The 80286 performs at twice the speed of its predecessor (the Intel 8086) per clock cycle, and is able to address up to 16 megabytes of RAM, in contrast to the 1MB the 8086 can work with. On DOS machines this additional RAM capability can only be utilised via extended memoryemulation, however few 286_based computers ever saw more than a megabyte of RAM.
The 286 was designed to run multitasking applications, including Communications (such as automated PBXs), real_time process control, and multi_user systems.
Despite their market popularity, few desktop computers with a 80286 CPU still remain in use today.
An interesting feature of this processor is that it was the first x86 processor capable of switching from real mode to protected mode, enabling the use of all system memory as a single block, and allowing certain degree of protection of the memory zones used by applications. However, the 286 couldn't revert to real mode, so protected mode wasn't widely used until the appearance of the 386, which could go back and forth between modes.
Initially released in 6 and 8 MHz editions, it subsequently scaled up to 20 MHz, and was widely used in IBM PC compatible computers during the mid 1980s to early 1990s.
Despite their market popularity, few desktop computers with a 80286 CPU still remain in use today.
IBM and Microsoft made an announcement at Comdex in November that their "Platform for the 90s" was to be based on the capabilities of the Intel 80386SX, 80386, 80486 and future Intel family microprocessors.
80286 based systems were delivering about 5-10 times the performance of, and cost about half as much as, early 8088/8086 systems.
As we saw the 80286 replace the 8088/8086, which in turn replaced the early 8-bit microprocessors, so shall we see the 386 family replace the 80286.
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