Questions with Answers

  1. How much faster is it?
    Any computer user would concern about their computer speed. There is no guaranteed to how fast it will be but Intel calims that MMX technology will increase the multimedia programs by 50 to 400 percent. Depending on the hardware, speed can be limited.
     
  2. Will new software be needed?
    Another alternative is to buy new software; Since the speed up comes from using new instructions, software has to be written to take full advantage of the technology. Any existing sotware sold in stores will run on the new MMX technology compatible processors. The Pentium processor with MMX technology has some new instruction enhancements. It will run existing software about 10 to 20 percent faster.
     
  3. Do I need to buy a new computer?
    No, if you have a computer with Pentium processor built in already. Intel has announced that they will introduce an OverDrive processor upgrade that should work in most Pentium-based PC.
     
  4. What is SIMD and how does it help?
    Single Instruction, Multiple data. It makes it possible for one instruction to perform the same operation on multiple data items in parallel for increased performance.
     
  5. What is saturating arithmetic and how does it help?
    Saturating arithmetic eliminates the need for overflows and underflows on MMX instructions. If a result is out of bounds, it is saturated to the closest allowable value. Many multimedia applications benefit from saturating arithmetic by avoiding wraparound artifacts.
     
  6. How many 32-bit quantities can you work on in parallel with one MMX quadword? 16-bit quantities? 8-bit quantities?
    Two 32-bit quantities,
    Four 16-bit quantities,
    Eight 8-bit quantities.
     
  7. Which parts of the CPU speedup equation were enhanced to speed up the MMX processors?
    CPI and Frequency. Instruction count remains basically unchanged.
     
  8. How many Stages does the MMX pipeline have?
    It has 6 stages.
     
  9. What is one of the most cost effective ways to improve CPI performance?
    Increase the cache size.
     
  10. What are the four new improvements that separate the Pentium and the MMX enhanced Pentium?
    New instructions,
    New 64-bit Data Type,
    SIMD,
    Increased cache size.