This article discusses processor compatability for NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP systems.

The Intel versions of NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP have been tested on Intel 486, Pentium, and Pentium Pro processors. These are the only processors Apple supports for use with NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP.

Some companies offer other x86 binary-compatible processors, such as the AMD K6, the Cyrix 5x86 and 6x86, and the Intel Pentium II. How well NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP will run on these systems depends on how well their manufacturers implement x86 binary support. Our development tools do not optimize code for specific processors, so code developed on any of these systems will run on any other x86 or compatible processor.

Apple Enterprise Software has had reports of system instability while running NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP on Cyrix 6x86-based systems. For this reason, we cannot recommend running NeXTSTEP or OPENSTEP on 6x86-based systems.