NEC V20 CPU: A bit of pep for an XT

The NEC V20 was an Intel 8088-compatible CPU that offered 8-30% better performance as a drop-in replacement upgrade for XT-class computers, particularly appealing to users who couldn't or didn't want to swap motherboards. After winning a legal battle against Intel in September 1986, the V20 became a popular budget upgrade option, especially for non-standard systems like the Tandy 1000, though major PC makers largely avoided it due to lingering legal concerns. The V20's advantages included better efficiency at the same clock speed and significantly faster multiplication and division operations performed in hardware rather than microcode.