Deskpro (8086) and Deskpro 286 The original Compaq Deskpro (released in 1984), available in several disk configurations, is an
XT-class PC equipped with an 8 MHz 8086 CPU and Compaq's unique display hardware that combined
Color Graphics Adapter graphics with high resolution
Monochrome Display Adapter text. As a result, it was considerably faster than the original
IBM PC, the XT and the
AT, and had a much better quality text display compared to IBM PCs which were equipped with either the IBM Monochrome Display Adapter or Color Graphics Adapter cards.
Dynalogic,
Eagle Computer and
Corona Data Systems. The latter two companies were threatened by IBM for BIOS
copyright infringement, and settled out of court, agreeing to re-implement their BIOS. Compaq used a
clean-room design with a
reverse-engineered BIOS, avoiding legal jeopardy. In 1985, Compaq released the Deskpro 286, their clone of the
IBM PC/AT.
Deskpro 386 In September 1986, the Deskpro 386 was announced after
Intel released its 80386 microprocessor, beating
IBM by seven months on their comparable 386 computer, thus making a name for themselves. The IBM-made
386DX machine, the
IBM PS/2 Model 80, reached the market almost a year later,
PC Tech Journal honored the Deskpro 386 with its 1986 Product of the Year award. The Deskpro 386/25 was released in August, 1988 and cost $10,299.
Other The
form factor for the Compaq Deskpro is mostly the desktop model which lies upon a desk, with a monitor placed on top of it. Compaq has produced many
tower upright models that have been highly successful in sales, and are usually convertible to a desktop form factor. An SFF (
small form factor) desktop version was also produced during the Deskpro's lifetime. The Deskpro was replaced by the
Evo in 2001. ==Models==