The Itanium processors show a progression in capability.
Merced was a proof of concept.
McKinley dramatically improved the memory hierarchy and allowed Itanium to become reasonably competitive.
Madison, with the shift to a 130 nm process, allowed for enough cache space to overcome the major performance bottlenecks.
Montecito, with a 90 nm process, allowed for a dual-core implementation and a major improvement in performance per watt.
Montvale added three new features: core-level lockstep, demand-based switching and front-side bus frequency of up to 667 MHz.
The Itanium processors show a progression in capability. Merced was a proof of concept. McKinley dramatically improved the memory hierarchy and allowed Itanium to become reasonably competitive. Madison, with the shift to a 130 nm process, allowed for enough cache space to overcome the major performance bottlenecks. Montecito, with a 90 nm process, allowed for a dual-core implementation and a major improvement in performance per watt. Montvale added three new features: core-level lockstep, demand-based switching and front-side bus frequency of up to 667 MHz.
Itanium