Is The X86 Era Coming To An End?

Mark Pickavance looks at the shifting relevance of Intel's X86 technology, and if it will soon be a thing of the past

The origins of X86 go back to 1978 when Intel released the 8086 processor, a 16-bit extended version of its previous 8088 series design. It wasn't an overnight success, because there were lots of chip makers then, and many of them had more popular support than Intel.

Early computer makers preferred the chips like the Z80 from Zilog, 6501 and 6502 by MOS technology, the 6800 series by Motorola, among others. But what propelled Intel's technology was IBM's choice to use it in its IBM PC in 1981 and the subsequent success of this platform in standardising Intel instructions and initially the MS-DOS operating system.

Building A PC For The Future

Mark Pickavance talks about things you might well want to consider if you're considering building a PC in the next six months

There was a time that choosing the parts for a new PC was remarkably simple, because the choice was so limited. When Intel launched the i486, it only made two versions initially: 25MHz and 33MHz models.

These days, the opposite is true, and you're the confronted with a relatively huge range of processors, memory, GPU and motherboards that are widely available.

With so many options, it's difficult to know where to start. I created this small feature to show people preparing to build a new PC what things they might want to consider including and the things they could probably leave out. My suggestions won't fit every scenario, but they should help anyone building something new to strike a decent balance between what’s useful now and what could be ideal further down the road.

But first, let's talk about processors and the best choices for those who want longevity for their system.

Download Without Being HACKED

How can you be sure that the file or program you want to download is exactly what it seems? Mike Plant explains how to avoid nasty surprises

The internet is bursting with all kinds of downloadable content. PC programs, videos, music, photos, games and more are all just a click away. But with hackers using legitimate-looking downloads to smuggle viruses and malware on to your PC, will you get more than you bargained for when you hit the download button? Thankfully, there are ways you can make sure the file or program you’re about to download won’t damage your PC. In this feature we’ll introduce you to the tools you need and the habits you should adopt to thwart the hackers.

Are Millennials More Likely To Fall For Tech Support Scams?

Younger people know what they're doing with technology, right? A Microsoft survey suggests that might not entirely be the case. Sarah Dobbs finds out more...

There's a stereotype for the kind of person who falls for tech support scams. You know the one: when you think about tech support scams, you imagine the person picking up the phone as nervous, not particularly tech-savvy, and probably in an older age bracket. Old enough not to have grown up with computers and the internet, but old enough to have learned to use a computer at work, probably. The kind of person who has a PC at home, but probably has their password written down on a Post-It note stuck to the monitor, because they don't use it often enough to have committed it to muscle memory. You definitely wouldn't think of the so-called 'digital natives'. The generation who grew up using computers every day at school would know better, surely?

California Streams

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