• 1999

Hardware Description

In 1996 Cyrix released the MediaGX CPU, which integrated all of the major discrete components of a PC, including memory controller, graphics, sound and PCI controller, onto a single chip. Initially based on the old 5x86 technology and running at 120 or 133 MHz, its performance was widely criticized but its low price made it quite successful. Though it required a special motherboard and was not pin compatible with the Pentium, it was the cheapest route into a Pentium class system available on the market. Later versions of the MediaGX ran at speeds of up to 333 MHz and added MMX support. A second chip was added to extend its video capabilities.