PC Development As It Happened

1

Key

USB &
FireWire

AGP

Local
Bus

Pentium

K5

Sound
Cards

i486

Am486

Pentium
Pro

K6

K7

Overdrive
CPUs

SMP

MCA

ZIF

EISA

PnP

MacOS

3D GFX

2

1986

Sep

1 Sep: First mention of the 3DFX name in the press, announced by a company called ISG based in Toronto. Source: ComputerWorld.

3

1987

Jan

4

Feb

5

Mar

Mar: IBM release their Music Feature card. Source: IBM (manual)

6

Apr

4 Apr: Advert in press for IBM's Music Feature card. Source: InfoWorld

20 Apr: MCA bus introduced with IBM PS/2 models. Source: InfoWorld

7

May

26 May: IBM announce their Music Feature upgrade, along with the release of their new PS/2 systems. Source: InfoWorld

8

Jun

15 Jun: Intel present spec of its next-gen 80486 CPU. Source: InfoWorld

9

Jul

10

Aug

11

Sep

15 Sep: Press advert for Adlib sound card. Source: PC Mag

Sep: Creative release their C/MS card. Source: Creative Labs

12

Oct

13

Nov

24 Nov: The Adlib appears in 'New on the Market' section of press. Source: PC Mag

14

Dec

15

1988

Jan

25 Jan: MCA clones expected in near future. Source: InfoWorld

16

Feb

17

Mar

18

Apr

19

May

20

Jun

21

Jul

22

Aug

23

Sep

13 Sep: Article on the IBM Music Feature Card. Source: PC Mag

12 Sep: 'Gang of 9' announce the EISA bus, but don't expect systems to appear for a year. Source: InfoWorld

24

Oct

25

Nov

26

Dec

27

1989

Jan

28

Feb

6 Feb: Details of EISA connector finalised. Source: InfoWorld

29

Mar

30

Apr

13 Apr: Intel announce the 486 at Comdex Spring 1989. Source: InfoWorld

Other

31

May

32

Jun

2 Jun: IBM all but drop licensing fees for MCA in response to the threat of EISA. Source: InfoWorld

12 Jun: Intel release alpha versions of their EISA chipset and the first EISA systems will be 386-based because of 486 bugs. Source: InfoWorld

33

Jul

3 Jul: First samples of Intel-made EISA boards are available. Source: InfoWorld

34

Aug

35

Sep

Nov: Creative release their first Sound Blaster. Source: Creative Labs

4 Sep: Phoenix start shipping their EISA ROM BIOS, allowing manufacturers to start making EISA systems. Source: InfoWorld

18 Sep: ALR expect to have the first EISA system to market, due 1st quarter of 1990. Source: InfoWorld

36

Oct

16 Oct: Intel announce EISA-based 486 machine, coming next year. Source: InfoWorld

30 Oct: The B4 stepping of Intel's 486 has FPU bug, causing shipping of all systems to stop. Source: InfoWorld

2 Oct: IBM announce improvements to its MCA bus. Source: InfoWorld

37

Nov

13 Nov: First 486 systems benchmarked by InfoWorld. Also, IBM announce the Power Platform, a 486 upgrade for its MCA bus PS/2. Compaq announce their Systempro line, including SMP features. Source: InfoWorld

27 Nov: Intel's working 486 is still delayed. Source: InfoWorld

38

Dec

4 Dec: Fixed 486 starts shipping in volume. Source: InfoWorld

13 Nov: Compaq announce their Systempro line, including support for SMP with either 386 or 486 CPUs. Source: InfoWorld

39

1990

Jan

40

Feb

12 Feb: The ALR Powercache 33/4 becomes the first 33MHz system benchmarked. Source: InfoWorld

19 Feb: MCA enhancements announced in October are implemented in new systems from IBM. Source: InfoWorld

5 Feb: Bug found in i486 that can cause EISA systems to hang. Source: InfoWorld

41

Mar

42

Apr

29 Apr: Intel's 486SX debuts, alongside the 487 upgrade. Source: InfoWorld

43

May

44

Jun

45

Jul

16 Jul: 2nd gen EISA chipset announced. Source: InfoWorld

46

Aug

27 Aug: EISA systems beat equivalent MCA systems hands-down in file server tests. Source: InfoWorld article

47

Sep

48

Oct

29 Oct: Intel apparently agrees to accelerate development of the i586 in response to Compaq's use of Nexgen's 486 clone. It will apparently appear in 1991 with volume shipments in 1992. Source: InfoWorld

49

Nov

50

Dec

10 Dec: Creative give away 550 Sound Blaster units to devs. Source: InfoWorld

51

1991

Jan

52

Feb

12 Feb: Sound Blaster has 'foothold' in market. Source: PC Mag

53

Mar

54

Apr

29 Apr: Intel's 486SX debuts, alongside the 487 upgrade. Source: InfoWorld

55

May

13 May: Adlib unveil their Gold soundcard, anticipated for 'late summer'. Source: InfoWorld

56

Jun

17 Jun: Adlib cuts price of their basic model. Source: InfoWorld

57

Jul

1 Jul: Intel announce plans for their P5 chip at PC Expo. Source: InfoWorld

1 Jul: Intel announce 50MHz 486 at PC Expo. Source: InfoWorld

58

Aug

26 Aug: Intel halts production of its 50MHz 486 due to testing issues. Source: InfoWorld

59

Sep

24 Sep: First mention of Intel's 'clock doubling' technology. Link: PC Mag

60

Oct

61

Nov

12 Nov: NEC introduce the first local bus since the original PC by including Tseng ET4000 chipset on the motherboard. Source: PC Mag

11 Nov: Another mention of Intel's 'clock doubling' technology. Source: InfoWorld

62

Dec

63

1992

Jan

10 Feb: Northgate introduce a system with a ZIF socket, the first of its kind. Source: InfoWorld

64

Feb

10 Feb: Intel and VESA propose different local bus standards. Source: InfoWorld

17 Feb: Intel's RapidCAD upgrade for 386 systems announced. Source: InfoWorld

10 Feb: Intel announce the first of their clock-doubling Overdrive chips for 486 systems, due March 23, having 'hit the wall' with the DX-50. Source: InfoWorld

65

Mar

2 Mar: Compaq announce QVision local bus architecture. Source: ComputerWorld

9 Mar: Intel releases 'confusing' DX2 CPU. Source: InfoWorld

15 Mar: EISA subcommittee considering 64-bit version of EISA for upcoming Pentium systems. Source: InfoWorld

66

Apr

14 Apr: A number of 'local bus' systems are referenced in this article. Source: PC Mag

13 Apr: ALR release system based on the DX2/50. Source: InfoWorld

67

May

18 May: Announcement of VESA committee being formed to draw up specs for local bus standard. Source: InfoWorld

16 May: Speculation about the P6 (and P7), which is 'halfway under development'. Source: PC Mag

25 May: Intel rolls out Overdrive CPUs to retail. Source: InfoWorld

68

Jun

8 Jun: Epson announce C&T's Wingine local bus architecture. Source: ComputerWorld

22 Jun: Intel release version 1.0 of PCI specifications. Source: revision history in 2.2 spec

23 Jun: Intel and VESA announce plans for their local buses at PC Expo 1992. Source: InfoWorld

29 Jun: SB16 Announced. Source: InfoWorld

69

Jul

27 Jun: Further reference to Intel's PCI, which doesn't have a connector at this stage. Source: ComputerWorld

30 Jun: More speculation on PCI and VLB. Also, V-Com advertise their first VLB & EISA board. Source: PC Mag

20 Jul: Intel's 'Vacancy' socket ad. Source: InfoWorld

70

Aug

17 Aug: OEMs pushing for better EISA. Source: InfoWorld

71

Sep

28 Sep: VL Bus Standard 1.0 published. Source: Library reference

14 Sep: Intel release 66MHz model of their Overdrive CPU. Source: InfoWorld

72

Oct

27 Oct: Massive article on local bus technologies including tests with a prototype motherboard and pre-production cards. Source: PC Mag

19 Oct: Intel announce the P24T Pentium Overdrive. Source: InfoWorld

73

Nov

2 Nov: ATi announce their Mach 32 AX, the first graphics card to use the PCI bus. Intended for shipping in January '93. Source: InfoWorld

23 Nov: DEC announce the first PCI systems at Comdex Fall. Source: InfoWorld

74

Dec

14 Dec: Diamond announce their Viper VLB card, based on the Weitek P9000 chip. Source: InfoWorld

9 Nov: AMD seek permission from judge to use Intel's microcode. Source: InfoWorld

75

1993

Jan

18 Jan: Strong financial performance from AMD despite losing case to use Intel's microcode. Source: InfoWorld

76

Feb

77

Mar

8 Mar: NEC announce 'industry first' UltraLite Versa laptop with local bus graphics. Link: ComputerWorld

15 Mar: S3 announce PCI-compatible version of their 86C928 chip. Source: InfoWorld

1 Apr: AMD starts shipping 486 CPUs based on Intel's microcode, with Intel mounting a fresh legal challenge. Source: InfoWorld

78

Apr

15 Mar: AST announce their Premmia range, which includes its own LocalLink bus tech. Link: ComputerWorld

22 Mar: Intel publicly discuss upcoming Pentium systems and the PCI bus, which initial systems won't use yet. Link: Computerworld

26 Apr: P24T is 'upcoming', half a year after its announcement. Source: InfoWorld

26 Apr: Details of a clock-tripling 'DX3' emerge. Source: InfoWorld

79

May

13 Apr: Group test of VLB graphics card on a Micronics board. Source: PC Mag

13 Apr: Matrox announce their MGA cards, for all PC architectures. Source: PC Mag

30 Apr: Intel announce version 2.0 of PCI spec, including connector. Source: revision history in 2.2 spec.

20 May: Intel name a date when the first Pentium systems will be sold. Source: ComputerWorld

19 Apr: PnP standard announced at WDC 1993. Source: InfoWorld

80

Jun

10 May: EISA's extension to their bus specification is endorsed by major manufacturers. Source: InfoWorld

28 Jun: Group test of 11 VLB graphics cards. Diamond Viper VLB wins. Source: InfoWorld

28 Jun: OEMs adopting a 'wait and see' posture towards PCI, which is expected to be used on high-end systems, while VLB rules the workstation roost. Link: InfoWorld

81

Jul

4 Jul: Opinion: PCI not worth bothering with over EISA or VLB. Source: InfoWorld

25 Jul: Group test of 10 PCI graphics cards. S3 Vision 964-based Diamond Stealth 64 wins. Source: InfoWorld

5 Jul: EISA cards are very hard to find. Source: InfoWorld

82

Aug

5 Jul: Apple will license System 7 for PowerPC and Intel systems. Source: InfoWorld

83

Sep

84

Oct

11 Oct: When OEMs designed 'Pentium-Ready' systems, they didn't expect cooling to be an issue, making many systems unupgradeable. Source: InfoWorld

25 Oct: First PCI systems with Pentium CPUs are being shipped. Source: InfoWorld

25 Oct: Intel will certify systems in its labs for Pentium Overdrive compatibility. Source: InfoWorld

85

Nov

22 Nov: Apple and TI announce FireWire standard. Source: InfoWorld

Nov: Specifications for VESA Local Bus version 2.0 released. Source: archived VESA page

8 Nov: Initial PnP spec released to public. Source: InfoWorld

86

Dec

7 Dec: Huge group test of 43 Windows accelerator chips. Appian Renegade VLB wins. Source: PC Mag

87

1994

Jan

88

Feb

21 Feb: First official mention of P6 at InfoWorld Demo '94. Source: InfoWorld

89

Mar

90

Apr

18 Apr: Intel ship SX2 overdrive chip. Source: InfoWorld

25 Apr: 3Dlabs announces Glint chip, to ship Q4 '95.

91

May

5 May: PnP spec 1.0A released. Source: Intel (PDF to be uploaded)

92

Jun

Jun: Intel apparently testing an FPU intended for use in the P6. Source: Pentium FDIV flaw FAQ

13 Jun: Some older 486 systems advertised as 'Pentium upgradeable' will not be because OEMs can't be bothered to certify older systems. Source: InfoWorld

93

Jul

94

Aug

95

Sep

96

Oct

3 Oct: Intel announce 0.4 micron P55C aka Pentium MMX. Source: InfoWorld

24 Oct: AMD announce K5 - challenger to Pentium. Source: Microprocessor Report

10 Oct: Intel start shipping DX4 Overdrive. Source: InfoWorld

97

Nov

11 Nov: Revision 0.7 of USB spec released. Source: Intel (1.0 Spec)

21 Nov: ALR releases first P75 system to market. Source: InfoWorld

28 Nov: InfoWorld report the Pentium Bug, one week after CNN break the story. Source: InfoWorld

98

Dec

30 Dec: Revision 0.8 of USB spec released. Source: Intel (1.0 Spec)

19 Dec: The Bug really hits the fan. Source: InfoWorld

99

1995

Jan

30 Jan: Intel delivers samples of the P54CS round of upgrades, announces plans for the P55C. Source: InfoWorld

23 Jan: Compaq announce K5-based servers. Source: InfoWorld

23 Jan: Intel finally ship P24T, the Pentium Overdrive, over 2 years after its announcement. Source: InfoWorld

100

Feb

6 Feb: Intel offers sneak peek at P6 package at the Solid-State Circuits Conference. Source: InfoWorld

6 Feb: Pentium Overdrive still not available in quantity to user's. Source: InfoWorld

101

Mar

20 Mar: Intel announce USB at the Windows Hardware Development Show. Source: InfoWorld

27 Mar: Microsoft discuss FireWire at Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. Source: InfoWorld

27 Mar: Intel announce their 120MHz Pentium. Source: Infoworld

102

Apr

13 Apr: Revision 0.9 of USB spec released. Source: Intel (1.0 Spec)

103

May

8 May: PCI NICs beat EISA models hands down. Source: InfoWorld

104

Jun

1 Jun: PCI spec 2.1 released. Source: Intel

105

Jul

Jul: Summary of USB and FireWire. Source: PC Mag

18 Dec 1998: Version 2.2 of the PCI specs are released. Source: Intel

Jul: ELSA's GLoria, featuring 3Dlabs' Glint 300SX chip, is announced. Source: PC Mag

106

Aug

25 Aug: Revision 0.99 of USB spec released. Source: Intel (1.0 Spec)

107

Sep

25 Sep: Intel announces Pentium Pro name, pushes back plans for SMP. Source: InfoWorld

11 Sep: Intel announce Overdrive chips for Pentium systems. Source: InfoWorld

108

Oct

23 Oct: NUMA-Q massive parallel processing platform announced using 252 Pentium Pros. Source: InfoWorld

30 Oct: Digital roll out their first PPro systems. Source: InfoWorld

109

Nov

6 Nov: TI demonstrate first laptop with built-in FireWire port. Source: InfoWorld

6 Nov: First OEMs to announce SMP PPro systems. Source: InfoWorld

13 Nov: IBM announce PPro version of their PC 300 model. Source: InfoWorld

110

Dec

12 Dec: FireWire standard approved by IEEE. Source: PDF to be uploaded

31 Dec: HP release the Vectra XU 6/150 - possibly the first PPro system to market, also supporting two CPUs. Source: ITPro

111

1996

Jan

15 Jan: Specifications for USB 1.0 Released. Source: Intel

112

Feb

8 Feb: 82930A USB-compliant controller for PC peripherals released. Source: Intel

12 Feb: Triton II (430HX) and Triton III (430VX) PCI chipsets announced. Source: InfoWorld

113

Mar

4 Mar: Pentium Overdrives for existing Pentiums are released. Source: InfoWorld

114

Apr

1 Apr: Microsoft announce the 'SIPC' or Simply Interactive PC initiative, including support for USB on desktop computers. Source: InfoWorld

Apr: nVidia's NV1 chip is announced. Source: CVG.

115

May

10 May: First sighting of a motherboard - AMI's 'Merlin' motherboard announced. Source: Business Wire

116

Jun

25 Jun: VideoLogic's PowerVR and 3Dfx's Voodoo chips are announced. Also, a number of pro 3D cards, sporting the Glint 300SX chip, are reviewed. Source: PC Mag.

27 Jun: STB announce plans for a 3Dlabs board, due next year. Source: InfoWorld.

117

Jul

15 Jul: Mitel announce first USB device - a phone. Source: InfoWorld

31 Jul: AGP 1.0 specifications released by Intel. Source: Intel

118

Aug

5 Aug: 3D Labs and 3Dfx announce workstation boards to support NT 4.0 at Siggraph. Source: InfoWorld

119

Sep

2 Sep: VIA announce VT83C572 controller chip. Source: InfoWorld

120

Oct

14 Oct: IBM, DEC and others have USB-enabled PCs on the market. Source: InfoWorld

30 Oct: AMD and Nexgen announce K6 chip following merger. Source: InfoWorld

22 Oct: Review of IBM Aptiva S74 with built-in 3Dfx graphics. Source: PC Mag

121

Nov

Nov: Intel release PR440FX motherboard with USB and dual-PPro support. Source: Intel

122

Dec

9 Dec: Intel announce MMX Overdrive chips. Source: InfoWorld

123

1997

Jan

13 Jan: Windows 95 OSR2 will not support USB, except for one camera device. Source: InfoWorld

124

Feb

125

Mar

126

Apr

Apr: Kodak release first USB-capable digital camera. Source: archive.org

127

May

128

Jun

17 Jun: Xirlink launches first USB video phone. Link: archived press article

23 Jun: Intel announce PII Overdrive. Source: InfoWorld

129

Jul

Jul: Version 1.0 of spec for 440LX AGPset released. Source: Intel (later spec revision)

130

Aug

27 Aug: Microsoft release Windows 95 OSR2.1, including support for USB and AGP. Source: Wikipedia

28 Aug: 3DLabs' Permedia 2 announced, with AGP support. Source: EE Times

131

Sep

23 Sep: USB spec 1.1 release. Source: Intel

1 Sep: Specifications for 440LX motherboard - first to support AGP port. Link: Intel

5 Sep: Anandtech review the Rendition Vérité V2200 in conjunction with the FIC PA-2012. Source: Anandtech

132

Oct

14 Sep: Review of the Diamond Viper 330 (Riva 128). Source: Anandtech

20 Sep: First review of an LX board, the FIC KL-6011, in conjunction with the ATI 3D Rage Pro. Source: Anandtech

Oct: Specifications for Riva 128 chip released. Source: Thompson SGS

133

Nov

21 Oct: Review of the STB RIVA 128. Source: Anandtech

27 Oct: nVidia release Riva 128 card. Source: Tom's Hardware

29 Oct: Review of FIC's PA-2012, in combination with the Riva 128 reference board. Link: Tom's Hardware

134

Dec

2 Nov: FIC officially release the FIC PA-2012, the first AGP-capable socket 7 board. Source: Tom's Hardware

9 Nov: ATi release the Xpert@ series, based on Rage Pro chipset. Link: Tom's Hardware

135

1998

Jan

136

Feb

1 Feb: First release of Intel i740 graphics card. Link: Intel

137

Mar

138

Apr

139

May

140

Jun

141

Jul

142

Aug

143

Sep

144

Oct

26 Oct: AMD announce K7 architecture at Microprocessor forum. Source: Microprocessor Report

145

Nov

146

Dec