Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
The 286 was faster than the 8088 for two reasons: it required only 4.5 cycles to perform
the average instruction (versus 12 on the 808x processors), and handled data in 16-bit
chunks. The 286's real mode imitates an 808x processor, and the protected mode can ac-
cess memory larger than 1MB. The 286 also supports multitasking.
For more about the 286 processor, see
Chapter 3
of
Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 19
th
edition
, available in its entirety on the disc packaged with this topic.
P3 (386) Processors
The third generation represents perhaps the most significant change in processors since
thefirstPC.Thebigdealwasthemigrationfromprocessorsthathandled16-bitoperations
to true 32-bit chips. The third-generation processors were so far ahead of their time that it
took fully 10 years before 32-bit OSs and software became mainstream, and by that time
the third-generation chips had become a memory.
TheIntel80386(usuallyabbreviatedas386)causedquiteastirinthePCindustrybecause
of the vastly improved performance it brought to the personal computer. Compared to
8088 and 286 systems, the 386 chip offered greater performance in almost all areas of op-
eration.
