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The Pentium III 550MHz is an emergency

Follow that ambulance marchitecture

The 550MHz PIII is a stopgap processor which only exists because Rambus has yet to deliver. Intel's Plan A was for a 533MHz part using the i820 Camino chipset at 133MHz FSB, but that ain't happening as planned, hence the hot (literally) 550MHz/100MHz FSB part hurridly rushed to market to maintain the speed bump lead over AMD. As for the 'Internet dream machine' hype, well, it just won't wash. To claim that a processor is designed for the Internet is more Marchitecture(tm) than architecture. The Katmai new instructions are now somewhat unconvincingly dubbed 'Internet Streaming SIMD Instructions'. While the ability to handle NURBs can conceivably be classed as a move in the right direction as far as download speeds are concerned, it does require optimised web sites that actually have NURB content. Most don't. Moving to ISDN connect will give a far more meaningful improvement in the Internet experience than will the use of Screaming Cindy's extensions. Intel may well stand on its hind legs and bleat that any company not currently on the Internet will be out of business in the next couple of years. Well, you name me ONE company of any size that doesn't currently have some kinda Web presence and I'll buy the beers. Companies that use the Internet as a USP are as tragically misguided as those who were droning on about being solution providers a few scant months ago. Marketing an emergency stop-gap processor with a core design stretching back 10 years as a Ferrari is as ludicrous as trying to sell a VW Polo as, well, a Ferrari. ®

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