Serial computer

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A serial computer is typified by bit-serial architecture — i.e., internally operating on one bit or digit for each clock cycle. Machines with serial main storage devices such as acoustic or magnetostrictive delay lines and rotating magnetic devices were usually serial computers.

Serial computers required much less hardware than their parallel counterpart,[1] but were, as a consequence, much slower.

Serial machines

The first computer that was not serial (the first parallel computer) was the Whirlwind — 1951.

Most of the early massive parallel processing machines were built out of individual serial processors, including:

References

  1. ^ Wilkes, Maurice Vincent (1956). Automatic digital computers. Wiley. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  2. ^ Ray M. Holt. "Architecture Of A Microprocessor"[1][2]. p. 5, 7. quote: "the processor was designed to transfer data serially throughout the entire system. ... The Parallel Multiplier Unit ... by means of a parallel algorithm ..."