GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
MOS 6502
Founded in 1974 by former Motorola employees, MOS Technology set out to create a new processor architecture that would out-compete Motorola’s chips for a much lower price. With its focus on value, the 6502 became one of the most popular processors of the early home computing revolution.
Usedin: Apple II (1977), Atari 2600 (1977), BBC Micro (1981), Commodore 64 (1982), Nintendo Entertainment System (1983)
ZILOG Z80
Similar to the
MOS 6502, the
Z80 was created in the mid-1970s by a breakaway group of chip designers—in this case, former Intel engineers. Although it could run programs written for the Intel 8080, the Z80 added many enhancements that made it more powerful and easier to program, making it attractive for personal computers and video games.
Usedin: Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1982), Amstrad CPC (1984), Amstrad PCW (1985), Sega Master System (1985)
MOTOROLA 68000
With Intel’s barnstorming 8086 CPU powering the IBM PC, rival Motorola knew it had to aim high to compete. It set out to create the most powerful processor on the market, creating a new 16-bit chip with cutting-edge 32-bit features. The 68000 was initially used in high-end workstations, but as costs fell, it became the foundation of a new generation of home computers.
Usedin: Apple Macintosh (1984), Commodore Amiga (1985), Atari ST (1985)
POWERPC
Jointly designed in 1992 by Apple, IBM, and Motorola, the PowerPC architecture was supposed to usher in a new era of RISC computing. Apple moved its whole Mac platform from Motorola chips to the PowerPC architecture, and the architecture was adopted by several game consoles. In the end, the PowerPC architecture couldn’t keep up with Intel’s performance, but it’s still used for some roles, under the new name of Power ISA. Usedin: Apple PowerMac (from 1992), Nintendo GameCube (2001), Microsoft Xbox 360 (2005), Sony PlayStation 3 (2006), Mars Rover Curiosity (2011)
IA-64
Created by Intel and HP in 2001, IA-64 was a 64-bit RISC platform designed to provide enterprise-class performance and scalability. Between 2001 and 2017 Intel launched ten generations of Itanium processors based on IA-64, but system builders favored the backwardcompatible x86-64 extensions of AMD, and the Itanium line is now discontinued. Usedin: Dell Precision Workstation 730 (2001), HP ZX6000 workstations (from 2001), HPE Integrity servers (from 2001)