Compaq Portable

The Compaq Portable was a transportable IBM PC-compatible computer built around a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088. Its suitcase-style enclosure combined the computer, a nine-inch green-screen monitor and one or two full-height floppy drives.

Compaq’s first product helped prove that a carefully engineered third-party machine could offer practical IBM PC compatibility without copying IBM firmware. Its clean-room BIOS became central to the early compatible-PC industry.

Notable Features

• Luggable all-in-one enclosure with a detachable keyboard
• Hardware and software designed for a high degree of IBM PC compatibility
• Built-in nine-inch monochrome CRT

Historical Significance

• Compaq’s first product helped prove that a carefully engineered third-party machine could offer practical IBM PC compatibility without copying IBM firmware. Its clean-room BIOS became central to the early compatible-PC industry.

Collector’s Notes

• Original systems are heavy and their foam, capacitors, floppy mechanisms and CRT electronics may require attention.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Compaq Portable
Manufacturer	Compaq
Launched	Tuesday, March 1, 1983
Launch Price	$2,995
Country	United States
CPU	Intel 8088
Units Sold
Form Factor	Luggable all-in-one
Power	Mains AC
Networking	Via expansion card
Operating System	Compaq MS-DOS / IBM PC-compatible software
Expansion / I/O	Two internal ISA expansion slots; parallel and video connections
Keyboard	83-key detachable keyboard
Storage	One or two 360 KB 5.25-inch floppy drives
Sound	PC speaker
Colours	Monochrome
Graphics	IBM-compatible MDA text graphics
Display	Built-in 9-inch green phosphor CRT
ROM	Compaq clean-room BIOS
RAM	128 KB standard; expandable to 640 KB
CPU Speed	4.77 MHz