I have two main units, two keyboards and IBM monitor 8503 .
type computer
country USA
year 1987
os IBM PC DOS 3.30
cpu Intel 8086
speed 8 MHz
ram 640 KB
disk 3,5″ 720 KB
hd 20 MB
graphic 320×200/640×480
colors 256/2
ports monitor, keyboard, mouse, rs323, centronics
The IBM PS/2 Model 30 — The Entry-Level PS/2
Released in April 1987 alongside the rest of the PS/2 range, the IBM PS/2 Model 30 was the entry-level model in IBM’s ambitious attempt to reclaim control of the PC standard with a completely redesigned architecture. The Model 30 used an 8 MHz Intel 8086 processor — not the more advanced 286 or 386 of higher PS/2 models — but introduced two features that would have lasting impact: the 3.5-inch floppy drive as standard, and the VGA (Video Graphics Array) display standard that would become universal for PC graphics throughout the 1990s.
The PS/2 Strategy
IBM launched the PS/2 range to reclaim control of the PC standard it had lost to clone manufacturers. The PS/2 introduced the Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus — a proprietary IBM design incompatible with the ISA cards that had become universal in the clone market. By making the PS/2 incompatible with the existing expansion card ecosystem, IBM hoped to force customers back to IBM-proprietary peripherals and slow the clone market. The strategy failed dramatically — clone manufacturers formed the EISA consortium to develop an alternative 32-bit bus, and MCA adoption remained limited largely to IBM’s own customers.
VGA — A Lasting Legacy
Despite the PS/2’s commercial disappointment, VGA became the universal PC graphics standard for over a decade. The Model 30’s inclusion of VGA as standard — capable of 640×480 pixels with 16 colours or 320×200 with 256 colours — established the baseline for PC graphics that every subsequent PC would support as a minimum.