Released at the end of 2000, the Pentium IV was Intel’s flagship CPU, replacing the Pentium III. It was the first product built on the NetBurst micro-architecture, which was intended to bring faster clock speeds.
Specification
The Pentium IV was available in 32-bit and 64-bit variants with and without Hyper-Threading. The clock rate started from 1.4 and 1.5 GHz initially and later increased to 3.8 GHz. It contained a single-core architecture.
Performance
With its newly built NetBurst micro-architecture, the Pentium IV suffered from heat dissipation issues, making it comparatively slower than its competitor, Athlon XP. Later, with the transition to smaller nm technologies, its performance improved. Still, it remained the company’s flagship product until the release of the Pentium M Processor in 2003.
FAQs
What is the NetBurst micro-architecture?
The NetBurst micro-architecture was an initiative by Intel to achieve higher clock rates. It featured a long pipeline, which shot the clock rates up, but at the cost of heat dissipation and power requirements.
Is the Pentium IV available today?
No, the Pentium IV was discontinued in 2008 and is no longer available on the market.
Conclusion
Intel’s Pentium IV was an iconic processor from the early 2000s that marked Intel’s transition to the NetBurst micro-architecture. It had a single-core architecture, and with the transition to smaller nm technologies, its performance improved. While it has been discontinued, its impact on the processor industry history is undeniable.
