Inside the Machine

Chapter 7. Intel's Pentium 4 vs. Motorola's G4e: Approaches and Design Philosophies

Now that we’ve covered not only the microprocessor basics but also the development of two popular x86 and PowerPC processor lines, you’re equipped to compare and to understand two of the processors that have been among the most popular examples of these two lines: Intel’s Pentium 4 and Motorola’s G4e.

When the Pentium 4 hit the market in November 2000, it was the first major new x86 microarchitecture from Intel since the 1995 introduction of the Pentium Pro. In the years prior to the Pentium 4’s launch, the Pentium Pro’s P6 core dominated the market in its incarnations as the Pentium II and Pentium III, and anyone who was paying attention during that time learned ...