HP Vectra

The original HP Vectra was HP’s first major IBM-compatible business PC. Its 80286 processor, modular desktop case and professional support positioned it against the IBM PC AT.

Vectra became HP’s long-running business-PC brand and marked the company’s commitment to industry-standard personal computers.

Notable Features

• Compatibility focused on business software while retaining some HP-specific interfaces.
• Later Vectra models moved progressively closer to standard PC architecture.

Historical Significance

• Vectra became HP’s long-running business-PC brand and marked the company’s commitment to industry-standard personal computers.

Collector’s Notes

• Original HP manuals, peripherals and software media are particularly useful because many interfaces and formats were proprietary.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	HP Vectra
Manufacturer	Hewlett-Packard
Launched	Tuesday, January 1, 1985
Discontinued	Late 1980s
Country	United States
CPU	Intel 80286 at 8 MHz
Units Sold
Form Factor	Desktop business PC
Power	Internal mains supply
Networking	Optional LAN adapters
Operating System	MS-DOS; later OS/2 support
Expansion / I/O	HP-HIL input, ISA-compatible expansion, serial and parallel
Keyboard	Detached keyboard
Storage	1.2MB floppy and optional hard disk
Sound	Programmable speaker
Colours	Adapter-dependent
Graphics	CGA/EGA-compatible or HP graphics adapters
Display	External monochrome or colour monitor
ROM	HP BIOS
RAM	512KB standard; expandable
CPU Speed	8 MHz