Up for sale is an extremely rare IBM PS/2 P75 486 portable. The IBM P75 was the worlds first 486-based portable computer. When released in 1990, it was the fastest portable on the market, and also one of the most expensive. Original configurations ranged from ~$15-18k. Adjusted for inflation, that\'s over $40,000!
Most notably, this computer has been modified to accept upgrade CPU\'s through the use of a PGA-168 CPU socket. P75 Portables, by default, cannot accept CPU upgrades as the processor is permanently soldered to the processor card at the factory. Installing a CPU socket is no trivial task; it requires advanced soldering skills and specialized equipment.
With its specially-modified processor card, this P75 can be accelerated up to 133 MHz though the use of an AMD X5-133 or Cyrix 5x86. With these processors, one can expect at least a 250% performance increase over a stock 486DX-33!This computer has been completely and thoroughly restored. All electrolytic capacitors have been replaced with brand new ones bought directly from authorized distributors such as Mouser and DigiKey. The original CMOS battery pack has been modified to accept dual CR2032 batteries, facilitating easy future replacement. The case and keyboard keycaps have been thoroughly cleaned.
The computer has the maximum supported 16MB of planar memory installed. The original hard drive has been upgraded with a 1GB IBM DPES-31080, the maximum size supported by the computer\'s onboard SCSI BIOS.
The computer has no issues booting from floppy or hard disk. The 10\" gas plasma display functions without problems. The keyboard works as expected.This computer is not without flaws, however. The case has a decent amount marks and scratches, and some rubber pads are missing. The top of the case has some chipped paint, and the rubber coating on the carrying handle is also partially damaged. Additionally, the bottom case screws are missing. Albeit, these screws are not necessary; the shell is still held firmly together with plastic clips. This amount of wear is not unusual for a computer of its age, but deserves mentioning nonetheless.While I have done by best to capture the computer\'s flaws, I would advise the buyer to assume the computer is in slightly worse condition than as shown. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Also, if you would like for an alternative operating system to be installed, such as OS/2 or Windows 95, please let me know.
