Fast, Cheap Processors

In 1981, IBM introduced the PC 5150. Based on the Intel 8088—a slow and very limited CPU—the PC quickly became the standard microcomputer for business.

In 1986, Intel released the 80386, second-generation successor to the 8088. Substantially more powerful, it was the first microprocessor to combine:

• Full 32-bit external data path
• Four gigabyte address space with flat memory model
• Virtual machines with memory protection to allow multiple, separate applications to execute without the possibility of affecting each other
• Up to 64 terabytes of paged virtual memory to allow large programs and huge program data sets
• Backwards compatibility with existing DOS applications

Since the advent of the '386, Intel has concentrated on refinements to enhance processing speed. The 200MHz Pentium Pro processor is more than 50 times as fast as the original 16MHz '386 in real-world applications. For integer operations, the Pentium Pro is more than 100 times as fast.

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