CPUS

By Filus
  • Intel 4004

    Intel 4004

    World's first commercially available microprocessor (4-bit)
  • Period: to

    Early Years

  • Intel 8080

    Intel 8080

    An influential early 8-bit microprocessor that powered many early personal computers.
  • Motorola 6800

    Motorola 6800

    An influential 8-bit microprocessor used in early computers, industrial control, and arcade games.
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    he 6800 Series Era

  • AM9080

    AM9080

    A clone of the Intel 8080, AMD's first significant processor.
  • Motorola 6802

    Motorola 6802

    Adds on-chip clock oscillator and RAM to the 6800, forming a self-contained microcontroller.
  • Intel 8086

    Intel 8086

    The start of the x86 architecture, still dominant today.
  • Motorola 6809

    Motorola 6809

    A more advanced 8-bit design, popular in color computers and gaming systems of the era.
  • Motorola 68000

    Motorola 68000

    A hybrid 16/32-bit architecture. Pioneered concepts used in modern processors, foundational to computers like the Apple Macintosh and Amiga.
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    The Rise of the 68000 (68k)

  • ntel 80286

    ntel 80286

    Used in the popular IBM PC/AT, bringing increased power to desktop computing.
  • Am286

    Am286

    A clone of the Intel 80286, helping AMD establish itself in the PC market.
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    The Rise of the PC

  • Motorola 68020

    Motorola 68020

    The first full 32-bit processor in the 68k family, used in later Macintoshes, Unix workstations, and high-end Amigas.
  • Intel 80386 (or 386)

    Intel 80386 (or 386)

    The first 32-bit x86 processor, enabling more advanced software.
  • Motorola 68030

    Motorola 68030

    Enhanced the 68020 with on-chip data/instruction caches and a memory management unit (MMU).
  • Intel 80486 (or 486)

    Intel 80486 (or 486)

    Integrated a math coprocessor and cache, significantly boosting performance.
  • Motorola 68040

    Motorola 68040

    A fully integrated processor with an FPU (floating-point unit) and further cache improvements.
  • ntel Pentium (P5)

    ntel Pentium (P5)

    Superscalar architecture for parallel instruction execution, a major performance leap.
  • PowerPC 601

    PowerPC 601

    The first PowerPC processor, a RISC architecture born from an alliance between Motorola, IBM, and Apple.
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    The Pentium Era

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    Transition to PowerPC

  • Motorola 68060

    Motorola 68060

    The final significant processor of the mainstream 68k line, focused on superscalar performance.
  • PowerPC 603

    PowerPC 603

    Low-power designs aimed at laptops.
  • Intel Pentium Pro

    Intel Pentium Pro

    Optimized for 32-bit software, aimed at servers and workstations.
  • PowerPC 604

    PowerPC 604

    High-performance design intended for desktop computers and servers.
  • AMD K5

    AMD K5

    AMD's first in-house x86 architecture design, positioned to compete with Intel's Pentium.
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    The K Series

  • AMD K6

    AMD K6

    Significant performance improvements, including MMX multimedia extensions.
  • Intel Pentium II

    Intel Pentium II

    Introduced MMX instructions for multimedia acceleration.
  • PowerPC G3 (750)

    PowerPC G3 (750)

    Used in Apple's iMacs and iBooks, bringing PowerPC to mainstream consumers.
  • Intel Pentium III

    Intel Pentium III

    Added SSE instructions for further multimedia and 3D graphics optimizations.
  • AMD K7 (Athlon)

    AMD K7 (Athlon)

    Extremely successful architecture that put AMD on the performance map with high clock speeds and great value.
  • Intel Pentium 4

    Intel Pentium 4

    NetBurst architecture with a very deep pipeline, focusing on high clock speeds. Hit limitations due to heat and power issues.
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    The 2000s: Core and Beyond

  • AMD Athlon 64

    AMD Athlon 64

    ntroduction of AMD64, extending x86 to 64-bit computing, and on-die memory controller for significantly improved performance.
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    The Athlon 64 Era

  • AMD Athlon 64 X2

    AMD Athlon 64 X2

    The first mainstream dual-core desktop processors by AMD.
  • Intel Core 2 Duo

    Intel Core 2 Duo

    A return to efficiency; outperformed Pentium 4 at lower clock speeds.
  • AMD Phenom

    AMD Phenom

    First native quad-core desktop processors from AMD.
  • PowerPC G5 (970)

    PowerPC G5 (970)

    The last generation of PowerPC processors used by Apple before their transition to Intel.
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    Multi-core Competition and the FX Series

  • Intel Core i Series (Nehalem architecture)

    Intel Core i Series (Nehalem architecture)

    Introduced the now-familiar Core i3, i5, i7 models. Major architectural update offering increased performance per clock.
  • AMD FX (Bulldozer architecture)

    AMD FX (Bulldozer architecture)

    Aimed at high core counts, but fell behind Intel in single-core performance and efficiency.
  • Intel Core i Series 2nd Gen (Sandy Bridge)

    Intel Core i Series 2nd Gen (Sandy Bridge)

    Integrated graphics on the processor die, significant performance improvements.
  • Intel Core i Series 4th Gen (Haswell)

    Intel Core i Series 4th Gen (Haswell)

    Focused on power efficiency and integrated voltage regulator.
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    Recent Developments

  • Intel Core i Series 6th Gen (Skylake)

    Intel Core i Series 6th Gen (Skylake)

    Refinement of 14nm process, new microarchitecture.
  • Intel Core i Series 8th Gen (Coffee Lake)

    Intel Core i Series 8th Gen (Coffee Lake)

    Increased core count in mainstream processors.
  • AMD Ryzen 1st Gen (Zen architecture)

    AMD Ryzen 1st Gen (Zen architecture)

    A massive comeback with significantly improved instructions per clock (IPC), increased core counts, and competitive pricing, revitalizing AMD.
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    The Ryzen Revolution

  • AMD Ryzen 3rd Gen (Zen 2 architecture)

    AMD Ryzen 3rd Gen (Zen 2 architecture)

    Refined design, 7nm manufacturing process, major efficiency and performance gains – overtook Intel in many scenarios.
  • AMD Ryzen 5th Gen (Zen 3 architecture)

    AMD Ryzen 5th Gen (Zen 3 architecture)

    Impressive architectural improvements for further single-core and gaming leadership.
  • Intel Core i Series 12th Gen (Alder Lake)

    Intel Core i Series 12th Gen (Alder Lake)

    A leap with hybrid architecture with performance and efficiency cores, support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.
  • AMD Ryzen 7th Gen (Zen 4 architecture)

    AMD Ryzen 7th Gen (Zen 4 architecture)

    Continued refinements, offering leadership performance and efficiency, introduction of AM5 socket.
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    Modern AMD