Intel 80386

Intel 80386 also known as (386 and i386) is the third-generation Intel x86 microprocessor introduced in October 1985. The 386 followed Intel’s 8086 and 80286 processors and predated the 80486.

The 80386 was capable of 11 million instructions per second (MIPS) and featured:

• Protected mode capabilities.
• 32-bit registers and instruction set.
• A paging translation unit for better virtual memory support.
• Speeds from 12Mhz to 40Mhz.
• Increased memory support, to 4GB.

The 80386 was also released in subsequent versions including the 386SX, a lower cost version lacking a math coprocessor. 386SL is the low-power version intended for mobile computers.

Some 386 processors had a bug that could cause a lock-up when running in a 32-bit environment. It was very hard for an end user to determine whether the problem was a software bug or a hardware flaw. To address the issue, Intel created a certified testing program whereby chips found to be error free were marked with a double sigma.