This being AMDs 50th Anniversary Year, here is a little history regarding its first major CPU offerings starting in the 1990s. As the article indicates AMD architecture had some advantages. But, the initial offerings also had design issues that held them back. I knew of AMD then, but I also knew they did not work as well as Intel then -- so I used Intel PCs.

As I have posted previously regarding my history: I became an AMD fan in early 2000s. Back in 1976, for my first PC that I both designed from scratch and built from scratch myself (took 1.5 years -- had to teach myself digital electronics), I used a Zilog Z80 CPU (it was better than the Intel offering). Needed to use toggle switches to key in a 250 byte program so that it would recognize the keyboard. About the time I finished building, the first commercial PCs arrived, I then switched to pre-built Intel desktops (that blew my invention out of the water) until early 2000s -- those early Intel's I used cost $2000 to $4000. After 2000, I started building PCs from parts like we do today.

Initially, I did not use PCs for ANY gaming (except to write a couple simple games to teach myself PC programming -- gave them to friends to play). Rather, it was all business -- I used them to solve science/engineering type problems for work (gave faster turnaround than using the company's room-filling computers that had to be shared). I used the digital-electronics knowledge I had gained to help me design Space Hardware in the 1980s and 1990s. I started gaming in early 1990s. I ordered some business software and they included a "flight simulator" war game for free -- always a fan of flight and fighter aircraft, I was "hooked". Joined SimHQ when I first saw it -- prior to my official join date listed by my posts. End my early PC history.



History Article