The Pentium II Xeon 32-bit processor is, like the Pentium Pro, designed specifically for server and workstation systems, with support for symmetric multi-processing of up to eight CPUs in a single system. This, together with Intel's Deschutes .25 micron core and high-speed cache memory, makes for an incredibly fast and efficient machine. 

With the Xeon, Intel have introduced their first processor to use a Slot 2 motherboard connector, meant exclusively for the very high high-end server and workstation processors as opposed to mainstream PC processors using Slot 1, such as the Pentium II and the Celeron. This Slot 2 form factor used by the Xeon requires a motherboard with a Slot 2 connector, not to mention a chipset that supports Xeon processors, and is incompatible with Slot 1 motherboards. The Xeon also boasts an L2 cache memory that runs at full processor clock speed and supports ECC (Error Correction Code). Various versions of the Xeon will include an L2 cache ranging from 512KB to a mammoth 2MB.

As with the Pentium II, the Xeon uses MMX technology multimedia enhancements, runs on a 100MHz system bus and requires a special retention mechanism to secure the CPU to the motherboard while preventing shock or vibration damage. 

Current prices and our recommendations are given below.
 

Pentium II Xeon 400MHz 512KB	$910	Recommended for professionals with unlimited budgets, who require all the power they can squeeze out of their CPUs.  For servers and workstation systems.
Pentium II Xeon 450MHz 512KB	$1050	Recommended for professionals with unlimited budgets, who require all the power they can squeeze out of their CPUs.  For servers and workstation systems.
Pentium II Xeon 450MHz 1MB	$2600	Recommended for professionals with unlimited budgets, who require all the power they can squeeze out of their CPUs.  For servers and workstation systems.

CPUs from AMD

Up to now, AMD have been forced to play second fiddle to Intel, whose Pentium IIs had the edge over AMD’s CPUs. Although the K6 was a decent performer at a reasonable price, it still couldn’t match the processing power of the Pentium II. However, by redesigning the K6 and adding a set of instructions called 3Dnow! to boost floating-point computation, AMD produced the K6-2, a product capable of matching the performance of Intel’s Pentium IIs, especially for applications that demand intense FPU processing, such as gaming. 

Explaining 3DNow!

AMD introduced their new 3DNow! technology, in order to complement existing MMX multimedia technology. MMX served to improve a processor's integer-based calculations for good multimedia performance, 3DNow! is designed specifically to improve floating-point calculations vital for 3D applications and games. Thanks to 3DNow!, the K6-2 processor is a very useful, low-cost chip 
for 3D.

The downside to all this is that in order to take advantage of 3DNow!, your graphics card has to have drivers that support this technology. Otherwise, you’ll only experience typical K6 performance. So if you want to buy a K6-2 processor, make sure your graphics card has adequate support for 3DNow! technology. 

The K6-2

As with previous models of the K6 lineup, the K6-2 CPU has a RISC86 microarchitecture and a L1 cache of 64KB consisting of 32KB instruction cache & 32KB write-back data cache. The CPU does not house a L2 cache as the Pentium II does. Different AMD K6-2 CPUs are based on three different bus speeds. The early 266Mhz version uses a 66MHz bus speed, while the 300MHz, 333MHz, 350MHz, 380MHz and 400MHz versions alternated between bus speeds of 100MHz and 95MHz. In order to use one of these CPUs, you need a special Socket 7 motherboard called a Super 7 motherboard. These boards support 100MHz bus speeds and PC100 memory to fully utilize the CPU’s power.  Because the K6-2 is priced much lower than the Pentium II lineup (about the same as Celeron prices), it’s ideal for users with limited budgets.

Current prices and our recommendations are given below.
 
 

K6-2 300 100MHz bus speed	$110	Recommended for home users with low budgets. For multimedia applications and gameplay.
K6-2 333 95MHz bus speed	$130	Recommended for home users with low budgets. For multimedia applications and gameplay.
K6-2 350 100MHz bus speed	$160	Recommended for home users with average budgets and for overclockers. For multimedia applications, business applications, desktop publishing and 3D gameplay.
K6-2 380 95MHz bus speed	$230	Recommended for corporate users who require more computing power. For business applications, desktop publishing, and graphics applications
K6-2 400 100MHz bus speed	$300	Recommended for demanding home users, overclockers and 3D graphics designers. For 3D graphic designing, desktop publishing, business applications and next-generation gaming.