What does 386 mean in HARDWARE
The Intel 80386, or i386, is a 32-bit microprocessor released by Intel in 1985. It was the successor to the Intel 80286 and predecessor to the Intel 486. The 386 was an evolutionary step from the 286, but provided much greater performance than its predecessor due to significant improvements in design and architecture. The 386 was one of the first processors to feature protected memory and hardware memory management. It was also one of the first processors to have multitasking capabilities built into its core design. Today, many versions of Windows are based on 386 technology, including Windows 9x/ME and Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10.
386 meaning in Hardware in Computing
386 mostly used in an acronym Hardware in Category Computing that means Intel 80386 Microprocessor
Shorthand: 386,
Full Form: Intel 80386 Microprocessor
For more information of "Intel 80386 Microprocessor", see the section below.
Features Of 386
The Intel 80386 had a 16-bit external data bus; 32-bit internal data path; relaxed real number calculation unit (RRCU) that simplified arithmetic calculations; dedicated system bus controller; support for virtual 8086 mode which allowed execution of programs designed for earlier generation x86 processors; on-chip debugging features; translation lookaside buffer (TLB); write combining cache which increased speed when writing large amounts of data; protected mode which enabled multitasking applications; physical address extensions (PAEs) providing larger than 4GB addressing capabilities; realtime clock interrupts for scheduling tasks with high precision timing accuracy (100ns resolution); page tables for managing virtual memory pages efficiently; burst accesses without wait states allowing faster program execution for those using fast RAMs or caches with speeds up to 25% faster than other CPUs running at same frequency.
Essential Questions and Answers on Intel 80386 Microprocessor in "COMPUTING»HARDWARE"
What is the Intel 80386 processor?
The Intel 80386 processor is a 32-bit microprocessor released by Intel in 1985. It was the successor to the Intel 8086 and predecessor to the Intel 486, as part of the x86 series of processors. The 80386 was the first processor in the 80x86 line to feature a protected mode which allowed applications to access more memory and take advantage of multitasking.
What are some features of the Intel 80386?
The Intel 80386 featured several advanced features that were not present in earlier x86 processors such as paging capabilities, virtual memory support, an enhanced instruction set (the iAPX 386), and an on-chip cache. It also featured full 32-bit address registers and data registers, allowing it to access up to 4GB of RAM, making it one of the first mass-market 32-bit computers.
How powerful is a modern Intel 80386?
Modern versions of the Intel 80386 processor can run at speeds between 12 MHz and 40 MHz with newer versions clocking at up to 50MHz. Its internal artwork allows for very fast operations when compared to other CPUs from its time. On average, a modern Intel 80386 processor can handle tasks 50 times faster than its predecessor, the Intel 8086.
What operating systems are compatible with the Intel 80386?
Many popular operating systems are compatible with the Intel 88086 including Windows 3.1 or higher, MS-DOS 5 or higher, OS/2 1x or higher, Novell NetWare 2 or higher, UNIX System V Release 3 or higher and SCO Xenix 2x or higher.
What type of memory does an Intel 80386 use?
An Intel 80386 uses DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) which was widely available when it was released in 1985 but has since been surpassed by other types such as SDRAM and DDR3 RAM which offer improved performance and capacity over DRAM chips.
What bus width does an Intel 80386 support?
The board width on an Intel 80386 is 32 bits wide allowing it to transfer data four times faster than its predecessor - the 8086 processor - that had a board width of 16 bits. This makes data transfers across buses like ISA much quicker than before.
Does the intel 80286 have an FPU (Floating Point Unit)? A: Yes - one key selling point of the IBM AT computer system when it was released in 1984 was its inclusion of a built-in FPU on new motherboards running on an IBM 80186 chip set based around an intel 82383 maths co-processor which later evolved into dedicated Floating Point Unit (FPU) found on all models since.( END) Q: Is there any difference between an intel 8088 processor and an intel 80188?
Yes - one key selling point of the IBM AT computer system when it was released in 1984 was its inclusion of a built-in FPU on new motherboards running on an IBM 80186 chip set based around an intel 82383 maths co-processor which later evolved into dedicated Floating Point Unit (FPU) found on all models since.( END)
Q: Is there any difference between an intel 8088 processor and an intel 80188 ? A: Yes - while both processors utilize similar x86 instruction sets they have several distinguishing differences such as clock speeds ,integrated peripherals ,data bus widths & cache sizes .The 8088's operating frequency is limited to 4.77 MHz while that fof 80218 can go up to 10Mhz .Also ,the 80218 has twice more internal memory cache available(384 bytes Vs 192 bytes).
Final Words:
The Intel 80386 microprocessor was instrumental in leading the personal computer market towards better performance and higher capability computers that could perform more complex tasks than ever before possible with earlier x86-based systems. As it featured various innovations such as protected mode, TLB, on-chip debugging features along with other enhancements like RRCU and write combining cache improved speed significantly over previous designs resulting in higher system performance overall compared against other CPUs running at same frequency. It still remains popular today due to backwards compatibility features allowing programs written for older systems can run with minimum or no modifications required on operating systems that are based on 386 technology such as Windows 9x/ME and Windows NT versions upto v10 (Windows 10).