One of the most important advancements to computer graphics happened in 1971, the microprocessor. Using Integrated Circuit technology made in 1959, the electronics of a computer processor were miniaturized down to a single chip, the microprocessor, sometimes called a CPU. One of the first desktop microcomputers designed for personal use was the Altair 8800 from Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS). Coming through the mail in kit form the Altair (named after a planet in the popular Star Trek series) sold for around 400 dollars. Later personal computers (PC's) would advance to the point where movie-quality computer graphics could be created on them.
