The Pentium II is a microprocessor developed by Intel and released in 1997. It was part of the Pentium family and was designed for personal computers, offering improved performance over its predecessor, the Pentium. The Pentium II featured a new architecture and was built on a 350 nm process, allowing for faster processing speeds and better multitasking capabilities. This processor introduced the use of a cartridge design, making it easier to install and upgrade. The Pentium II supported various operating systems and was widely used in both home and business computers during the late 1990s, contributing to the growth of multimedia applications and internet usage.