The 6x86MX at a maximum 225-MHz clock speed probably will hit the market in the last half of 1998. Most software code, however, still doesn't take full advantage of MMX commands. Cyrix's 6x86MX, code-named the M2, will have versions for mobile as well as desktop computers. It will be a Pentium II with faster clock speed and lower power requirements. Motherboards are like the orchestra, and the chip set is the conductor.
Every orchestra needs a conductor to keep things moving at the right tempo.
A PC's chip set is comprised of system, memory and bus controllers. Pentium II computers shipped earlier this year had Intel's older 440FX chip set, which lacked some of the features planned for the new processor and motherboard. The long waits for PC boot-up are going to get shorter, thanks to power management methods that drop some desktop components into suspend mode. The new boot method is called OnNow. In the spring of 1998, Intel plans to release a new 100-MHz bus and a 440BX chip set.