The 386 chip was the first to offer a possible 32- or 64-bit access to data. OS-2 2.x or higher and Windows 95 required at least a 386 CPU while Windows NT 4.x required at least a 486 CPU to run.
Reduced Instruction Set Computer - a type of microprocessor that relies on simple instructions which can be used to build more complicated ones.
7. The invention of the transistor, or semiconductor, was one of the most important developments leading to the personal computer revolution. What company invented the transistor in 1947?
The transistor, which essentially is a solid-state electronic switch, replaced the much less suitable vacuum tube. Because the transistor consumed significantly less power, a computer system built with transistors was much smaller, faster and more efficient than a computer system built with vacuum tubes.