-
Intel 4004
World's first commercially available microprocessor (4-bit) -
Period: to
Early Years
-
Intel 8080
An influential early 8-bit microprocessor that powered many early personal computers. -
Motorola 6800
An influential 8-bit microprocessor used in early computers, industrial control, and arcade games. -
Period: to
he 6800 Series Era
-
AM9080
A clone of the Intel 8080, AMD's first significant processor. -
Motorola 6802
Adds on-chip clock oscillator and RAM to the 6800, forming a self-contained microcontroller. -
Intel 8086
The start of the x86 architecture, still dominant today. -
Motorola 6809
A more advanced 8-bit design, popular in color computers and gaming systems of the era. -
Motorola 68000
A hybrid 16/32-bit architecture. Pioneered concepts used in modern processors, foundational to computers like the Apple Macintosh and Amiga. -
Period: to
The Rise of the 68000 (68k)
-
ntel 80286
Used in the popular IBM PC/AT, bringing increased power to desktop computing. -
Am286
A clone of the Intel 80286, helping AMD establish itself in the PC market. -
Period: to
The Rise of the PC
-
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)
The first 32-bit x86 processor, enabling more advanced software. -
Motorola 68030
Enhanced the 68020 with on-chip data/instruction caches and a memory management unit (MMU). -
Intel 80486 (or 486)
Integrated a math coprocessor and cache, significantly boosting performance. -
Motorola 68040
A fully integrated processor with an FPU (floating-point unit) and further cache improvements. -
ntel Pentium (P5)
Superscalar architecture for parallel instruction execution, a major performance leap. -
PowerPC 601
The first PowerPC processor, a RISC architecture born from an alliance between Motorola, IBM, and Apple. -
Period: to
The Pentium Era
-
Period: to
Transition to PowerPC
-
Motorola 68060
The final significant processor of the mainstream 68k line, focused on superscalar performance. -
PowerPC 603
Low-power designs aimed at laptops. -
Intel Pentium Pro
Optimized for 32-bit software, aimed at servers and workstations. -
PowerPC 604
High-performance design intended for desktop computers and servers. -
AMD K5
AMD's first in-house x86 architecture design, positioned to compete with Intel's Pentium. -
Period: to
The K Series
-
AMD K6
Significant performance improvements, including MMX multimedia extensions. -
Intel Pentium II
Introduced MMX instructions for multimedia acceleration. -
PowerPC G3 (750)
Used in Apple's iMacs and iBooks, bringing PowerPC to mainstream consumers. -
Intel Pentium III
Added SSE instructions for further multimedia and 3D graphics optimizations. -
AMD K7 (Athlon)
Extremely successful architecture that put AMD on the performance map with high clock speeds and great value. -
Intel Pentium 4
NetBurst architecture with a very deep pipeline, focusing on high clock speeds. Hit limitations due to heat and power issues. -
Period: to
The 2000s: Core and Beyond
-
AMD Athlon 64
ntroduction of AMD64, extending x86 to 64-bit computing, and on-die memory controller for significantly improved performance. -
Period: to
The Athlon 64 Era
-
AMD Athlon 64 X2
The first mainstream dual-core desktop processors by AMD. -
Intel Core 2 Duo
A return to efficiency; outperformed Pentium 4 at lower clock speeds. -
AMD Phenom
First native quad-core desktop processors from AMD. -
PowerPC G5 (970)
The last generation of PowerPC processors used by Apple before their transition to Intel. -
Period: to
Multi-core Competition and the FX Series
-
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)
Aimed at high core counts, but fell behind Intel in single-core performance and efficiency. -
Intel Core i Series 2nd Gen (Sandy Bridge)
Integrated graphics on the processor die, significant performance improvements. -
Intel Core i Series 4th Gen (Haswell)
Focused on power efficiency and integrated voltage regulator. -
Period: to
Recent Developments
-
Intel Core i Series 6th Gen (Skylake)
Refinement of 14nm process, new microarchitecture. -
Intel Core i Series 8th Gen (Coffee Lake)
Increased core count in mainstream processors. -
AMD Ryzen 1st Gen (Zen architecture)
A massive comeback with significantly improved instructions per clock (IPC), increased core counts, and competitive pricing, revitalizing AMD. -
Period: to
The Ryzen Revolution
-
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)
Impressive architectural improvements for further single-core and gaming leadership. -
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)
Continued refinements, offering leadership performance and efficiency, introduction of AM5 socket. -
Period: to
Modern AMD