AMD’s K6-III ‘Sharptooth’ debuted this week in 1999 with on-die L2 cache to savage the Intel Pentium II — it also held the line against the Pentium III
Source: Tom’s Hardware
AMD launched its first processors with on‑die L2 cache in 1999, heralding the beginning of the Super Socket 7 era. With its new K6‑III CPUs, AMD presented a major architectural leap above the popular K6‑2 line and knocked the Intel Pentium II 450 off its fastest‑processor perch. Intel would quickly follow up with its first Pentium III Katmai CPUs, but the K6‑III could still outclass its pricier foe in cache‑latency‑sensitive applications.
The Sharptooth scene
The AMD K6‑III with on‑die cache launched in 400 MHz and 450 MHz SKUs on 22 February 1999. AMD positioned it as a pre‑emptive answer to Intel’s upcoming Pentium III (26 February launch). Contemporary reviews showed that AMD’s gambit largely paid off, maintaining a strong price‑performance edge until the K7 Athlon series could trickle down to the mainstream.
Image credit: AMD
Key specifications
- Architecture: K6 NextGen
- Instruction sets: x86, MMX, 3DNow!
- Cores / Threads: 1 C / 1 T
- Process node: 0.25 µm
- Clock speeds: 400 MHz, 450 MHz
- Caches: 64 KB L1, 256 KB L2 on‑die
Super Socket 7 era
AMD’s open, inexpensive Socket 7 era ended on a high note with the Super Socket 7 motherboards. These boards offered a 100 MHz front‑side bus, AGP support, and more flexible voltage controls, extending the life of the platform.
In 2026, good‑condition Super Socket 7 boards are prized by retro enthusiasts for their wide CPU support, spanning Intel Pentium P54 and P55C, AMD 5k86, AMD K5, AMD K6, AMD K6‑2, K6‑III (and later), as well as rarer x86 artifacts like the Cyrix MII, IDT WinChip 2, and Rise mP6. They also deliver excellent DOS compatibility, AGP support for legendary GPUs such as the Voodoo 3 and TNT2, and flexibility with RAM (EDO, SDRAM) and storage controllers.
AMD’s successor to the K6‑III, the Athlon (K7), arrived later in the same year at 500 MHz. However, the K6‑III remained available through 2003, providing an overlap that helped smooth the transition for mainstream users while high‑end desktops moved to Athlon and Socket A platforms.