New Instruction Set: With 57 new instructions, developers can directly access the computer's video and audio hardware. This is good news for gamers in that developers can access the hardware faster, and without specialized drivers.
Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD): With SIMD, an MMX enabled computer can process one instruction on many sets of data. Instead of adding sets of numbers one at a time, SIMD can add several similar sets of data at the same time. This can speed up various aspects in games--rendering objects, displaying video, and performing physics calculations in fight simulators.
More Cache: This is the aspect, in my opinion, that will make the most difference in MMX computers. In MMX systems, there is double the cache RAM--32K. Cache RAM is very, very fast RAM where the computer stores information. Up to recently, cache RAM has been amazingly expensive which may explain why Intel didn't release their MMX systems sooner. Fortunately, RAM in general is falling in price.
Yes, MMX is most defiantly good news for gamers. The extra cache RAM, the new instruction sets, and the efficiency of the SIMD may enable game designers to produce more amazing games than have ever been seen before. And an MMX-equipped computer only costs around $100 more than one without MMX! There is no doubt about it--If you are buying a new computer, make sure it is MMX-equipped!
Dan Finkelstein is a freelance computer game reviewer from Randolph, N.J. If your company has a product that they would like reviewed, feel free to e-mail Dan.
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