---
title: "What is microprocessor 8086 ?"  
description: "What is microprocessor 8086 ?"  
author: "Anonymous User"  
published: 2019-02-10  
updated: 2019-04-03  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/34751/what-is-microprocessor-8086  
category: "technology"  
tags: ["computer science", "processor"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# What is microprocessor 8086 ?

![MICRO PROCESSOR 8086 ?](https://www.mindstick.com/mindstickforums/af2926c6-8f3d-4c49-b389-585895472716/images/9d9328bc-7823-4639-bfae-cd57716763d5.jpeg)

PLEASE READ IT ....

## Replies

### Reply by Shrikant Mishra

#### Microprocessor 8086 - Overview

The **Intel 8086** is a **16-bit** microprocessor developed by **Intel** in **1978**. It was the first **x86** processor and laid the foundation for modern computer architecture.

#### Features of the 8086 Microprocessor

| Feature | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Data Bus** | 16-bit (processes 16-bit data at a time) |
| **Address Bus** | 20-bit (can access up to **1 MB memory**) |
| **Registers** | General-purpose and segment registers |
| **Clock Speed** | 5 MHz to 10 MHz |
| **Pipelining** | Uses **prefetch queue** (fetch-decode-execute) |
| **Modes of Operation** | **Minimum Mode** (single processor) & **Maximum Mode** (multiprocessor) |
| **Memory Segmentation** | Uses **segmentation** (Code, Data, Stack, Extra segments) |

#### Architecture of 8086

The **8086 microprocessor** has two main units:

1. **Bus Interface Unit (BIU)** – Handles memory and I/O operations.
2. **Execution Unit (EU)** – Executes instructions.

#### 8086 Registers

1. **General-Purpose Registers** (AX, BX, CX, DX)
2. **Segment Registers** (CS, DS, SS, ES)
3. **Pointer & Index Registers** (SP, BP, SI, DI)
4. **Flag Register** – Stores condition flags (ZF, CF, SF, etc.)

#### Operating Modes

1. **Real Mode** – Can access **1 MB memory**, no memory protection.
2. **Protected Mode** (introduced in later x86 CPUs).

#### Applications of 8086

- **Early Personal Computers** (IBM PC used the 8088, a variant of 8086).
- **Embedded Systems**.
- **Automated Control Systems**.
- **Basic Computing Devices**.

#### Difference Between 8085 and 8086

| Feature | 8085 | 8086 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Bit Size** | 8-bit | 16-bit |
| **Address Bus** | 16-bit (64 KB) | 20-bit (1 MB) |
| **Registers** | 6 | 14 |
| **Speed** | 3 MHz | 5–10 MHz |
| **Pipelining** | No | Yes |

#### Summary

The **Intel 8086** was a revolutionary **16-bit microprocessor**, introducing **segmentation, pipelining, and a larger address space**. It paved the way for **modern x86 architecture**, which is still used in today’s computers! 🚀

![What is microprocessor 8086 ?](https://www.mindstick.com/mindstickforums/af2926c6-8f3d-4c49-b389-585895472716/images/0ce3b991-fdc4-4b23-bed2-2e33e060b30f.jpeg)

![What is microprocessor 8086 ?](https://www.mindstick.com/mindstickforums/af2926c6-8f3d-4c49-b389-585895472716/images/5263a29e-c082-46bb-b658-e87f9300f6f2.jpeg)\


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