1978: Beginning Of The X86 Era

It wasn't that long ago - but in the computer age, it's an eternity. In 1978 Intel introduced the 8086 processor, which even now is the basis for all x86-compatible CPUs. The "XT" PC, as it was then called, clocked 4.77 and later 8 MHz and could access maximum memory of 1 MB. A European headquarters for the chip manufacturer, now located in Feldkirchen, Germany (near Munich), was not even on the drawing board.

The mother of all x86 CPUs: The 8086 processor from Intel clocked at a frequency of 4.77 MHz

At this time, RAM was still measured in kiloBytes. Well-equipped systems had 256 kB, made up of individual memory chips. Hard drives were expensive and rare commodities at the time of the very first PCs. Those well-heeled people who could afford them equipped their personal computers generously with two floppy disk drives. Some users may even remember the big floppy disks in 8 inch format - the precursors of 5.25 inch media (though they were not used on PCs.) In 1982, Intel introduced its 286, which included 16-bit ISA slots in its platform. The maximum memory expansion using SIMM memory modules rose to 1 MB. Three years later, the 386 followed, which theoretically could manage a gigantic 4GB of RAM. The motherboards needed for this (and the technology for them) did not exist, and nobody at the time ever imagined anyone needing or wanting so much RAM anyway.

The 386 was the first 32-bit CPU based on x86 technology, and didn't require a cooler

Although the 386 CPU supported 32-bit mode, there were no corresponding operating systems.

A typical system featured 4 megaBytes of RAM, and for the first time, MS Windows could make use of virtual memory from the hard drive in 386 mode. While the first 386 was clocked 16 MHz, four years later, a model twice as fast (32 MHz) could be purchased.