Looking for a way to drive its dominant microprocessor family even harder, Intel Corp is working on a cut-down version of the 80486 for launch next year. Unlike the 80386SX, which is a 16-bit bus version of the 80386, the new part will be a full 32-bit processor, but will dispense with the on-chip arithmetic co-processor, making it more or less equivalent to a fast 80386 with 8K-bytes of on-board cache, Computer Reseller News reports. The part will be priced to enable designers to build significantly cheaper 80486 machines – in the $3,000 to $4,000 price range – that will still outperform 80386 machines by 30% to 40%. The move will also help Intel to keep one step ahead of the emerging competition led by Advanced Micro Devices Inc that is working on reverse-engineered versions of the 80386, by making that chip look like an obsolescent part. The chip is expected to surface in the first half of next year, init ially in a version with a 20MHz clock.
