80486DX

The Intel 80486DX, often shortened to 486DX, is a 32-bit microprocessor released by Intel in 1989. It was a significant advancement over its predecessor, the 80386, primarily due to the integration of a floating-point unit (FPU) and an 8KB cache directly onto the processor die. This integration eliminated the need for a separate math coprocessor, improving performance for applications that utilized floating-point calculations. The 80486DX was initially available at clock speeds of 25 MHz and 33 MHz, offering a substantial performance boost for personal computers.

The processor's architecture included an on-chip instruction cache and data cache, which significantly reduced the time spent accessing main memory. This caching mechanism, combined with pipelined execution, allowed the 486DX to execute instructions more efficiently. The 80486DX also introduced features like burst mode memory transfers, further enhancing data throughput. Its Socket 1 and Socket 3 interfaces made it compatible with a wide range of motherboards available at the time.

The 80486DX became the backbone of many high-performance personal computers in the early to mid-1990s. It was later succeeded by variations like the 486DX2, which featured a doubled internal clock speed, and the 486SX, which omitted the FPU to reduce cost. The 80486DX played a crucial role in the evolution of personal computing, paving the way for more powerful processors and more demanding software applications.