NEC V20 CPU: A bit of pep for an XT
Summary
The NEC V20 was an Intel 8088-compatible CPU that ran slightly faster. It was a niche upgrade for XT-class machines and remains popular among retro computing enthusiasts as a period-correct improvement. The article covers pin compatibility, the 80186 instruction set, 8080 emulation, legal history with Intel in 1986, upgrade paths for nonstandard boards, variants at 5/8/16 MHz, and notable projects like PC-Sprint and V20-optimized XT IDE BIOS.