Reply Corporation

Reply Corporation

Company type	Private
Industry	Computer hardware
Founded	1988
Founder	Steve Petracca
Defunct	1997
Fate	Acquired by Radius
Headquarters	San Jose, California , United States
Key people	Steve Petracca (founder)
Products	Computer systems, motherboard upgrade solutions
Number of employees	100 (peak), 25 (1997)

Reply Corporation, also known as Reply Corp., was a U.S.-based computer manufacturer located in San Jose, California. Established in 1988 by Steve Petracca, an ex-IBM executive, Reply secured licensing rights for IBM's Micro Channel architecture to develop its own computer systems introduced in 1989, positioning them as alternatives to IBM's PS/2 series. Subsequently, the company transitioned from producing full computer systems to focusing on motherboard upgrade solutions tailored for older PS/2 models. A significant portion of Reply’s founding personnel, including Petracca, had previous tenures at IBM, which contributed to a strong collaborative relationship between the two firms. Reply was ultimately acquired by Radius in 1997.

Foundation

Steve V. Petracca (born 1951) launched Reply Corp. following a 12-year tenure at IBM, where he played pivotal roles in product operations and business analysis, notably overseeing the IBM PC launch and the ramp-up of the PS/2 line. He held a bachelor’s degree from University of Colorado Boulder and earned an MBA from Nova Southeastern University. Frustrated by IBM’s bureaucratic culture that prioritized data presentation over substantive content, Petracca departed in 1988 to found Reply in San Jose, financing the venture through personal networks and his IBM severance package. He enlisted several former IBM colleagues, many of whom had contributed to PS/2 development.

Reply’s debut product range comprised desktop systems built on IBM's Micro Channel architecture: the Reply 286/16, 286/20, and 386SX/16 models. Although InformationWeek noted Reply as the first to license Micro Channel for a PS/2-compatible clone, Tandy Corporation had already introduced the Tandy 5000 MC in 1988. Reply unveiled its offerings at COMDEX/Fall 1989. The 286 lineup competed against IBM’s mid-tier PS/2 Models 50 and 60 but offered faster Intel 80286 CPUs clocked at 16 MHz and 20 MHz compared to IBM’s 10 MHz processors. The 386SX/16 model featured an Intel 80386SX running at 16 MHz.

The company highlighted a modular approach with its "5×5" concept—five drive bays coupled with five expansion slots—and utilized daughterboard-mounted CPUs called TurboProcessor boards, allowing users to upgrade processors without replacing the entire motherboard. This design aimed to appeal to existing PS/2 owners wary of rapid obsolescence. Despite this forward-thinking design, the 286-based systems experienced limited traction within corporate markets relative to the more widely adopted 386SX/16 model released in 1990.

IBM partnership

In October 1990, Reply became part of the Micro Channel Developers Association, joining twelve other MCA hardware manufacturers including IBM, to advocate Micro Channel as the preferred standard for 32-bit computing platforms. This coalition stood in opposition to the Gang of Nine—a group of PC clone makers led by Compaq and Hewlett-Packard—who supported the Extended Industry Standard Architecture as an alternative to IBM’s standard.

During that same month, Reply debuted its inaugural Micro Channel expansion card, the Token Ring Adapter/A, and introduced next-generation 32-bit Micro Channel systems equipped with TurboProcessor technology, notably the Model 32. The flagship Model 32 featured a 33 MHz i486 processor and was priced at $12,895 in 1990. By comparison, IBM’s PS/2 Model 90 XP with similar specifications carried a $16,695 price tag. Both systems incorporated upgradeable CPU slots; however, while IBM’s “processor complex” upgrades required authorized service personnel, Reply permitted end-user processor upgrades. Additionally, Reply’s Model 32 supported industry-standard SIMM memory modules rather than relying on IBM’s proprietary RAM.

In May 1991, Reply strengthened its collaboration with IBM by licensing official IBM components for its MCA-based machines: including IBM SCSI and ESDI hard drives, the renowned Model M, along with PC DOS and OS/2 Extended Edition operating systems. That year marked another milestone as Reply became IBM’s first external client at its printed circuit board manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas—signaling IBM’s move toward contract manufacturing arrangements.

By August 1992, IBM granted Reply permission to market computers featuring its own 386SLC and 486SLC processors—the first company authorized to sell IBM silicon based on Intel’s x86 design. Due to contractual limitations preventing standalone sales of the 386SLC chip imposed by Intel agreements, this processor was integrated onto a TurboProcessor daughterboard. The Model 16 386SLC replaced Reply’s earlier Model 16 386SX/20 offering and delivered more than twice the performance while maintaining equivalent pricing. This achievement encouraged Reply to prioritize IBM processors over Intel’s earlier-generation 16-bit chips for subsequent TurboProcessor releases.

Restructuring

In October 1992, Reply reduced its workforce by 40 employees out of 100 after incurring a $5 million loss due to fierce pricing pressure from Compaq. The company altered its approach, discontinuing full PC production to concentrate on upgrade motherboards tailored for existing IBM PS/2 systems. These were introduced in December 1992 under the name TurboProcessor System Upgrade (later renamed PowerBoard). These upgrade boards allowed users to install contemporary processors such as IBM's 386SLC and Intel's i486DX2 into late-1980s PS/2 models, which remained prevalent in many large organizations. The upgrades also broadened drive compatibility by adding support for PATA drives, commonly found in IBM PC-compatible machines. That same month, Reply launched its final complete computer, the Model 16 486SLC2, equipped with IBM’s 486SLC2 processor running at 40 MHz and offering upgrade options to Intel’s i486SX2 at 50 MHz.

In April 1993, Reply entered a partnership with IBM to rebrand and distribute the TurboProcessor Upgrade cards. The company also ventured into original design manufacturing (ODM), developing the motherboard for IBM’s PS/2 Model 53 and designing a new MCA-based computer for Olivetti. Reply introduced several MCA expansion cards, including graphics and sound enhancements as well as an IDE drive adapter. Furthermore, the company previewed a PowerPC upgrade board aligned with AIM alliance initiatives; this product was released in 1994 as the MPC105—a motherboard based on the PowerPC 603 featuring PCI and ISA slots—though it was not marketed specifically as a PS/2 upgrade.

By the end of 1993, Reply had returned to profitability with earnings of $3 million. Founder Petracca had secured $14 million in venture capital from five investors to support expansion; however, this funding was depleted by August 1994. Subsequently, he engaged a private equity firm to improve the company's financial standing.

Reply diversified beyond IBM upgrades with the December 1994 introduction of the Deskpro PowerBoard designed for Compaq Deskpro systems (286 and 386 processors). This product enabled upgrades to i486SX2 and supported Intel DX4 and Pentium OverDrive processors. Following this release, Reply launched upgrade boards targeting Compaq ProLinea machines along with IBM PS/1 and PS/ValuePoint systems during 1995. By that time, the company's staff numbers had returned to approximately 100 employees. In December 1995, Reply unveiled a DOS on Mac expansion card for Apple’s Power Macintosh 8100, allowing execution of MS-DOS and Windows applications via Cyrix 5x86 or Intel DX4 processors. An enhanced version supporting Intel Pentium processors running between 166 and 200 MHz was introduced in 1996.

Acquisition

By 1997, Reply's employee count had diminished to just 25 for reasons that remain unclear. In April of that year, the company sold its DOS on Mac technology to Radius, a hardware manufacturer based in Sunnyvale, California. This sale, combined with workforce reductions, raised concerns about Reply's long-term viability. The remaining staff relocated to Radius’ Sunnyvale facility, where ten key engineers—including Petracca—were retained as permanent employees. Later that year, Radius completed a full acquisition of Reply.

Computers

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	L2 cache (KB)	HDD	Stock memory	Max. memory (MB)	Form factor	Date introduced	Ref(s).
286/16	Intel 80286	16	0	30 MB or 60 MB or 120 MB (EDSI)	2	8	Desktop	Template:Date table sorting
286/20	Intel 80286	20	0	30 MB or 60 MB or 120 MB (EDSI)	2	8	Desktop	Template:Date table sorting
386SX/16	Intel 80386SX	16	0	30 MB or 60 MB or 120 MB (EDSI)	2	8	Desktop	Template:Date table sorting
386SX/20	Intel 80386SX	20	0	30 MB or 60 MB or 120 MB (EDSI)	2	16	Desktop	Template:Date table sorting

Motherboards

Name	Compatible computer(s)	Supported processor(s)	Max. memory (MB)	Additional features	Release date
PS/2 Model 25 TurboProcessor	IBM PS/2 Model 25	Intel 80486SX	32	Integrated GPU with 512 KB video RAM, onboard IDE and ST506 hard drive interfaces	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model 30 TurboProcessor	IBM PS/2 Model 30	Intel 80486SX	32	Built-in GPU featuring 512 KB video memory, IDE and ST506 hard drive controllers included	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model 50/50Z TurboProcessor	IBM PS/2 Model 50, Model 50 Z	IBM 386SLC, IBM 486SLC	16	Super VGA GPU integrated, with IDE and EDSI hard drive interfaces onboard	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model 55SX TurboProcessor	IBM PS/2 Model 55 SX	IBM 386SLC, IBM 486SLC	16		Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model 70 TurboProcessor	IBM PS/2 Model 70	Intel 80486SX, Intel 80486DX2, Pentium Overdrive; late versions support IBM 486BL (late models)		Integrated Super VGA GPU, IDE hard drive interface present	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model 70 16-bit TurboProcessor	IBM PS/2 Model 70	IBM 486SLC2		GPU equipped with 1 MB video RAM, onboard IDE hard drive interface	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model 60/65/80 TurboProcessor	IBM PS/2 Model 60, Model 65 SX, Model 80	Intel 80486SX, Intel 80486DX2, Pentium Overdrive; late models include support for IBM 486BL	128	Super VGA GPU, IDE hard drive interface built-in, with socket for an i487SX co-processor	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model 25 PowerBoard	IBM PS/2 Model 25	Cyrix Cx486DX2, i486DX2, i486DX4	32	Onboard IDE hard drive interface
PS/2 Model30 PowerBoard	IBM PS/2 Model30	Cyrix Cx486DX2, i486DX2, i486DX4	32	Integrated IDE hard drive controller
PS/2 Model50 /50Z PowerBoard	IBM PS/2 Model50, IBM PS/2 Model50 Z	i486DX2, i486DX4	64	Built-in IDE and SCSI hard drive interfaces	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Model55SX PowerBoard	IBM PS/2 Model55 SX	i486DX2, i486DX4	64	Onboard IDE and SCSI hard drive controllers	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Models56 /57 /76 /77 PowerBoard	IBM PS/2 Models56,57,76,77	Intel 80486DX,Intel 80486DX2,Intel 80486DX4		GPU with integrated 1 MB video RAM, onboard IDE hard drive interface	Template:Date table sorting
PS/2 Models60 /65 /80 PowerBoard	IBM PS/2 Models60 ,IBMPS / Model65 SX ,IBMPS / Model80	Up to Intel 80486 DX4 ,Pentium OverDrive processors	64	64-bit local-bus SVGA GPU with GUI acceleration, enhanced onboard IDE controller	Template:Date table sorting
PS / Model70 PowerBoard	IBMPS / Model70	Intel 80486 DX2 ,Intel 80486 DX4	64	IDE and SCSI hard drive interfaces integrated	Template:Date table sorting
Deskpro PowerBoard	Compaq Deskpro E and S series	Intel 80486 SX2 ,Intel 80486 DX2 ,Intel 80486 DX4	64	Includes PCI expansion slots	Template:Date table sorting
Pentathlon / PCI	IBMPS /1 ,IBMPS / ValuePoint ,Compaq ProLinea	Original Pentium (processor)	128	Phoenix BIOS firmware included	Template:Date table sorting

Expansion cards

• Token Ring Network Adapter/A
• MicroChannel Graphics Adapter
• MicroChannel Audio Card, available with or without SCSI support
• DOS compatibility for Mac systems

See also

• Aox Inc., a company also producing expansion cards and peripherals compatible with the PS/2 platform