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Subject: Re: Expected hardware at WCCC99

Author: William Bryant

Date: 17:04:52 06/13/99

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On June 13, 1999 at 18:48:55, James Swafford wrote:

>On June 13, 1999 at 16:14:00, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On June 13, 1999 at 15:18:29, Ernst Walet wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>>actually it is... but it is called the PII/xeon, although I bet that
>>>>fritz/junior are on PIII/xeon's instead, which are better once compilers
>>>>start using all the new instructions..
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>Actually it isn't.  Ok ok, the core is, but the level 2 cache isn't in speed and
>>>can be larger in size.  So to mention it in the line of the Pii used by Fritz
>>>and Junior is not completely punctual.
>>
>>
>>Blame the brain-dead people at Intel that name the things.  I have four
>>of 'em in my box and on each module they say "Intel Pentium II Xeon".  And
>>I have tested on a box that said "Intel Pentium III Xeon".  The "xeon" is the
>>trigger to know that the L2 cache is at core cpu speed.  Without that word,
>>you get a L2 cache at 1/2 core speed and only in 512K, while the xeon can be
>>had in 512K, 1024K and 2048K L2 sizes...
>>
>>But Intel has always had trouble naming processors.  IE 486/33 with a 33mhz
>>bus speed, 486/66 DX2, running internally at 2x the bus speed, and then the
>>486/100 DX4 running at _3X_ the bus speed.  :)
>>
>>where the "DX" was their 'clock multiplier' nomenclature...
>
>
>Since we're talking about naming conventions... I've long wondered
>what sense it made to name a chip "Pentium II" or "Pentium III."
>
>Think about it.  The prefix 'pent' means 5, as in 80586.
>
>Probably just a marketing tool...

I may be somewhat off, but the change from 386, 486, 586 etc. to pentium was for
trademark reasons.  You can't trademark a number.  You can't trademark 80586,
but you can trademark the name 'Pentium'.

To follow this to its natural conclusion, would you call the 686 a Sexium?
A 786 a Septium?

William
wbryant@ix.netcom.com




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