Pentium Processor Family : A Brief

The Pentium family of processors, which has its roots in the Intel486(TM) processor, uses the Intel486 instruction set (with a few additional instructions). The term ''Pentium processor'' refers to a family of microprocessors that share a common architecture and instruction set. The first Pentium processors (the P5 variety) were introduced in 1993. This 5.0-V processor was fabricated in 0.8-micron bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology. The P5 processor runs at a clock frequency of either 60 or 66 MHz and has 3.1 million transistors.
The next version of the Pentium processor family, the P54C processor, was introduced in 1994. The P54C processors are fabricated in 3.3-V, 0.6-micron BiCMOS technology. The P54C processor also has System Management Mode (SMM) for advanced power management
The Intel Pentium processor, like its predecessor the Intel486 microprocessor, is fully software compatible with the installed base of over 100 million compatible Intel architecture systems. In addition, the Intel Pentium processor provides new levels of performance to new and existing software through a reimplementation of the Intel 32-bit instruction set architecture using the latest, most advanced, design techniques. Optimized, dual execution units provide one-clock execution for "core" instructions, while advanced technology, such as superscalar architecture, branch prediction, and execution pipelining, enables multiple instructions to execute in parallel with high efficiency. Separate code and data caches combined with wide 128-bit and 256-bit internal data paths and a 64-bit, burstable, external bus allow these performance levels to be sustained in cost-effective systems. The application of this advanced technology in the Intel Pentium processor brings "state of the art" performance and capability to existing Intel architecture software as well as new and advanced applications.
The Pentium processor has two primary operating modes and a "system management mode."
The operating mode determines which instructions and architectural features are accessible.