Silicon Heritage

The integrated circuits, processors, and sound chips that defined a generation of digital art. Click on a platform to explore its specifications and history.

Amiga OCS/AGA

1985

The multimedia powerhouse that introduced the world to pre-emptive multitasking and custom hardware acceleration.

System Specs
  • CPU Motorola 680x0 (68000 @ 7MHz to 68060 @ 50MHz+)
  • Graphics Planar Bitmapped (1 to 8 bitplanes)
  • Audio 4-Channel 8-bit PCM DMA (Paula)
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PC VGA & DOS

1987

The "Wintel" juggernaut that evolved from a boring office machine into the ultimate gaming platform.

System Specs
  • CPU Intel x86 (8088 to Pentium)
  • Graphics VGA (Mode 13h, Mode X), SVGA (VESA)
  • Audio FM Synth (OPL), Wavetable (AWE32), PCM (SB16)
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Commodore 64

1982

The best-selling single computer model of all time. 64KB of RAM and the legendary SID chip.

System Specs
  • CPU MOS 6510 @ 1.023 MHz (NTSC) / 0.985 MHz (PAL)
  • RAM 64 KB
  • Graphics 320x200 (HiRes), 160x200 (MultiColor)
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Atari ST

1985

The "Jackintosh". Amiga's arch-rival and the king of MIDI production.

System Specs
  • CPU Motorola 68000 @ 8 MHz
  • RAM 512 KB (520ST) to 4 MB (Mega)
  • Graphics 320x200 (16c), 640x400 (Mono)
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The 3Dfx Era

1996

The green silicon that killed software rendering. "Bilinear Filtering" became a household term.

System Specs
  • Chip SST-1 (Voodoo), SST-2 (Voodoo2)
  • VRAM 4MB to 12MB EDO RAM
  • API Glide (proprietary), OpenGL, Direct3D
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16-Bit Consoles

1988

The console wars. Blast Processing vs Mode 7. Sega vs Nintendo.

System Specs
  • Sega CPU Motorola 68000 @ 7.6 MHz
  • SNES CPU Ricoh 5A22 (65c816) @ 3.58 MHz
  • Colors Sega: 61 on screen. SNES: 256 on screen.
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ZX Spectrum

1982

The rubber-keyed wonder that taught the UK how to code. Color clash was a feature, not a bug.

System Specs
  • CPU Zilog Z80A @ 3.5 MHz
  • RAM 16 KB or 48 KB (later 128 KB)
  • Graphics 256x192 (1 bit per pixel) + Color Attributes
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Apple II Series

1977

The machine that launched an industry. Open architecture, color graphics, and Wozniak's brilliance.

System Specs
  • CPU MOS 6502 @ 1 MHz (65816 @ 2.8MHz in IIGS)
  • RAM 4 KB to 128 KB (standard)
  • Graphics Hi-Res (280x192, 6 colors), Double Hi-Res
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MSX Standard

1983

Japan's answer to the chaos. A standardized architecture supported by Sony, Panasonic, Yamaha, and others.

System Specs
  • CPU Zilog Z80A @ 3.58 MHz
  • Graphics TMS9918 (MSX1) -> V9938 (MSX2)
  • Audio AY-3-8910 (PSG) + MSX-Music (FM)
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Recent Chip Analysis

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DOC

The Atari ST Shifter: Monochrome Precision

How the Atari ST's high-resolution monochrome mode found a niche in desktop publishing and music.

#Hardware#Atari#Graphics
DOC

3dfx Voodoo: The pixel pipeline

The card that killed software rendering and introduced the world to bilinear filtering.

#Hardware#3D#PC
DOC

The Amiga Blitter: Moving Mountains of RAM

Inside the custom chip that made 60 FPS 2D graphics possible on the Amiga.

#Hardware#Amiga#Blitter
DOC

Denise: The Painter of Bitplanes

How the MOS 8362 chip converted memory data into the Amiga's vibrant video signal.

#Hardware#Amiga#Graphics