page_title: Pentium II
section_title: Desktop
hierarchical_section_title: Pentium II / Core specifications / Desktop
context_page_description: The Pentium II brand refers to Intel's sixth-generation microarchitecture and x86-compatible microprocessors introduced on May 7, 1997. Containing 7.5 million transistors, the Pentium II featured an improved version of the first P6-generation core of the Pentium Pro, which contained 5.5 million transistors. However, its L2 cache subsystem was a downgrade when compared to the Pentium Pros.
  In 1998, Intel stratified the Pentium II family by releasing the Pentium II-based Celeron line of processors for low-end workstations and the Pentium II Xeon line for servers and high-end workstations. The Celeron was characterized by a reduced or omitted on-die full-speed L2 cache and a 66 MT/s FSB. The Xeon was characterized by a range of full-speed L2 cache, a 100 MT/s FSB, a different physical interface, and support for symmetric multiprocessing.
  In February 1999, the Pentium II was replaced by the nearly identical Pentium III, which only added the then new SSE instruction set. However, the older family would continue to be produced until June 2001 for desktop units, September 2001 for mobile units, and the end of 2003 for embedded devices.
caption: A Pentium II Klamath backside with its plastic casing removed, showing the commodity L2 cache chips and the cache tag SRAM (center).
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