{"id":13528,"date":"2021-12-20T16:16:19","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T21:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=13528"},"modified":"2026-06-08T15:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T19:01:24","slug":"microprocessor-display","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/hallways-displays\/microprocessor-display\/","title":{"rendered":"Microprocessor Display"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Microprocessor Display\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/
There are image links, click on a CPU and find out more info!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Microprocessor Facts<\/a>
\n4-bit Intel CPU’s<\/a>
\n8-bit Intel CPU’s<\/a>
\n16-bit Intel CPU’s<\/a>
\n32-bit Intel CPU’s<\/a>
\n64-bit Intel CPU’s<\/a>
\nOther CPU’s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Microprocessor Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some must know facts about the Microprocessor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. CPU<\/strong> – Central Processing Unit<\/strong>

    The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry within a computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Intel 4004<\/strong>

    The Intel 4004 is a 4-bit central processing unit (CPU) released by Intel Corporation in 1971. It was the first commercially available microprocessor by Intel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. It’s all about the Pentium!  <\/strong>https:\/\/youtu.be\/xr9IZQa_vpU<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Moore’s Law

    <\/strong><\/strong>The number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. Named after Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel.
    <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"Moore's<\/a>
    By Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie – https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Transistor-Count-over-time.png, CC BY 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=98219918<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    5. Block diagram of a basic uniprocessor-CPU computer:<\/strong>\u00a0Black lines indicate data flow, whereas red lines indicate control flow; arrows indicate flow directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    By Lambtron – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=37716438<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    6. Here are two\u00a0silicon wafers and a photomask<\/strong>\u00a0which are used in the manufacturing process of a CPU. These samples were created at\u00a0Carleton University\u2019s Microelectric Fabrication Laboratory<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Cores<\/strong>
      Having multiple processing units on a single die. An 8-core CPU is equivalent to having the processing power of 8 single CPUs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Ingot<\/strong>
      A silicon ingot is \u201cgrown\u201d from a seed crystal that forms a large crystal. It\u2019s then sliced into wafers and used in the manufacturing process of your CPU die.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. CPU Frequency<\/strong>
      The CPU frequency or clock rate measures the number of instructions the CPU can process per second.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      <\/a>4 Bit CPUs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/th><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Name<\/strong><\/td>Year<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 4004<\/td>1971<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 4040<\/td>1974<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n

      \n
      \n

      The story of the Intel 4004 <\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

      \"Intel<\/a><\/figure><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Ted Hoff Inventor of the Microprocessor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/a>8 Bit CPUs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      <\/th><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Name<\/strong><\/td>Year<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 8008<\/td>1972<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 8080<\/td>1974<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 8085<\/td>1976<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      8-bit computing wiki<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/a>Zilog Z80<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \"Microsoft<\/a>
      The Z-80 SoftCard<\/strong> from 1980 is a plug-in Apple II processor card developed by Microsoft to turn the computer into a CP\/M system based upon the Zilog Z80 central processing unit (CPU)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
      \n
      \n

      The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor launched in July 1976 and was widely used in both desktop computers and embedded systems. [Thank you John Stewart, IT staff from the school of Mathematics, for donating this item to the display]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

      <\/a>16 Bit CPUs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/th><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Name<\/strong><\/td>Year<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 8086<\/td>1979<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 8087<\/td>1980<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 8088<\/td>1979<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 80186<\/td>1982<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 80286<\/td>1982<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      “Wow this 286-CPU had contacts and not pins. Ahead of its time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      IBM Personal Computer\/AT<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/a>32 Bit CPUs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"
      Intel 80386, 80486… and onward<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      <\/th><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Name<\/strong><\/td>Year<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i386 DX-20 (80386)<\/td>1985<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 80387<\/td>1987<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel 80386 SX-16<\/td>1988<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/th><\/th><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Name<\/strong><\/td>Product Code<\/strong><\/td>Year<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i486 DX-33<\/td>A80486DX-33<\/td>1990<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i486 SX-25<\/td>80486SX-25<\/td>1991<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i486 DX2-66<\/td>A80486DX2-66<\/td>1992<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i486 DX2-50<\/td>A80486DX2-50<\/td>1993<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i486 SX2-50<\/td>A80486SX2-50<\/td>1994<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i486 DX4-75<\/td>FC80486DX4-75<\/td>1994<\/td><\/tr>
      AMD Am486 DX4-100<\/td>Am486DX4-100<\/td>1994<\/td><\/tr>
      Intel i486 OverDrive<\/td>80486<\/td>1995<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

       <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"
      Intel A80486DX2-66 with a blue heatsink<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"
      Intel DX4 FC80486DX4-75, most likely from an older laptop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      <\/a>Intel Pentium<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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