B6386 The Pentium Pro also introduced a new L2 cache architecture, which was integrated onto the same die as the processor. This cache was much larger than previous L2 caches, ranging from 256 KB to 1 MB, and was designed to improve performance by reducing the time it took to access frequently used data. The 'b6386' stepping of the Pentium Pro was released in 1996 and featured several improvements over previous stepping, such as higher clock speeds and better power management. This stepping also included a number of bug fixes and stability improvements, making it a popular choice for high-performance systems. The Pentium Pro was eventually succeeded by the Pentium II, which featured a similar microarchitecture but added support for MMX multimedia instructions and a faster front-side bus. However, the Pentium Pro remains an important milestone in Intel's history, as it marked the beginning of the company's dominance in the server and workstation markets. In summary, the 'b6386' stepping of the Intel Pentium Pro processor was a high-performance chip for servers and workstations, featuring a new microarchitecture, larger L2 cache, and improved clock speeds. This stepping was released in 1996 and included several improvements over previous stepping, making it a popular choice for high-performance systems.