IBM PS/2 Model 56 SLC2
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Predecessor | IBM PC |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) |
| Fate | Replaced the original IBM PC lineup |
| Successor | None |
| Headquarters | Armonk , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Personal computers, servers, laptops, notebooks |
| Owner | IBM |
| Parent | IBM |
The Personal System/2, commonly referred to as PS/2, represented a series of personal computers created by International Business Machines Corporation. Launched in 1987, this series constituted IBM's follow-up generation to the initial IBM PC lineup, which was discontinued upon the PS/2 introduction in April 1987. A majority of PS/2 units incorporated the proprietary Micro Channel architecture (MCA) bus—IBM’s strategy to reassert dominance in the PC market. Nevertheless, certain entry-level models retained the widely adopted ISA bus, an open standard frequently replicated by competitors. The PS/2 range encompassed various configurations including desktop units, tower systems, all-in-one computers, portables, laptops, and notebooks.
Notes
- Legend
- Clarifications
- Submodels identified with IBM part numbers (P/N) for sales outside North America are not included.
- Monitors integrated or optionally added are generally CRT displays unless otherwise specified.
- The Space Saving Keyboard is an 87-key variant of the Model M that excludes the numeric keypad.
- The Model 25 Collegiate edition was designed for students, equipped with two 720 KB floppy drives, up to 640 KB RAM, bundled with the official PS/2 Mouse, Windows 2.0, and four blank floppy disks.
- Financial workstation variants featured a specialized 50-key function keypad tailored for banking uses.
- LS ("LAN Station") models functioned as diskless workstations lacking floppy or hard drives, connecting through Ethernet or Token Ring networks.
- Ultimedia editions included microphones, SCSI CD-ROM drives, M-Audio sound cards, volume controls, and front-panel headphone/microphone jacks.
- Array models served as PS/2 Servers supporting RAID configurations for storage.
Primary lineup
| Model | IBM P/N | Processor | Clock speed (MHz) |
Bus type | Number of slots |
Number of drive bays |
FDD | HDD | Standard RAM |
Maximum RAM |
Video adapter | Monitor type | Form factor | Release date | Additional notes | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 8525-001 | Intel 8086 | 8 (0 w) | ISA, 8-bit | 2 | 2 | one 720 KB | none | 512 KB | 640 KB | MCGA | 12-inch monochrome | All-in-one | Template:Date table sorting | Space Saving Keyboard included | |
| 25 | 8525-004 | Intel 8086 | 8 (0 w) | ISA, 8-bit | 2 | 2 | one 720 KB | none | 512 KB | 640 KB | MCGA | 12-inch color display | All-in-one | Template:Date table sorting | Space Saving Keyboard included | |
| (Additional Model 25 variants not shown here; specifications are similar) | ||||||||||||||||
| 25 286 | 8525-006 | Intel 80286 | 10 (1 w) | ISA, 16-bit | 2 | 2 | one 1.44 MB | none | 1 MB | 4 MB | VGA | 12-inch color display | All-in-one | Template:Date table sorting | ||
| (Other variants such as Model 25 SX and LS omitted) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 30 series and its variants: ISA bus with Intel processors) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 35 series featuring Intel i386SX and IBM 386SLC CPUs with ISA bus; desktop format) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 40 series equipped with Intel i386SX and IBM 386SLC processors using ISA bus; desktop form factor) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 50 series utilizing Intel 80286 processors combined with the MCA bus; desktop design) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 55 SX and LS: i386SX CPUs paired with MCA bus; desktop configuration) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 56 SX and SLC: IBM and Intel processor options on MCA bus; desktop form factor) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 57 SX and SLC: IBM and Intel CPUs utilizing MCA bus; desktop layout) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Ultimedia M57 SLC: multimedia-centric models employing MCA bus) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 60: Intel 80286 processor with MCA bus in tower chassis) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 65 SX: i386SX CPU with MCA bus housed in tower case) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 70 series: Intel i386 and i486 processors using MCA bus in desktop format; includes high-performance setups) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 80 series: Intel i386 CPUs paired with MCA bus in tower case offering extensive storage and expansion capabilities) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 53 SLC2 and LS: later IBM models featuring IBM’s proprietary processors with MCA bus and SVGA graphics support) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Models in the Model 56 and Model 57 series equipped with IBM’s own CPUs featuring XGA-2 graphics and enhanced storage options) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 76 series: Intel i486SX/DX2/DX4 processors combined with MCA bus providing extensive expansion slots; desktop format) | ||||||||||||||||
| (Model 77 series: similar to Model 76 but offering more expansion slots and larger storage capacities) | ||||||||||||||||
| (90 XP series: Intel i486SX/DX processors on MCA bus with advanced graphics features; tower form factor) | ||||||||||||||||
| (95 XP series: premium tower models using Intel i486 processors on MCA bus with improved storage solutions) | ||||||||||||||||
| (IBM PS/2 E model: compact desktop featuring IBM’s own CPU, ISA bus, PC Card slots, and XGA-2 graphics capabilities) |
PS/2 Server
| Model | IBM P/N | Processor | Clock speed (MHz) |
Bus | Number of slots |
Number of drive bays |
FDD | HDD | Default RAM |
Maximum RAM |
Video adapter | Monitor | Form factor | Release date | Remarks | Ref(s). | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server 85 | 9585-0X6 | Intel 486SX | 33 | MCA, 32-bit | 8 | 7 | single 2.88 MB | 104 MB (SCSI) | 8 MB | 64 MB | SVGA | optional | Tower | Template:Date table sorting | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Server 85 | 9585-0X9 | Intel 486SX | 33 | MCA, 32-bit | 8 | 7 | single 2.88 MB | 160 MB (SCSI) | 8 MB | 64 MB | SVGA | optional | Tower | Template:Date table sorting | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Server 85 | 9585-0XA | Intel 486SX | 33 | MCA, 32-bit | 8 | 7 | single 2.88 MB | 208 MB/212 MB (SCSI) | 8 MB | 64 MB | SVGA | optional | Tower | Template:Date table sorting |
- |
Other Server 85 and Server 95 configurations share comparable features, differing primarily in processor frequencies (ranging from 33 to 66 MHz), RAM capacity (up to 256 MB), and hard disk sizes (several gigabytes via SCSI). These systems employ the Micro Channel architecture bus and accommodate SVGA video cards with optional display units. The tower chassis is standard. Highlighted models include the dual-CPU Server 295 and the high-end Server 95, which comes preloaded with IBM LAN Server or Novell NetWare. | |||||||||||||||||||
Portables
IBM PS/2 P70 8573-061 i386 Intel i386 20 MHz style="background:#CCF" | Micro Channel architecture, 32-bit two slots (one is16-bit, one is32-bit) none one floppy,1.44MB 60MB hard disk(ESDI) RAM default:2MB Max RAM:8MB VGA video adapter Monochrome gas plasma monitor Portable form factor Released May1989 Slot available for optional i387 coprocessor IBM PS/2 P70 8573-121 i386 Intel i386 20 MHz style="background:#CCF" | Micro Channel architecture,32-bit two slots (one16-bit, one32-bit) none one floppy,1.44MB 120MB hard disk(ESDI) Standard RAM:2MB Maximum RAM:8MB VGA video card Monochrome gas plasma screen Portable design Introduced May1989 Supports optional i387 coprocessor slot IBM PS/2 P75 8573-161 i486 Intel i486 processor 33 MHz style="background:#CCF" | Micro Channel architecture,32-bit bus Four expansion slots(two16-bit, two32-bit) No drive bays One floppy drive,1.44MB capacity 160MB hard disk (SCSI) 4MB base RAM Up to16MB maximum RAM VGA graphics adapter Monochrome gas plasma display Portable configuration Released November1990 Includes integrated SCSI controller on planar board| Model | IBM P/N | Processor | Clock speed (MHz) |
Bus | Number of slots |
Number of drive bays |
FDD | HDD | Standard RAM |
Maximum RAM |
Video adapter | Display type | Form factor | Launch date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P70 | 8573-031 | i386 Intel 386
16 MHz | style="background:#CCF" | Micro Channel architecture, 32-bit | two slots: one 16-bit, one 32-bit | none | one floppy, 1.44 MB | hard disk: 30 MB (ESDI) | RAM: starts at 2 MB | max RAM: up to 8 MB | Video Graphics Array (VGA) | Monochrome gas plasma display | Portable | Template:Date table sorting | Includes socket for optional i387 math coprocessor |
Related systems
... [similar Academic System entries abbreviated for brevity] ... ... [EduQuest models summarized] ... Executive Workstation ... [Industrial Computer series summarized] ... ... [Personal Typing System series summarized] ...| Model | IBM P/N | CPU | Operating frequency (MHz) |
Bus type | Number of slots |
Number of drive bays |
FDD | HDD | Base RAM |
Maximum RAM |
Graphics adapter | Display | Chassis type | Release date | Remarks | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic System | 6152-022 | Intel 80286 ROMP 032 |
10 (286) | MCA, 16-bit | 8 | 4 | single 1.44 MB | 20 MB (ST-506) | 2 MB | 8 MB | VGA | optional | Tower | Template:Date table sorting | Equipped with ROMP processor on daughter card; unable to operate simultaneously with 286 CPU | |
| Academic System | 6152-024 | Intel 80286 ROMP 032 |
10 (286) | MCA, 16-bit | 8 | 4 | single 1.44 MB | 20 MB (ST-506) | 4 MB | 8 MB | VGA | optional | Tower | Template:Date table sorting | Features ROMP processor on daughter card; does not support concurrent operation with the 286 CPU | |
| Academic System | 6152-044 | Intel 80286 ROMP 032 |
10 (286) | MCA, 16-bit | 8 | 4 | single 1.44 MB | 44 MB (ST-506) | 4 MB | 8 MB | VGA | optional | Tower | Template:Date table sorting | Incorporates ROMP processor on daughter card; cannot function in parallel with the Intel 286 processor | |
| Clinical Workstation | 7690 | Intel 8086 | 8 (0 w) | ISA, 8-bit | 4 | 0 | single 1.44 MB floppy drive | none installed | 640 KB RAM standard | up to 8 MB RAM maximum | MCGA | Monochrome LCD screen | Mobile workstation | Template:Date table sorting | 'Mobile workstation designed for healthcare, utilizing Model 25 motherboard and Model 30 firmware; intended to operate alongside IBM 7496 Executive Workstation. | |
| EduQuest Thirty (9603), Forty (9604), Fifty (9605), Thirty-cs (9606), Fifty-cs (9608), Thirty-five (9613), Forty-five (9614), Fifty-five (9615) | Equipped with processors ranging from IBM's own 386SLC, Intel i486SX/DX2, to Cyrix Cx486SLC2, with clock speeds spanning from 25 MHz up to a maximum of around100 MHz. | Utilizes mostly ISA buses with a predominance of16-bit width; all-in-one design including optional sound cards and color SVGA monitors. | Developed primarily for educational markets, released between March1993 and September1995. | |||||||||||||
| IBM part number:7496 | Intel 8086 running at8 MHz | ISA bus, using an8-bit interface | Three expansion slots available; no drive bays included | Contains one floppy drive (720 KB) | No hard disk drive present; RAM fixed at640 KB both stock and maximum | MCGA graphics adapter paired with monochrome display | All-in-one desktop configuration | Released in September1989 | Targeted at healthcare applications; designed to complement IBM7690 Clinical Workstation. | |||||||
| Industrial Computer models include:7552-040,7552-140,7541,7542,7561,7562,7546,7568 series (040,150,C40,D40). | Processors range from Intel80286 through i386, i386SX, up to i486DX2; clock frequencies between10 and50 MHz. | Bus architectures encompass MCA (both16 and32-bit versions) and ISA (mostly16-bit), including some hybrid designs. | Expansion slots vary from three up to eight; drive bays range from none to four. | Storage options extend from no drives to SCSI or ESDI hard disks sized between320 and400 MB. | Video adapters are primarily VGA; monitors offered optionally. | Available in benchtop, rack-mount, and portable form factors. | Marketed as rugged "Gearbox" industrial computers notable for early MCA adoption prior to PS/2 launch. | |||||||||
| Personal Typing System models include6901-001 through6901-006 plus6907/6908 Personal Typing System/2 variants. | Equipped with Intel8086 or80286 CPUs running at either8 or10 MHz. | ISA bus architecture mainly featuring an8-bit data path; expansion slots range from none to two; two drive bays present. | Floppy drives generally are720 KB or1.44 MB; small hard disks offered optionally. | RAM typically spans640 KB to1 MB; video output via MCGA adapter paired with monochrome or color12-inch monitors. | Desktop-style cases focused on word processing and networking tasks, supporting optional Wheelwriter or Quietwriter peripherals. |