What was the first computer to use computer chips?

Answer 1

The first two computers to use monolithic IC chips were the Minuteman II guidance computer (1962 to 1970) and the Apollo Guidance Computer (1962 to 1975). At the time they were designed the price of the chips they used (which only contained 1 to 6 logic gates) was about $1000 per chip, by the time production of these computers was finished (roughly 1967) the price of the same chips had fallen to about $25 per chip due to improvements in fabrication methods driven by the demand of these two projects.

The rapidly declining price of monolithic IC chips over the period of the 1960s allowed many companies to introduce commercially available computers using monolithic IC chips,

The first computer to use microprocessor chips was the classified F-14 RADAR data processor in 1968 (this computer remained classified until sometime in the 1990s, so it does not appear in many books on computer history).

The first commercially available computer to use microprocessor chips was the Busicom 141-PF calculator, using the Intel 4004 microprocessor in 1971.

Answer 2

Due to the very high cost of the chips at the time it was either the Minuteman II missile guidance computer (D-37C) or the Apollo guidance computer (see image above).

Between these two computers the chip manufacturers improved their fabrication processes and reduced the cost of a simple chip containing only 2 to 6 gates from roughly a thousand dollars each down to only about $25 each, opening the market to regular computer production and beginning the third generation of computers.

Note: IBM and a few other companies built third generation computers before affordable chips became available, they used hybrid integrated circuits (instead of prohibitively expensive chips) that were built on tiny ceramic printed circuit boards with tiny surface mount discrete transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc. mounted on the ceramic board and connected to its metal traces.

Answer 3

Probably the Apollo Guidance Computer or the Minuteman II missile guidance computer. These were built with early IC chips having from 2 to 10 gates per chip.