TriLevel Cache design, the AMD-K6-III processor delivers industry-leading performance in the Microsoft Windows 98 and Windows NT environments and enables a superior 3D visual computing experience.”

Many of the top software houses have recently announced their support for AMD’s 3DNow! technology in several of their forthcoming titles, including Quake III Arena, Daikatana, Slave Zero and Duke Nukem Forever.