Cache prefetching is what allows processors to have data and/or instructions ready for use in a fast local cache rather than having to wait for a fetch request to trickle through to system RAM and ...

As simple as a processor’s instruction set may seem, especially in a 1978-era one like the Intel 8086, there is quite a bit going on to go from something like a conditional jump instruction to a set ...

Both Intel and AMD CPUs pretend to be an Intel 8086 when they boot up, and Intel gave up on getting rid of it.

I’m Adam Conway, an Irish technology fanatic with a BSc in Computer Science and I'm XDA’s Lead Technical Editor. My Bachelor’s thesis was conducted on the viability of benchmarking the non-functional ...

Thirty years ago, on June 8, 1978, Intel Corp. introduced its first 16-bit microprocessor, the 8086, with a splashy ad heralding “the dawn of a new era.” Overblown? Sure, but also prophetic. While the ...

50-year-old hardware is slow, but rest assured, there are hobbyists out there trying to speed things up by building new era-appropriate accelerator cards. A prime example is @bradthx (Brad) on X, a ...

Recap: Intel introduced its first x86 processor architecture in 1978 with the 8086 microprocessor. A few years later, the company made history again with the 80286 – a CPU so successful that it ...