intel Archives - The Silicon Underground

CPU vs core, or core vs processor

Dave Farquhar — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:00:38 +0000

Here’s a good question I heard the other day: What’s the difference between a CPU and cores, or the difference between the number of CPUs and the number of cores in a system? The CPU vs core or core vs

The post CPU vs core, or core vs processor appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

What to look for in a motherboard

Dave Farquhar — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 11:00:39 +0000

I’ve been building PCs for more than 20 years and I tend to keep them a very long time, so it occurred to me that someone might be interested in what I look for in a motherboard to ensure both

The post What to look for in a motherboard appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Expanded vs Extended memory, or EMS vs XMS

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 11:00:20 +0000

DOS veterans may remember messing with expanded and extended memory to get memory above 640K. Here’s what you need to know about expanded vs extended memory, or EMS vs XMS. They are two different approaches to solving the same problem.

The post Expanded vs Extended memory, or EMS vs XMS appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Commodore 64 Z80 cartridge

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 11:00:32 +0000

One of the most popular add-ons for an Apple II added CP/M compatibility. So I guess it should be no surprise that Commodore tried the same thing. But the Commodore 64 CP/M operating system and the associate Commodore 64 Z80

The post Commodore 64 Z80 cartridge appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Disadvantages of the 8086 microprocessor

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 11:00:43 +0000

An 8086-series microprocessor, the 8088, powered the original IBM PC. Its direct descendants power PCs to this day. Not only that, they power modern Macs too. This was always controversial, especially running Mac OS on Intel chips. Why? What are

The post Disadvantages of the 8086 microprocessor appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Why did IBM fail at PCs?

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 11:00:33 +0000

If you ask why did IBM fail, I assume you mean why did IBM ultimately fail in the personal computer market. IBM is still in business, after all. But its exit from the PC market after 24 years, including a

The post Why did IBM fail at PCs? appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Where to buy vintage computers

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 11:00:13 +0000

Collecting vintage computers can be fun. I also personally think it’s great that people are interested in preserving that history. Where to buy vintage computers hasn’t changed much over the years. It just may take a bit more work than

The post Where to buy vintage computers appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Commodore 64 models

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 11:00:43 +0000

Over the course of its 12 years on the market, Commodore released a number of Commodore 64 models. The computer’s capability changed very little over time, but the technology did. The world changed a lot between 1982 and 1994, and

The post Commodore 64 models appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

IBM PS/2 vs PC

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 11:00:06 +0000

The IBM PS/2 line was a fairly radical departure from the older IBM PC line. This was deliberate, as IBM wanted to disrupt the clone industry, which it saw as a threat to its business. Here’s a look back at

The post IBM PS/2 vs PC appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

What is a 3D SSD?

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 11:00:33 +0000

Some SSDs, particularly Western Digital and Sandisk-branded drives, have the words “3D SSD” on the label. This isn’t purely a marketing term. But what is a 3D SSD, exactly? What is a 3D SSD? “3D” refers to the process the

The post What is a 3D SSD? appeared first on The Silicon Underground.