This machine may not seem very important to most people nowadays, but it is the box that defined the term PC-Compatible. If you read hardware requirements on almost any game or program sold today, it will usually say 100% IBM Compatible PC. You could also say that if IBM had called it the IBM FC (Family Computer), then people would be going around saying "Do you have a IBM FC Compatible computer"

IBM 5150 PC Stock Specifications

• System Unit w/84-Key Keyboard
• 8088 processor runnning at the ubiquitous 4.77mhz
• 0,1 or twin Full-Height 160k Floppy Drives (Depending on model)
• 16-256k RAM (Depending on model)

Now even if you think of 1981, that is just a stripper by any stretch of the imagination. I think you would have to do a little bit of tweaking to get this PC to run some modern programs. It uses the same 8088 as the XT, but is missing things like a HDD, 360k Floppy drive and at least 64k of RAM to run DOS. I mean 16k of RAM might run DOS 1.0, but that is about it. I suppose it is a good example of what can I cram into memory above DOS.

Another Box I have never been inside, but I have seen a few of them and they look exactly like a PC XT, except they have a Cassette I/O in the back beside where the keyboard plug is. Now that just screams ancient! Expansions slots total 5, instead of the 8 in the XT and the motherboard also follow the same system as the XT does. Some boards say 16/64kb on them, the other board has 64/256k on it. So I guess the larger memory board became the smaller one on the XT, which came out about 2 years after the PC.