Maximum mode

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Maximum mode is one of the two hardware modes available to the Intel 8086 and 8088 processors (CPU). The other is minimum mode.

Maximum mode is for large applications such as multiprocessing. The mode is hard-wired into the circuit and cannot be changed by software. Specifically, pin #33 (MN/MX) is either wired to voltage or to ground to determine the mode. Changing the state of pin #33 changes the function of certain other pins, most of which have to do with how the CPU handles the (local) bus. The IBM PC and PC/XT use an Intel 8088 running in maximum mode.