Intel Pentium III

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Logo of the Intel Pentium III
Production:	1999 to 2002
Producer:	Intel
Processor clock:	450 MHz to 1400 MHz
FSB cycle:	100 MHz to 133 MHz
L2 cache size:	256 KiB to 512 KiB
Manufacturing :	250 nm to 130 nm
Instruction set :	x86 (16 bit) and x86-32
Microarchitecture :	Intel P6
Base: Slot 1 Base 370 µFC-BGA 479
Names of the processor cores: Katmai Coppermine Tualatin

Logo of the mobile version of the Intel Pentium III

Pentium III in slot 1 design

The Pentium III is an x86 -compatible microprocessor from Intel introduced in February 1999 , a close relative of its predecessor, the Pentium II . The biggest difference between the two processors lies in the additional SSE unit for fast floating point operations.

In addition to the Pentium III series, there is the Intel Celeron (P6) model series based on the same architecture for the low-price segment. The successor is the Pentium 4 .

Product history

Katmai

Pentium III with Katmai core without heat sink; two of the cache modules can be clearly seen

The first version of the Pentium III with the code name Katmai is a further development of the Pentium II with Deschutes core. In view of the upcoming increase in the bus speed from 100 to 133 MHz, Intel had also made minimal changes to the output drivers of the bus interface and a. The L1 cache controller was also slightly improved, but both were so similar - right down to the manufacturing process - that parts of the trade press were amazed at the "renaming" from Pentium II to Pentium III .

The Katmai was available with clock frequencies of 450 to 600 MHz and bus clocks of 100 and 133 MHz. Since the L2 cache of the Katmai - like its predecessor Deschutes - is not yet integrated on the chip, the Katmai is only available for the slot 1 bus interface already known from the Pentium II in the SECC and SECC2 designs, whereby the SECC Design is very rare and, according to Intel, was only delivered to OEMs . To distinguish it from the later available Pentium III variants with the so-called "Advanced Transfer Cache" (introduced in the Katmai successor Coppermine ), which were also available in a design for slot 1, Intel named this type of cache after the availability of the Coppermine to “Discrete Cache”, whereas Intel called it “integrated 512 K unified, nonblocking L2-Cache” in the early documentation for the Pentium III.

Pentium III with Katmai core

Additional designation	450	500	550	600	533B	600B
Available for	Slot 1
Bus clock in MHz	100				133
Clock frequency in MHz	450	500	550	600	533	600
multiplier	4.5	5	5.5	6th	4th	4.5
TDP in watts	25.3	28	30.8	34.5	29.7	34.5
introduction	Feb. 26, 1999		May 17, 1999	Aug 2, 1999	27 Sep 1999

Coppermine

The second version of the Pentium III, codenamed Coppermine, is a merger of the development lines of the Katmai and the Mendocino- Celeron , Intel's first P6 CPU with an integrated L2 cache. Like the Katmai, the Coppermine also has the SSE instruction set extension and the serial number. He inherited the integrated L2 cache from the Mendocino, which has a bidirectional connection to the CPU core operated at full CPU speed and thus allows simultaneous reading and writing. At 256  KiB , the L2 cache is only half the size of the Katmai, but according to Intel, the improved connection to the CPU core had a neutral or even slightly positive effect on execution speed and computing power in practically all applications available at the time a Coppermine Pentium III.

• 

  Pentium III 900 Coppermine (Socket-370)

• 

  Pentium III Coppermine (Slot-1)

• 

  Mobile Pentium III (SL53M)

Although there was actually no longer any technical requirement, Intel continued to offer the Coppermine in a variant for slot 1 , for which it came onto the market with clock frequencies of 550 to 1000 MHz and bus frequencies of 100 and 133 MHz. In the version for the 370 socket , the Pentium III was available with clock frequencies from 500 to 1133 MHz, both with 100 and 133 MHz bus clock. Due to some changes to the pinout and the bus protocol, a Pentium III can be operated for Socket 370, but not in a Socket 370 motherboard of the first generation; these are only suitable for operation with the first ever available Socket 370 CPU, the so-called Mendocino- Celeron .

Pentium III with Coppermine core

Additional designation	500E	550E	600E	650	700	750	800	850	900	1000	1100	533EB	600EB	667	733	800EB	866	933	1000B	1133
Available for	So370	So370 slot 1							So370	So370 slot 1	So370	So370 slot 1								So370
Bus clock in MHz	100											133
Clock frequency in MHz	500	550	600	650	700	750	800	850	900	1000	1100	533	600	667	733	800	866	933	1000	1133
multiplier	5	5.5	6th	6.5	7th	7.5	8th	8.5	9	10	11	4th	4.5	5	5.5	6th	6.5	7th	7.5	8.5
introduction	Oct 25, 1999					Dec 20, 1999		March 20, 2000		March 8, 2000	June 2000	Oct 25, 1999				Dec 20, 1999	March 20, 2000	May 24, 2000	March 8, 2000	July 31, 2000

Tualatin

The Pentium III-S is the server version of the Tualatin

The last core, Tualatin , performed well, especially the Pentium III-S intended for entry-level server use with a cache doubled to 512 KiB .

It was not only a reduction in size of the Coppermine to the new 130 nm production process - the electrical properties of the bus protocol were also slightly changed, so that this processor did not work on the normal Socket 370 mainboards for the FC-PGA Coppermine. The Tualatin only worked in so-called FCPGA2-compatible Socket 370 mainboards. However, there are instructions for modifications that allow processors with a Tualatin core to be operated on some mainboards without FCPGA2 support. But there were also commercial adapters such as B. from the company Upgradeware the SLOT-T (upgrade for slot 1) and the 370GU (upgrade for Socket 370) as well as the FCPGA-FCPGA2 adapter from Lin Lin (upgrade for Socket 370), which is available as a complete top-mounted socket FSB and CPU voltage jumpers and enables the use of the usual socket cooler or their retaining clips.

In addition to the server version Pentium III-S and the mobile version Mobile Pentium III-M - both with 512 KiB L2 cache - there is also a desktop version with 256 KiB L2 cache, which can be operated with clock frequencies from 1 to 1, 4 GHz is available. Although Intel never officially named this CPU that, it is mostly called the Pentium III-T .

Compared to the technically almost identical Celeron with Tualatin core, mostly just called Celeron-T , the Pentium III-T offers a bus clock of 133 MHz and a so-called data prefetch logic . The latter is the reason why an overclocked Celeron-T at 133 MHz bus clock is inferior to a Pentium III-T with the same clock frequency.

Pentium III with Tualatin core Additional designation 1000A 1133A 1200 1333 1400 Clock frequency in MHz 1000 1133 1200 1333 1400 multiplier 7.5 8.5 9 10 10.5

Pentium III-S with Tualatin core Additional designation 1133 1266 1400 Clock frequency in MHz 1133 1266 1400 multiplier 8.5 9.5 10.5

serial number

The Pentium III has a permanent, unique 96-bit serial number. B. allows you to understand activities on the Internet, such as shopping habits, etc. After heated controversy and calls for a boycott, the serial number was switched off by default. A little later, however, it became apparent that it can be read out without the consent of the user. In the successor model, the Pentium 4, this function was therefore again dispensed with.

Further development to Pentium M and Intel Core

The appearance of the NetBurst architecture in the Pentium 4 processor should replace the Pentium III in all markets. In fact, Intel only succeeded in doing this with server and desktop systems; Attempts to enforce the Pentium 4 processor for use in notebooks were soon abandoned by Intel because the CPU consumed too much energy for this. In the course of time, the high power consumption of the Pentium 4, sometimes over 100 watts, proved to be a market obstacle, while the competitor AMD offered more energy-efficient processors at the same time. Unlike Intel, AMD had also introduced variable processor clocks for desktop CPUs, so that their power consumption was reduced to less than 20 W in many cases.

As a replacement in the notebook sector, the Intel Pentium M was developed, a Pentium III processor that has been further developed in terms of its energy efficiency. The Pentium M turned out to be a great success and thus became the core of a strategy change that began with the renaming of the Pentium M to Intel Core . Intel decided to abandon the NetBurst architecture and instead offer the Intel Core for desktop systems and servers. As a result, the P6 micro-architecture of the Pentium III was developed into the core micro-architecture and the Intel Core 2 .

Model names

While the mobile, low-voltage and server variants of the Pentium III all officially have suffixes such as “mobile”, “low voltage” or an appended “-S”, Intel designates all variants of the “normal” desktop Pentium III Series (for both slot 1 and socket 370) only as "Pentium III".

Since the clock frequency was not the only distinguishing feature given the large number of available CPU cores and different FSB clock frequencies, Intel began with the first version of the Pentium III - the Katmai - to clarify the differences by adding letters or groups of letters to the clock frequency .

Additional designations for the desktop variants

Intel calls the Katmai desktop Pentium III, the slot 1 and socket 370 versions of the Coppermine Pentium III and the socket 370 version of the Tualatin Pentium III with 256 KiB cache. If the clock frequency does not allow clear conclusions to be drawn about the CPU core used and the FSB clock (assuming the necessary knowledge), this information can be determined using a suffix appended to the clock frequency .

On the Katmai , a "B" indicates the FSB -133 variant. The FSB-100 variant has no suffix. The clock frequency clearly identifies the Pentium III 533B as FSB-133 type, but Intel has not done without the "B".

The Copper Mine models of the Pentium III, in which due to the clock frequency, there is a risk of confusion with the Katmai models are marked with an "E" which is the Copper Mine Pentium III colloquially the term Pentium III / E earned. FSB-133 models of the Coppermine-Pentium-III are marked with "EB" if the clock frequency does not provide any clear information. The Pentium III 733 does not have an "EB" suffix, as a clock frequency of 733 MHz already identifies it as an FSB-133 model with a coppermine core. On the Pentium III 800EB , the "EB" is used to differentiate it from the FSB-100 sister model, the Pentium III 800 . Confusingly, the FSB-133 type of the Coppermine-Pentium-III with 1000 MHz is only identified by a "B". Its FSB-100 variant has no additional features, as does the Coppermine with 1133 MHz, which already has a clock frequency as an FSB-133 model.

The Pentium III with Tualatin core basically runs with a bus clock of 133 MHz. To avoid confusion with the Coppermine Pentium III, the Tualatin models with 1000 and 1133 MHz are marked with an "A". From 1200 MHz, the clock frequency clearly identifies a Pentium III as a Tualatin type.

Clock frequency suffixes for the desktop Pentium III

additive	CPU core	FSB cycle	model
is missing	Katmai	100 MHz	450/500/550/600
	Coppermine	100 MHz	650/700/750/800/850/900/1000/1100
	Coppermine	133 MHz	667/733/866/933/1133
	Tualatin	133 MHz	1200/1333/1400
"B"	Katmai	133 MHz	533B / 600B
	Coppermine	133 MHz	1000B
"E"	Coppermine	100 MHz	500E / 550E / 600E
"EB"	Coppermine	133 MHz	533EB / 600EB / 800EB
"A"	Tualatin	133 MHz	1000A / 1133A

Overview of the CPU cores

CPU core	Katmai		Coppermine (short: "CuMine")				Tualatin
Core quilting	kB0, kC0		cA2, cB0, cC0		cD0		tA1, tB1
The size in mm²	128		106 / 104.6 / 90.0		94.7		80
Number of transistors	9.5 million		28.1 million				44 million
Structure size in µm	0.25		0.18				0.13
L2 cache type	"Discrete Cache"		"Advanced Transfer Cache"
L2 cache size	512 KiB		256 KiB					512 KiB
other names for the CPU core (partly colloquial)					Coppermine D		Tualatin-256	Tualatin-512 Tualatin-S
						Coppermine-T
Official name for the CPU	Pentium III for the SC242 socket			Pentium III for the PGA370 socket			Pentium III is based on the 0.13 µm process	Pentium III with 512 KiB L2 cache	Low-voltage Pentium III with 512 KiB L2 cache
available for	Slot 1			Base 370					BGA-495
CPU design	SECC	SECC2		FC-PGA	FC-PGA FC-PGA2		FC-PGA2		µFC-BGA
Bus clock in MHz	100	100/133				133
Bus signal level	AGTL +					AGTL + / AGTL "auto detect"	AGTL
Clock frequency in MHz	450/500	450-600	533-1000	500-1133		866-1133	1000-1400	1133-1400	800, 933, 1000
Core voltage U Core in volts	2.00	2.00 / 2.05	1.60-1.70	1.60-1.76		1.75	1.475	1.45	1.15
Power consumption in watts	25.3-34.5		14.0-33.0	13.2-29.6		19.6-37.5	27.6-33.9	27.9-32.2	10.6-12.1
further names for the CPU (partly colloquial)	Katmai		Slot 1 Coppermine	Socket 370 Coppermine			Socket 370 Tualatin		LV Pentium III
			Pentium III / E				Desktop-Tualatin Pentium III-T	Server-Tualatin Pentium III-S

Remarks:

1. ↑ SRAM building blocks on CPU module, connection: 128 bit, half duplex
2. ↑ On-Die -Cache, connection: 256 bit, full duplex
3. ↑ ^{a b} This term is also used by Intel.
4. ↑ There are several versions of the Socket 370 , which are mechanically compatible, but electrically incompatible under certain circumstances. There are differences in the signal levels of the bus protocol between Tualatin and Coppermine. The Coppermine-T can handle both signal level types and has an automatic detection for them.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} depending on the clock frequency and CPU variant
6. ↑ ^{a b} A variant with 1133 MHz was recalled by Intel shortly after the start of sales, after stability problems became known. This CPU was specified for a supply voltage of 1.8 volts and carried the sSpec SL4HH.
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Strictly speaking, this term also includes the Celeron models derived from the respective CPU core .

Model data

Katmai

• L1 cache : 16 + 16 KiB (data + instructions)
• L2 cache: 512 KiB, external chips on CPU module, half processor clock
• MMX , ISSE
• Slot 1 , AGTL + level, 100 and 133 MHz front side bus
• Operating voltage ( VCore ): 2.0 V (600 MHz: 2.05 V)
• Release DATE: February 26, 1999
• Manufacturing technology: 250 nm
• The size: 128 mm² with 9.5 million transistors
• Models:
• 100 MHz FSB: 450, 500, 550 and 600 MHz
• 133 MHz FSB (B models): 533 and 600 MHz

Coppermine

Pentium III in the 900 MHz version (Coppermine) - Socket 370

Pentium III with 733 MHz (Coppermine) - Slot 1

• L1 cache : 16 + 16 KiB (data + instructions)
• L2 cache: 256 KiB on those with processor clock
• MMX , SSE
• Slot 1 and Socket 370 (FC-PGA), GTL + with 100 and 133 MHz front side bus
• Operating voltage ( VCore ): 1.6-1.76V
• Power consumption (TDP): 13–33 W depending on the frequency
• Release DATE: October 25, 1999
• Manufacturing technology: 180 nm
• The size: 90, 95, 104 or 106 mm² with 28.1 million transistors
• Models:
• 100 MHz FSB (E models): 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 1000, and 1100 MHz
• 133 MHz FSB (EB models): 533, 600, 667, 733, 800, 866, 933, 1000 and 1133 MHz

Tualatin-256

A Pentium III-T (SL5GQ).

Sold as a Pentium III-T

• L1 cache : 16 + 16 KiB (data + instructions)
• L2 cache: 256 KiB on those with processor clock
• MMX , SSE
• Socket 370 (FC-PGA2), AGTL with 133 MHz front side bus
• Operating voltage ( VCore ): 1.475 V.
• Release DATE: July 2001
• Manufacturing technology: 130 nm
• The size: 80 mm² with 44 million transistors
• Models: 1000, 1133, 1200, 1333 and 1400 MHz

Tualatin-512

Pentium III-S with 1,266 MHz (Tualatin-512)

Sold as Pentium III-S and mobile Pentium III-M

• L1 cache : 16 + 16 KiB (data + instructions)
• L2 cache: 512 KiB with processor clock
• MMX , SSE
• Socket 370 (FC-PGA2), AGTL with 133 MHz front side bus
• Operating voltage ( VCore ): 1.45 V.
• Release DATE: June 2001
• Manufacturing technology: 130 nm
• The size: 80 mm² with 44 million transistors
• Models: 1133, 1266 and 1400 MHz

See also

• List of microprocessors
• AMD K6-III
• Athlon
• Cyrix MII
• VIA Cyrix III
• VIA C3

Web links

Commons : Pentium III  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Georg Schnurer: Security versus data protection . In: c't . No. 3 . Heise-Verlag, 1999, p. 30 ( heise.de ).
2. ↑ Christian Persson : Pentium III serial number can be switched on "softly" . In: c't . No. 5 . Heise-Verlag, 1999, p. 16 ( heise.de ).
3. ↑ Jens Ihlenfeld: Intel - Pentium III successor again without serial number. Golem, April 28, 2000, accessed October 4, 2011 . 
4. ↑ Data sheet link ( Memento of the original from September 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ [1]
6. ↑ [2]
7. ↑ [3]
8. ↑ [4]
9. ↑ [5]