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The Intel NetBurst micro-architecture delivers a number of new and innovative features including Hyper Pipelined
Technology, 400 MHz System Bus, Execution Trace Cache, and Rapid Execution Engine as well as a number of
enhanced features Advanced Transfer Cache, Advanced Dynamic Execution, Enhanced Floating-point and Multi-
media Unit, and Streaming SIMD Extensions 2. Many of these new innovations and advances were made possible
with improvements in processor technology, process technology, and circuit design that could not previously be
implemented in high-volume, manufacturable solutions. The features and resulting benefits of the new micro-
architecture are defined below.
Intel Pentium 4 Processor Product Feature Highlights
Hyper Pipelined Technology:
The hyper-pipelined technology of the NetBurst micro-architecture doubles the pipeline depth compared to the P6
micro-architecture used on today’s Pentium III processors. One of the key pipelines, the branch prediction/
recovery pipeline, is implemented in 20 stages in the NetBurst micro-architecture, compared to 10 stages in the P6
micro-architecture. This technology significantly increases the performance, frequency, and scalability of the
processor.
400 MHZ System Bus:
The Pentium4 processor supports Intel’s highest performance desktop system bus by delivering 3.2 GB of data
per second into and out of the processor. This is accomplished through a physical signaling scheme of quad
pumping the data transfers over a 100-MHz clocked system bus and a buffering scheme allowing for sustained
400-MHz data transfers. This compares to 1.06 GB/s delivered on the Pentium III processor’s 133-MHz system
bus.
