Business
Cyrix's M2 will sample in December
Cyrix's answer to the Pentium Pro could sample before the year end.
The US chip maker said its M2-codenamed CPU is likely to be with PC makers in small numbers in December, leaving the path open to a head-to-head battle with Intel's "Klamath" MMX-enabled Pentium Pro when volumes of each chip appear in mid-1997.
"When the clouds part I think it will be a battle between Klamath and M2 with [AMD's forthcoming] K6 at the entry level," said Brendan Sherry, general manager for Europe. "I'm confident Cyrix will close 1997 as it will 1996, with the fastest chip out there."
Separately, Sherry said he didn't expect MMX to have a significant effect on application performance until programs are properly optimised. "It'll be the back end of 1997 before it becomes relevant," he said.