First post, by PlaneVuki
Hi.
I have been thinking about this for a few days.
I was trying to group retro mainstream x86 intel cpus (and close clones), by generations.
My current thinking is this:
Generation1 (16bit): 8086, 80186, 286
Generation2 (early 32bit): 386, 486, p1
Generation3 (p6 architecture): ppro, p2, p3
{and if you like, Generation4 (netburst): p4}
Note1: some don't consider p4 as retro, some do, I understand, but thats not the topic.
Note2: variations are not considered here, like variations in bus size, sx/dx stuff, celeron/xeon stuff, etc..
Note3: p1 includes regular and mmx.
My main question is:
A) Do you think that p1 belongs to gen2 due to being developed from 486, essentially 486dx & 486sx side-by-side with some other improvements?
or
B) Do you think that p1 differes from 486 so much, architecture-wise, that it should be a separate gen between gen2 and gen3?
Please explain your choice.
I think p1 belongs to gen2, making it an upper-middle-class retro cpu. And 486 a middle-middle-class retro cpu.