IBM Portable Personal Computer 5155

The IBM Portable PC placed XT-compatible hardware, two floppy drives and a 9-inch display in a transportable case. Its detachable keyboard clipped over the screen and drives for travel.

It gave IBM customers an official luggable PC but arrived after lighter and more innovative competitors.

Notable Features

• The internal amber display showed CGA output in monochrome.
• At roughly 13.6 kg, portability meant transport between mains-powered locations.

Historical Significance

• It gave IBM customers an official luggable PC but arrived after lighter and more innovative competitors.

Collector’s Notes

• Original IBM documentation, matching display and keyboard, and an unmodified configuration add historical context.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	IBM Portable Personal Computer 5155
Manufacturer	IBM
Launched	Wednesday, February 1, 1984
Discontinued	1986
Country	United States
CPU	Intel 8088 at 4.77 MHz
Units Sold
Form Factor	Luggable computer
Power	Internal mains supply
Networking	Optional expansion adapters
Operating System	IBM PC DOS and compatible software
Expansion / I/O	Eight ISA slots with physical limitations, external CGA and peripheral ports
Keyboard	83-key keyboard forming the front cover
Storage	Two 360KB 5.25-inch floppy drives; hard disk possible through expansion
Sound	Programmable speaker
Colours	Amber monochrome internally; external colour CGA supported
Graphics	CGA graphics displayed internally in monochrome
Display	Built-in 9-inch amber CRT
ROM	IBM Portable PC BIOS
RAM	256KB–640KB
CPU Speed	4.77 MHz