Xref: utzoo comp.arch:12245 comp.sys.intel:991 comp.sys.ibm.pc:37674
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!ukc!inmos!conor
From: conor@inmos.co.uk (Conor O'Neill)
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.sys.intel,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Compaq find problem with chip
Message-ID: <2800@ganymede.inmos.co.uk>
Date: 3 Nov 89 13:38:55 GMT
References: <2719@ganymede.inmos.co.uk> <2725@ganymede.inmos.co.uk>
Reply-To: conor@inmos.co.uk (Conor O'Neill)
Organization: INMOS Limited, Bristol, UK.
Lines: 29

Reproduced from Electronics Weekly, Wed, November 1, 1989, front page:
(without permission)

Two design faults have been discovered in Intel's million transistor 80486
microprocessor chip which was first unveiled last April and has been in
production since August.

Both faults are in the chip's floating point unit: one affects its ability
to correctly calculate trigonometrical functions such as tangents, cosines
and sines; while the other (in the exception handling detection system)
affects the floating point unit's ability to detect whether a particular
calculation makes sense.

"We've already shipped thousands of chips and yes if people ask for
replacements we will do it," said an Intel spokeswoman. Intel has 
redesigned the chip, made new masks and is now manufacturing a new version
of the 80486 which is free of these two bugs, she added.


[end of article]

As usual, not enough information for anyone to use.



-- 
Conor O'Neill, Software Group, INMOS Ltd., UK.
UK: conor@inmos.co.uk		US: conor@inmos.com
"It's state-of-the-art" "But it doesn't work!" "That is the state-of-the-art".