Obviously, integer operations are processed in the ALU, the Arithmetic Logic Unit. The Pentium IV s ALU uses a new approach to reduce the latency of certain integer instructions, to compensate for the longer pipeline. It simplifies processing by making sure that cached instructions are in the right sequence. As with all long pipeline CPUs, the better the branch prediction, the better the performance. The Pentium IV significantly enhances the algorithms used in the P6 family of CPUs by, effectively, combining all currently available prediction schemes.
Integer instructions execute at twice the speed of the rest of the processor.
This revolutionary technology delivers a much higher performance instruction cache as well as makes more efficient use of cache memory storage. Overall, Intel has implemented some quite inventive solutions in the Pentium IV to attain clockspeeds in excess of 1.5 GHz. If properly supported and implemented, the new SSE2 instructions, the long pipeline, the trace cache and the improved branch prediction algorithms will all contribute to a CPU that could turn out to be a wolf in sheep s clothing. Corp. All Rights Reserved.