LGR - IBM PC 5150 Vintage Computer System Review

[@JojyAsmir]

I actually just got my hands on an almost unused, perfect condition 5150. The original model, not one of the revisions. It's fascinating to use a PC like this, considering it came out more than a decade before I was born. Don't know if you'll see this, LGR, but you are probably one of the biggest reasons I got into collecting old computer stuff, and I've got to thank you for it.

[@LGR]

Enjoy your machine! It's a lot of fun to mess with a PC that old :)

[@quantumanimations5688]

4:16 the greatest sound ever made by this guy

[@KnowingEyes]

6:50 is pretty good too!

[@QuantumBraced]

He should do a re-review of this.

[@BradleyGamer69420]

Hi

[@AlsGeekLab]

yes Clint, methinks it's time for a re-review 😊

[@celsojoven3525]

Bohol

[@Bucket_of_Chicken]

Truly

[@nuherbleath461]

Could do, though i think this still has aged quite well

[@banagan4604]

Only found LGR a few months back, this content from 10 years ago is great. So much to get through

[@AceSimGaming]

Welcome! All of his content is quality

[@ASCG5000]

I miss that intro

[@Caseytify]

I don't.

[@AlexgmrNokia]

Me

[@blendernoob64]

As a guitar gear nerd and someone fascinated by old pcs, not only is the 5150 a cool computer, but the 5150 is a sick amplifier for hi gain rock!

[@RNBOrkney]

I liked the end when u spoke about the comparison between the car and the pc, it really shows how much it means to you! huge respect to you man, keep up the amazing work! (plus u play all the games i love in your videos and your funny as hell) SUBSCRIBED!! :D

[@AszullGames]

I don't think I have ever looked this far back in your library. I didn't think this was you at first because of the way you sound in this video, it took a minute lol. This is just what I was searching for and thanks!

[@fragoleconcrema]

On the one hand I'm glad to live in an era of fast & multimedia computers and smartphones but I was born in the mid 80s so I can't help feeling pretty nostalgic about those early PC's. and kudos to you for taking such loving care of that old beast!

[@TipsterLIVE]

I actually used to have one of these. I got it surprisingly in the early 2000's when a neighbor said they had an old computer and said I could have it if I wanted it. I did and at first I was disappointed. But after playing some of the games on it, I had a blast!

[@Formedmiller02]

Cool

[@Formedmiller02]

thanks

[@Formedmiller02]

oh that makes it even better thanks

[@Formedmiller02]

oh please don't hurt you're face over me I apologize

[@Formedmiller02]

what is ?

[@65283impala]

Being both an antique car and computer collector, I can confirm that you completely nailed it. I wanted a 5150 but had to do with a nice early 5160, just like I wish my 69 Satellite were the 426 Hemi Road Runner. They're still close enough and a lot of fun anyway!

[@jennteal5265]

My father went back to school when I was in high school and we didn't have the money for a proper PC. My grandparents gave us their old 5150, and this is what I used for writing papers, because I was told a typewriter wasn't okay. When was this? 1995 lol

[@bolt853]

+Jenn E Do you still have the 5150?

[@jennteal5265]

+bolt853 No, I do believe my parents garage saled it when we moved in 2000. 😯

[@bolt853]

Jenn E That's a shame. Old but valuable.

[@lorumipsum1129]

Jenn Teal I thought you were gonna say you were typing that comment on a ibm 5150. I’m disappointed.

[@Zeriel00]

Is that even possible? :O

[@markbohm2138]

I had one of these and gave it away! I wanted to share my love for these things but the person I gave it to threw it away in the garbage. The person I gave it to said it was too slow--my point here is if you like these kinds of things (classic hardware), just be carefull of who you give it too as they may not see things the way you do. Just a heads up!

[@SirVirgoTheMess]

The era when you turned off the computer,it just turn off. No freaking loading then turn off.

[@xdeathcon]

I love pressing the power button on my AT. So satisfying.

[@root8272]

@Duster318 Hard drives weren't seeking all the time back then. PCs weren't even really for multitasking yet.

[@cgasparetto]

I was here on 12/AUG/2021 when the IBM PC turned 40. =)

[@thetman0068]

Wow I wish you could still find 5150s for $80 these days…

[@dvamateur]

Your video editing skills our outstanding. This is simply a professional production. Very impressive!

[@ZImpresive]

Sometimes I regret throwing away old PC Hardware that I had, and Old really nice PC games from the windows 98 era. I held on to some nice PCI cards, I might send you one in the future.

[@cromulence]

The intro tune popped into my head just now for no reason and I had to find a video with it in. How bizarre (how bizarre).

[@RetroGamerVX]

I've been looking for one of these for over 3 years (and watched this many times) :o) I'm picking one up on Thursday :o)

[@LGR]

Oh wow, that is just awesome. Congrats, sir, and I hope you enjoy this wonderful machine!

[@garge7676]

Your lucky, I've been searching since I was 6 (Im 10 now)

[@ectofrost]

garge7676 you are 10. holy shit.

[@garge7676]

ectofrost :I mehhh..this is my dads old account..he dosent use it anymore so i use it now :L I DONT CARE ABOUT GRAMMAR EITHER..so any grammar nazis can leave..

[@ectofrost]

TheWorldWarAnimators Of Canada1914 Chill man I was just suprised someone of your age was into this.

[@KitCaboodle1312]

Omg that part where you compared the graphics card to the keyboard was just so awkward I had to laugh! Man you have come a long way!

[@Norway2011]

wow, i remember the old IBM's our school had when I was in elementary... that red power switch was the shit!

[@SkuldChan42]

My granddad had one of these - he bought it through an employee purchase program (he was a customer service engineer for IBM since the late 40's). Your right btw - it really is a unique experience to use.

[@tbethauser]

How does this not have a million views and likes?

[@hello.658]

this video has 13 years cool

[@edward_grabczewski]

I'm getting mine this week. Thanks for the introducton!

[@shaqrpwns]

I'd love for you to do a video on the evolution of storage devices! And of course; lovely video as always.

[@russblakeman5568]

First "IBM compatible" that I had was a Sanyo MBC-550, real POS. Over the years I have picked up and restored a couple 5150 PCs, 5160 XTs and 5170 ATs.

[@MarioBerazategui]

this is a really old video but i am very happy!! i found an ibm 5150!! and ia am restoring it. Nobody in my family understan wy but this is the first pc!!! it deserves to live forever!

[@vwestlife]

Ikari Warriors on a PC! Looks like it takes advantage of composite video artifacting to generate extra colors on the screen, too.

[@fensoxx]

Been watching you for years man. Just visited an old vid and reminded myself why. In another life we are close friends.

[@sfx1999]

I miss the satisfying thunk power switches used to have. I had an old Packard Bell 486 as a kid that I found out used a 386 case. Had an HP Deskjet 500C that was built with steel. Right now I have a LaserJet 4 that has a hell of a power switch and causes the lights to dim quickly when it starts to warm up.

[@xdeathcon]

My AT has a power button but it works like a switch, rather than how a more modern one works. It requires a lot more force and it's so satisfying.

[@RogueCarrot]

Our old 286 had a power switch like that. It was so satisfying to flip. When I took the machine apart I kept two things. The motherboard which I hung on my wall and the switch hoping to use it again at some point. Real switches are so satisfying. Sometimes I miss them.

[@yopachi]

2:18 I'm still using this Cooler Master case today! The motherboard and case are the only original parts of my build now in 2020

[@pannonianbrute]

You actually took the time to tape and digitalise the video sections? You truly are a class act lol.. Like a trip back to the 80s....

[@VintageJunior]

Man, I hope you'll find an 5154 monitor someday. You'd be someone who deserves it.

[@tibster555]

I've been watching this video for 9 years, and that synth music is the reason I keep coming back besides the great review. If anyone knows the song, I would appreciate it.

[@mauer594]

thanks for reviewing me!

[@Rayofficial13565]

If you boot the machine without a disk, it will boot directly into IBM Cassette Basic, which can only access the cassette port for program storage. This is present on the XT as well, even though the XT has no cassette interface.

[@therealmicksa]

Re the keyboard: the XT had a different keyboard protocol to the later AT and PS/2 and the rest. If you use the wrong kind of keyboard, when you type you get random characters and craziness. Some keyboards had a switch on the underside to select either of the XT or AT protocols.

[@cr1901]

Very lovely analysis of one of the original ancestors to modern PCs... I personally have a PC/AT which actually gets some use for hobbyist hardware programming. I would eventually like to build my own ISA card as well (which amazingly enough is feasible to do).

[@googaagoogaa12345678]

Is it just me or was this like the model t of the computer world

[@marinacelada3246]

Kind of, or like the Fiat 8 HP.

[@paulgraves1392]

Almost. The big influence of the 5150 was being the starting of the IBM PC architecture. The Model T equivalent of computers though is generally considered to be the Commodore 64.

[@Crazytesseract]

This computer had a 309 page Technical Reference manual, with details of every block inside the CPU box. 16 bit 8088 processor, 20 address lines (1MiB of Max memory access). Whatever games you may play, inside it is just executing opcodes, just opcodes! Binary 1s and 0s.

[@MARCOPLAYSDOSGAMES]

I plaied all these games using an Olivetti M24 8mhz (1983) in the eighties. Because it was faster than the 4,7mhz IBM PC (1981/82) and IBM XT (1983), I learnt to play games at higher speed. This is the reason why I'm the best dos games player in the world ;))))) You are absolutely the best dos games reviewer ;))). MARCO PLAYS : MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2.12 (1984)

[@thedopplereffect00]

The prices for antique computers have gone up so much since this was published

[@larsvargstrand6749]

The previous IBM 5100 was almost a portable mini computer! Fully expanded in 1975 (e.g. 64Kb RAM), the cost today would equal at least $95.000 ! APL (!) or BASIC was used for programming.

[@joevining2603]

I had an XT growing up in the mid-late 80's and we had that Wheel of Fortune game, also Jeopardy and Family Feud, the classic Flight Simulator, among others. It was a great time.

[@rexthesheep]

I'm not entirely sure what specific model my first computer was but it was definitely an IBM PC or compatible and it looked fairly similar to this. Dig Dug for IBM was one of the first games I had ever played too! I still enjoy it to this day.

[@SamuraiClinton]

One of these days, I think some gaming PC firms should make "retro-style" gaming PCs that borrow styling cues from the original 5150.

[@GameplayandTalk]

Nice! I actually grew up with those same versions of Centipede and Arkanoid, albeit on a 286-based IBM PC. Centipede in particular was very, very fast, haha.

[@TheEPROM9]

The tape drive was used with BASIC & also the diagnostic cassette.

[@ArcadeDude44]

Awesome, I hope to add one of these to the collection...once I get space to set up the computers I already own!

[@Gazdatronik]

I had an XT, previously owned by Volkswagen of America that I bought in 1997. It came with everything. Even a printer. Did homework/spreadsheet/graphs on it for years till the 14 meg HD died. Awesome.

[@DirtyKameSennin]

OMG!!!! I freakin love that power switch, when I was a kid I had a 386 PC which had a similiar power switch, I loved it!!

[@DirtyKameSennin]

When I was 8 years old, dad bought me a 80386 pc and it had a case similar to this, but only had one 5,25 floppy drive on the right side, and next to it was 3,5 drive, it also had a power switch like this.. oh man I loved turning it on and off.... :D

[@TheEPROM9]

Litraly just got mine fully functional tonight.

[@orionfl79]

The cassette adapters were universal back then. Your Commodore datasette can actually be plugged into there and it uses the same commands via BASIC to load and save. In fact, any cassette player that had the three "mic, headphone, and pause" ports would have worked! I could be wrong since I was just a kid back then, but I seem to remember being able to load a BASIC program saved to tape on a Commodore onto a PC and being able to list the program. I don't think it was able to run though due to syntax differences.

[@caffeinepizza]

I've been wanting to acquire an IBM 5150, but looking on eBay... wow. prices have gone up...

[@LGR]

CaffeinePizza They've always been high if you just quickly look on Ebay. Gotta keep an eye out for a good deal! But yes, prices have on average gone up, and you can expect to pay around $60 for a base unit currently (according to recently sold auctions, not just the Buy It Now inflated prices)

[@caffeinepizza]

Lazy Game Reviews wow. thanks for the tip

[@aidanarguin2485]

+anonymousespionage The IBM model M does work with the 5150.

[@aidanarguin2485]

Oh no you need an adapter for that I think but it will work, i.e. It can type words on that PC.

[@Fawltykog]

I can relate to you viewpoint being as i still love & admire the Sinclair ZX Spectrum :) A true classic and like all early computers and games systems well worth persevering and caring for.

[@saladwithsalad]

You should have at least 1 million views per video,because you are AWESOME!

[@SparcMan]

I have an old IBM PC Convertible "portable" system that still works. I should do a video reply about it someday. It features a "lightning fast" 8088 processor, a whopping 256k of RAM, a 2-tone monochrome removable display and two double-density 3.5" floppy drives for OS and storage (no internal hard drive). Back when both floppy drives worked, I could get it to run Star Wars and Prince of Persia just fine (which sucked on a 2-tone screen, but hey, it did run!)

[@RivieraKid34]

That power switch looks like such satisfaction!

[@TofersCarTales]

How does this OG LGR video only have 250k views?

[@fununclenerfs]

Yeah! I literally had each of those games and played them for hours upon end in the mid 80s! :)

[@NickWride]

"turn it on, stick it in and play" That works with my GF too. XD

[@phlaelym]

Oh man, I still play that version of Wheel of Fortune to this day.

[@TheRetroGamerGuy]

Damn man you have a ton of computers! Great review on the 5150. I didn't know some of the things you mentioned about it. Thanks for the lesson! ^_^

[@VintageJunior]

They are compatible, I think you're thinking of the TTL input of most of the monitors you listed. But yeah, installing the VGA card is probably a better idea nowadays, even though it doesn't emulate MDA as good as CGA does.

[@bjmgraphics617]

It's build like a tank where you can bang it, not like you would want to, and you will not hurt the body. I remember those commercials with the PC Jr. I miss knobs. Ah good old fashion warm boot. The 286 machines were a beast in the day and if you had an AT (true 16-bit only) system then you could upgrade to VGA, add a sound card, and even a scanner. I played Wing Commander on a 8 mhz Tandy which was a clone to the IBM. My schools had the big IBM machines in the offices and in few class rooms. The ST machines aren't bad but not as versatile as AT. Many 80's movies will have the 5150 in the background like Ferris Beuller's Day Off or Berverly Hills Cops.

[@rijden-nu]

@1:54 Who is the black actor in the commercial and/or where do I know him from? He looks sooooooo familiar...

[@ibdursty]

Wow.. that really brings back memories... My first PC was the 5150.. My best friend in high school was the computer geek if there was such a thing in 1985.. We bough two identical configurations. They were loaded.. although we didn't opt for the EGA display's as they were like 600 bucks at the time.. so we went with CGA.. 16 colors but only 4 colors could be displayed at one time. 386k AST all in wonder card.. Not one but 2 360k floppy controllers.. (big deal at the time).

[@unfa00]

8:28 Was PAC-Man originally called PC-Man, or what?

[@psivewri]

I got one with all the original disks, manuals and everything for free!

[@orinokonx01]

Subscribed! You enjoy your computers (and understand the need to collect them) just like I do! I wish more people understood haha

[@someperson42]

The 5150 may have had some better specs on paper, but consider the machine as a whole. It has a PC speaker that can do little more than some beeps and it can only do 4-color CGA at best (excluding some funky hacks that hardly any games used). On the other hand, the C64 supports 16 color graphics and has a SID chip supporting 3-channel audio. It also probably had far more titles available for it as it was a home machine. I'm unfamiliar with GUIs on both machines, but I'd take the C64 any day.

[@stevezelenko3558]

Man, I still have the keyboard for this thing somewhere. I had a handful of those games. I got thrown right back to my parents basement when I heard the wheel of fortune PC tune. I was born a year after this thing came out but remember it very well. There was one game that was all ascii characters where you had to roam through a castle and avoid different enemies and I believe rescue someone. I played it all the time. Anyone remember that one?

[@Vectrex4Life]

Just found a 1984 IBM keyboard for $1.50 at a thrift store! Weird thing is, it's got a speaker on the back of it. Do you think sound from the PC speaker goes through the keyboard's speaker? It's quite heavy and awesome.

[@1337penguinman]

One of these was the first, well, second computer I ever owned as a kid. Had a used Vic 20 from a yard sale with a messed up power supply first.

[@CoTeCiOtm]

Being a lot into guitars, for me a 5150 is an amplifier made by Peavey, not a computer heh! While the Peavey 5150 isn't the forerunner the IBM 5150 is, it is one of the most used and respected amplifiers ever, and it was used in many important records by important guitarists. The IBM 5150 feels a bit like that, an important and respected computer, it looks demands respect! For people getting into the channel, this review explains exactly why the logo of the channel is a 5150/5151 combo.

[@strictlysega]

wow.. just found out about your channel from segadude 3000,, love the vid man,, takes me right back.. my first pc was an amstrad 1512 running dos 3.3... ohh.. the memories,, dont spose u would be interested in showing more of alley cats would u..?.. that was one of my fave games back then..

[@DrewberTravels]

8:50 I remember being 5 years old and playing this version of wheel of fortune at my neighbors house. crazy...

[@newcoleco]

I did program games in BASIC called BASICA (for BASIC Advanced) at school when I was a teenager. The computer did looks exactly like this one here, but it was called IBM PC Junior or PC Jr.

[@carlcartman]

A local company bought a bunch of IBM PC 5150 cases, and put new motherboards (486) in them. They called their brand BMI. I wish I'd bought one when I had the chance.

[@ArisAlamanos]

Nice space synth music in the background.

[@summer20105707]

Theedward4ever never fear someone usually comes up with a solution whenever there is a need. The stuff that's on those disks can be preserved.

[@johnknight9150]

Yeah, you had to provide your own cassette deck if you were going to use that jack. The entry-level model came with 16KB and no floppy drive, as they were assuming tapes would be popular with the PC like they were with C64s, Speccies, etc. They ditched the cassette jack for the XT.

[@PhoenixOfOrion]

This video alone taught me more than my colleges entire Computer Hardware class has. I wish I was joking.

[@dinmamma7810]

what song is playing at 0:40 and 0:30?

[@Conlan0215]

The 3D graphics on battlezone are seriously cool.

[@legendarylinc0762]

Imagine paying $80 for a 5150 today. Not possible.

[@TheShveyn04]

0:30 / 0:39 What is this music?

[@Pinwormx]

I remember those suckers being so heavy. Thanks for the memories, but I'll stick to remembering and emulation.

[@kneenutnutter4943]

I have no idea how he got that for so cheap. I mean, don't get me wrong, this came out about thirteen years ago, but now you can't hardly find any for sale online and the ones that are on there are $800.00+, like... damn.

[@PILMAN]

damn I remember paratrooper, i been looking for this game forever.

[@TarlZaralka]

I would like to see Tandy and Leading Edge come back like Commodore did, speaking of which have you seen the new Commodore, they look exactly the same and have the same OS that the Commodore 64 had but you can use the latest Windows OS and their website says it comes with their most popular games on it.

[@HighTreason610]

You're right, it is Awesome. I love the IBM, I have a slightly later model.

[@nehabje]

Ah, nostalgic again about the old intro!

[@wexoni]

Man your video make me laugh an drelax. I watch it evey night in bed before sleep. KEEP GOING!!! :)

[@xdibblerx]

We had the 5150 at work way back when. I remember that we had a computer tech from the computer company literally spend 3 months setting it up with the massive 10MB hard drive and CGA graphics. I think my boss thought it was this great new thing and after it was set up (for the accountant) it was largely ignored. I think the only use it got was when we would play othello on it.

[@Vesalempinen]

Thank you for the review. Those things were made to last.