Differences between 8086 and 8088 microprocessors Last Updated : 11 Jul, 2025 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report The 8086 and 8088 microprocessors which were both from Intel Company where significant in advancing the development of computing technology. While these two processors have similarity in their architecture, the variation in the two constitute a very big difference in the performance, memory management, and data control of the two. For anyone that has an interest in microprocessors, the differences between the 8086 and 8088 models should be clearer; this is important for anyone who is studying the evolution of microprocessors especially in historical computing or is working on projects related to retro computing. In this article, the author draws a comparison between these two processors, specifying the aspects of their characteristics, which make them more suitable for particular applications.What is 8086 Microprocessor?8086 Microprocessor is an advanced version of 8085 Microprocessor, designed by Intel in 1976. The number 8086 denotes the IC number of this microprocessor. It is a 16-bit microprocessor. It has 16 bits of the data bus, that is why it can read or write either 16 bit or 8 bit of data at a time.. It has 20 bits of address lines that can access 2^20 of address locations.It works in 2 modes-Maximum modeMinimum modeIt can only perform fixed-point arithmetic instructions and not the floating point operations.Advantages of 8086 Microprocessor16-bit Data Bus: It provides capabilities to accomplish A process in more time than the 8-bit processors for data processing.High Performance: Another characteristic derived for the 8086’s 16-bit architecture is that it does have a better capacity for handling large amounts of data as is found in the 8088.Memory Addressing: It has the capability of supporting up to 1MB of memory, which results into an increased addressing ability.Disadvantages of 8086 MicroprocessorCost: Expenses with enhanced data bus width of 16 bits which result to higher cost of production.Complexity: Possibly demands a more elaborate design of the system than the 8088 which may in turn leads to longer periods in the development and maintenance of the system.8088 Microprocessor8088 Microprocessor is an advanced version of 8087 Microprocessor, designed by Intel in 1979. It is a 8-bit microprocessor. It has 8 bits of the data bus. As, it is a 8-bit microprocessor, it requires two complete cycles to process 16 bit data. Also, it performs the processing of floating point data and instructions as it supports the Intel 8087 numeric co-processor.Advantages of 8088 MicroprocessorCost Efficiency: This design is easier and cheaper to implement because an 8-bit data bus is easier to handle and needs cheaper/B cheaper components and memory.Compatibility: In its turn, 8088 is compatible with 8-bit peripheral chips, which were cheaper and more numerous in comparison with the 16-bit counterparts at the time when the computer was designed.Smaller Data Bus: That is why an 8-bit data bus is used which reduces product complexity and costs and therefore can be well implemented in early PCs.Disadvantages of 8088 MicroprocessorLower Performance: The 8088 also has a fewer number of data lines than the 8086; it has 8 data lines used for moving data across the data bus, therefore is slower in moving data than the 8086.Limited Data Handling: It can only work with 8 bits of data at a time which means it consumes more time than 8086 in executing the similar instructions. Though the architecture and instruction set of both 8086 and 8088 processors are same, still there are differences between them. Both The 8088 and 8086 used segmented addressing to allow these chips to address 1 MB of memory using 20 address bits (2^20 = 1,048,576).Differences between 8086 and 8088 MicroprocessorsAspect8086 Microprocessor8088 MicroprocessorData Bus Width16-bit external data bus8-bit external data busInstruction Queue6-byte prefetch queue4-byte prefetch queueMemory AccessCan access 16 bits of memory in a single cycleAccesses 8 bits of memory at a time, requiring two cycles for 16-bit dataPerformanceGenerally faster due to the wider data busSlightly slower as data transfer requires more cyclesPin Count40 pins40 pinsApplicationUsed for high-performance applicationsUsed for cost-sensitive applications where lower performance is acceptableCompatibilityMore compatible with 16-bit peripheralsMore compatible with 8-bit peripheralsRelease Year19781979Conclusion8086 & 8088 both have significant history in computing industry but both have different configured designs for different requirements. However, the 8086 is faster because it has 16-bit data bus although is comparatively costly. On the other hand, the 8088 has an 8-bit data bus that is slow but it is very much inexpensive that is why it is more suitable to use in the early models of the personal computers. All in all, the decision based on these two models is the question of whether to use a powerful chip or a less performing one and save on the costs, as it was in the cases of the 8088 in the first IBM PCs. Comment More infoAdvertise with us Next Article What is a Computer? S Sakshi98 Follow Improve Article Tags : Computer Organization & Architecture system-programming microprocessor Similar Reads Computer Organization and Architecture Tutorial In this Computer Organization and Architecture Tutorial, you’ll learn all the basic to advanced concepts like pipelining, microprogrammed control, computer architecture, instruction design, and format. Computer Organization and Architecture is used to design computer systems. 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