Intel Processor Identification and the CPUID Instruction
As the Intel® architecture evolves with the addition of new generations and models of processors (8086, 8088, Intel286, Intel386™, Intel486™, Pentium® processors, Pentium® OverDrive® processors, Pentium® processors with MMX™ technology, Pentium® OverDrive® processors with MMX™ technology, Pentium® Pro processors, Pentium® II processors, Pentium® II Xeon® processors, Pentium® II Overdrive® processors, Intel® Celeron® processors, Mobile Intel® Celeron® processors, Intel® Celeron® D processors, Intel® Celeron® M processors, Pentium® III processors, Mobile Intel® Pentium® III processor - M, Pentium® III Xeon® processors, Pentium® 4 processors, Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor – M, Intel® Pentium® M processor, Intel® Pentium® D processor, Pentium® processor Extreme Edition, Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor, Intel® Pentium® dual-core mobile processor, Intel® Core™ Solo processor, Intel® Core™ Duo processor, Intel® Core™ Duo mobile processor, Intel® Core™2 Duo processor, Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor, Intel® Core™2 Quad processor, Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor, Intel® Core™2 Extreme mobile processor, Intel® Xeon® processors, Intel® Xeon® processor MP, Intel® Atom™ processor, Intel® Core™ i7 processor, Intel® Core™ i3 processor, Intel® Core™ i5 processor, Intel® Core™ i7 mobile processor, Intel® Core™ i5 mobile processor), it is essential that Intel provide an increasingly sophisticated means with which software can identify the features available on each processor. This identification mechanism has evolved in conjunction with the Intel Architecture as follows:
• Originally, Intel published code sequences that could detect minor implementation or architectural differences to identify processor generations.
• With the advent of the Intel386 processor, Intel implemented processor signature identification that provided the processor family, model, and stepping numbers to software, but only upon reset.
• As the Intel Architecture evolved, Intel extended the processor signature identification into the CPUID instruction. The CPUID instruction not only provides the processor signature, but also provides information about the features supported by and implemented on the Intel processor.
Read the full Intel® Processor Identification and the CPUID Instruction Application Note.
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Intel Processor Identification and the CPUID Instruction
As the Intel® architecture evolves with the addition of new generations and models of processors (8086, 8088, Intel286, Intel386™, Intel486™, Pentium® processors, Pentium® OverDrive® processors, Pentium® processors with MMX™ technology, Pentium® OverDrive® processors with MMX™ technology, Pentium® Pro processors, Pentium® II processors, Pentium® II Xeon® processors, Pentium® II Overdrive® processors, Intel® Celeron® processors, Mobile Intel® Celeron® processors, Intel® Celeron® D processors, Intel® Celeron® M processors, Pentium® III processors, Mobile Intel® Pentium® III processor - M, Pentium® III Xeon® processors, Pentium® 4 processors, Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor – M, Intel® Pentium® M processor, Intel® Pentium® D processor, Pentium® processor Extreme Edition, Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor, Intel® Pentium® dual-core mobile processor, Intel® Core™ Solo processor, Intel® Core™ Duo processor, Intel® Core™ Duo mobile processor, Intel® Core™2 Duo processor, Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor, Intel® Core™2 Quad processor, Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor, Intel® Core™2 Extreme mobile processor, Intel® Xeon® processors, Intel® Xeon® processor MP, Intel® Atom™ processor, Intel® Core™ i7 processor, Intel® Core™ i3 processor, Intel® Core™ i5 processor, Intel® Core™ i7 mobile processor, Intel® Core™ i5 mobile processor), it is essential that Intel provide an increasingly sophisticated means with which software can identify the features available on each processor. This identification mechanism has evolved in conjunction with the Intel Architecture as follows:
• Originally, Intel published code sequences that could detect minor implementation or architectural differences to identify processor generations.
• With the advent of the Intel386 processor, Intel implemented processor signature identification that provided the processor family, model, and stepping numbers to software, but only upon reset.
• As the Intel Architecture evolved, Intel extended the processor signature identification into the CPUID instruction. The CPUID instruction not only provides the processor signature, but also provides information about the features supported by and implemented on the Intel processor.
Read the full Intel® Processor Identification and the CPUID Instruction Application Note.
