1.   Intel says the compiler enables systems developers to take advantage of superscalar characteristics like scheduling multiple instructions per clock cycle.

2.   It has been designed to execute most single-word instructions in a single clock cycle through a four-stage instruction pipeline.

3.   But the PowerPC has always been able to get more work done in each clock cycle than Intel and Advanced Micro Devices processors.

4.   One megaHertz -- equivalent to one clock cycle -- is one million cycles per second.

5.   Some processors can perform one command only every three or four clock cycles.

6.   To make its chips run faster, Intel opted for a design that performs fewer tasks for each clock cycle.