
2
AMD-K6
-
III
Processor
Chapter 1
AMD-K6
-
III
Processor Data Sheet
21918B/0—October 1999
The innovative AMD-K6
-III processor brings industry-leading performance to PC
systems running the extensive installed base of x86 software. Its Super7
compatible, 321-pin ceramic pin grid array (CPGA) package enables the processor to
reduce time-to-market by leveraging today’s cost-effective, industry-standard
infrastructure to deliver a superior-performing PC solution.
The AMD-K6-III processor incorporates 3DNow! technology, a significant
innovation to the x86 processor architecture that drives today’s personal computers.
With 3DNow! technology, new, more powerful hardware and software applications
enable a more entertaining and productive PC platform. Improvements include fast
frame rates on high-resolution scenes, superior modeling of real world environments
and physics, life-like images and graphics, and big-screen sound and video.
AMD has taken a leadership role in developing new instructions that enable exciting
new levels of performance and realism. 3DNow! technology was defined and
implemented in collaboration with Microsoft
, application developers, and graphics
vendors, and has received an enthusiastic reception. It is compatible with today’s
existing x86 software, is supported by industry-standard APIs, and requires no
operating system support, thereby enabling a broad class of applications to benefit
from 3DNow! technology.
To provide state-of-the-art performance, the processor incorporates the innovative
and efficient RISC86
microarchitecture, the largest total internal cache on any
shipping x86 processor, a powerful IEEE 754-compatible and 854-compatible
floating-point execution unit, and a high-performance industry-standard multimedia
execution unit for executing MMX instructions. The processor includes additional
high-performance Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) execution resources to
support the 3DNow! technology. These techniques have been combined to deliver
leading-edge performance on leading consumer and business applications in both the
Microsoft Windows
98 and Windows NT
operating environments.
The AMD-K6-III
processor’s 6-issue RISC86 microarchitecture is a decoupled
decode/execution superscalar design that implements state-of-the-art design
techniques to achieve leading-edge performance. Advanced design techniques
implemented in the AMD-K6-III processor include multiple x86 instruction decode,
single-clock internal RISC operations, ten execution units that support superscalar
operation, out-of-order execution, data forwarding, speculative execution, and
register renaming. In addition, the processor supports advanced branch prediction
logic by implementing an 8192-entry branch history table, a branch target cache, and
a return address stack, which combine to deliver better than a 95% prediction rate.
These design techniques enable the AMD-K6-III processor to issue, execute, and
retire multiple x86 instructions per clock, resulting in excellent scaleable
performance.