IBM PC XT
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| Also known as | IBM XT, PC XT, XT |
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| Type | Personal computer |
| Release date | March 8, 1983 |
| Discontinued | April 1987 |
| Operating system | IBM BASIC / PC DOS 2.0-3.20 / PC/IX / SCO Xenix / Minix |
| CPU | Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz |
| Memory | 128–640 KB RAM |
The IBM Personal Computer XT, often shortened to the IBM XT, PC XT, or simply XT, is a version of the IBM PC with a built-in hard drive. It was released as IBM Machine Type number 5160 on March 8, 1983. Apart from the hard drive, it was essentially the same as the original PC, with only minor improvements. The XT was mainly intended as an enhanced IBM PC for business users. Later floppy-only models would effectively replace the original model 5150 PC. A corresponding 3270 PC featuring 3270 terminal emulation was released later in October 1983. XT stands for eXtended Technology.
The IBM Personal Computer XT originally came with 128 KB of RAM, a 360 KB double-sided 5¼ inch floppy disk drive, a 10 MB Seagate ST-412 hard drive with Xebec 1210 Modified Frequency Modulation (MFM) controller, an Asynchronous Adapter (serial card with 8250 UART), and a 130-watt power supply. The motherboard had an Intel 8088 microprocessor running at 4.77 MHz, with a socket for an optional 8087 math coprocessor.
IBM recognized soon after the IBM PC's release in 1981 that its five 8-bit "I/O channel" expansion slots (later named Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) by IBM's competitors) were insufficient. An internal IBM publication stated in October 1981 about the number that "In my opinion, it could be a problem", reporting that others within IBM advised swapping cards if necessary. Virtually every PC required at least a display adapter card and a floppy disk controller card, leaving only three slots available for a parallel printer port card (if the Color Graphics Adapter was used), a serial port card, memory expansion boards, a 3rd-party hard disk controller card, a second display adapter card, or possible other special adapter cards.
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