Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!decwrl!sgi!bruceh@brushwud.sgi.com
From: bruceh@brushwud.sgi.com (Bruce R. Holloway)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: IBM PC prehistory (was Japanese Jos
Message-ID: <47021@sgi.sgi.com>
Date: 26 Dec 89 22:40:30 GMT
References: <21559@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <76700097@p.cs.uiuc.edu>
Sender: bruceh@brushwud.sgi.com
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 13

In article <76700097@p.cs.uiuc.edu>, gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu writes:
> 
> My understanding was that 8086's cost $50+, but 8088's cost $25-$30,
> so they adopted the 8088.

As I recall, both the '86 & the '88 have multiplexed address & data busses,
so they are identical packages, and they must have almost identical dies.
I can't believe Intel priced them so differently.

The reason IBM chose the 8-bit model was to keep the expansion bus only
8 bits wide.  This saved them on connectors & buffers & drivers, & made
every board that plugged in cheaper as well.  It made memory expandable
in smaller chunks, too.