Today, in 1982, Intel introduced its “showstopping” 80286 processor. This 16-bit fully x86 software compatible CPU delivered some major performance and architectural advancements over the Intel 8086 and 8088, and would continue to be produced and feature in PC systems well into the 1990s.
Development of the 80286 began in 1978, the same year Intel introduced its 8086 CPU. Intel studiously completed six months of field research among customers to steer the next-gen CPU’s direction. Then, in 1982, the 80186 (an update to the 8086) and our headlining 80286 were rolled out, but only the latter would “dramatically reconceptualize the microprocessor's possibilities for personal computing,” says Intel.
The Intel 80286 design featured 134,000 transistors, and the architecture was 16-bits with 24-bits internally. It was the first x86 CPU with protected mode, a memory management unit (MMU), and was multitasking-friendly in advanced operating systems like OS/2 and Unix derivatives.
Memory support was also boosted to 16MB, from the 1MB max addressable by the older 8086 systems. The 80286 could be augmented with an optional 80287 math coprocessor, speeding up apps that benefited from fast floating point unit (FPU) calculations, like CAD, heavy-duty spreadsheets, code compilation, as well as some statistical and scientific software packages.
Compared to the 8-bit Intel 8086, the 80286 CPU also brought both impressive performance and efficiency gains. Clock-for-clock, many sources say it was 100% faster than its predecessor. However, the 286 also ran at far higher clock speeds, with Intel and chipmaking rivals like AMD boosting the 286 clock speeds up to 25 MHz eventually. A typical 8086 ran at 5 MHz, with the most potent revisions touching 10 MHz. So, eventually, 286 PCs might offer 300-500% performance gains on their 8086 ancestors.
Though it was introduced in 1982, momentum behind the 286 would increase significantly after IBM rolled out the PC/AT standard in 1984. This advanced replacement for the PC/XT would also inspire a tidal wave of clones. The PC/AT redefined the IBM PC as a flexible business workstation with a hard drive as standard, multiple 16-bit expansion slots, and a host of ‘AT’ standards, which persisted into the Pentium era and still live on in direct descendants like ATX standard components.
By May 1988, Intel’s Fab 3 proudly boasted that it had made and shipped 10 million 80286 chips. The processor continued to be used in PCs into the 1990s.
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Intel's 80286: nearly a decade of x86 dominance
Intel’s next-gen 80386 processor was introduced in 1987, debuting in the Compaq Presario 386, and would quickly dominate in performance systems. However, commodity pricing of 286 systems and ‘good enough’ performance made the transition a long one. Speedy clones helped eke out some more time at the top of the popularity table for the 286.
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