Compaq Deskpro 386 | 1986
Deskpro 386
The Deskpro 386 is a desktop computer line in Compaq's Deskpro range, introduced in September 1986. It was the first personal computer to feature Intel's 32-bit 80386 microprocessor and marked the first instance where a major component of the IBM Personal Computer standard was upgraded by a company other than IBM, transitioning from the 80286 processor used in the Personal Computer/AT to the 80386.
The initial models of the Deskpro 386 were developed by a team of 250 people, led by Gary Stimac. The computer received high praise in the tech press and was widely adopted in enterprise and scientific engineering sectors. Compaq continued releasing updated models of the Deskpro 386 as newer versions of the 386 chip were introduced by Intel.
The Deskpro 386 line used the same Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus as the IBM Personal Computer/AT. While the IBM PC/AT used a 16-bit Intel 80286 processor, the Deskpro 386 featured Intel's advanced 32-bit 80386 processor. The initial three models in the Deskpro 386 line—the Deskpro 386 Model 40, Deskpro 386 Model 70, and Deskpro 386 Model 130—differed mainly in storage capacity and the number of ISA expansion slots on their motherboards. All models included at least 1MB of RAM and a 16MHz Intel 80386 processor. The Model 40 came with a 40MB ESDI hard drive and featured six ISA expansion slots—three 8-bit and three 16-bit. The Models 70 and 130 were equipped with 70MB and 130MB ESDI hard drives, respectively, and had five expansion slots—three 8-bit and two 16-bit. Externally, the Deskpro 386's design was identical to its predecessors, the Deskpro 8088 and Deskpro 286. Each model featured four 5.25-inch half-height drive bays, and all models came with one 1.2MB 5.25-inch floppy disk drive. The hard drives in the Model 40 and Model 70 were half-height units, while the Model 130's hard drive was a full-height unit.
Instead of integrating memory directly onto the motherboard, Compaq used a daughtercard that plugged into a 32-bit bus slot on the motherboard. This slot was unique to the Deskpro 386 and allowed data transfer in 32-bit words. The initial models came with 1MB of RAM on this card, which could be expanded to 2MB. The daughtercard also featured a slot for a "piggyback" card with an additional 4MB of RAM, bringing the maximum RAM to 10MB. Additional RAM could be installed using upgrade cards in the 16-bit ISA expansion slots, but this created a speed bottleneck due to the ISA’s 16-bit data path.
The Deskpro 386 was developed under the leadership of Gary Stimac, Compaq’s vice president of engineering and the company’s fifth employee. Stimac led a team of 250 people by mid-1986. The development of the Deskpro 386 was a close collaboration between Compaq, Intel, and Microsoft, who signed a non-disclosure agreement for the project. The project began in March 1985 after Intel provided Compaq with the first block diagram for the 80386 processor. Intel delivered detailed specifications of the 80386 to Compaq in June 1985, after which Compaq designed its future product lines.
Compaq was aware that by releasing its product first, it risked future IBM products being incompatible with or overshadowing the Deskpro 386. However, the company predicted that IBM would not drastically change the PC architecture since doing so would make millions of IBM PCs obsolete. Microsoft was consulted for software compatibility issues with the vast amount of MS-DOS software in circulation. Compaq also sought advice on which operating systems would best support the 80386's 32-bit capabilities. By the time the Deskpro 386 launched, the most advanced operating system Microsoft offered was Xenix System V/286, which Compaq offered as an optional add-on for customers. A 32-bit version for the 386 was promised for release in early 1987.
Compaq released the Deskpro 386 on September 9, 1986. The Model 40 was priced at $6,499, the Model 70 at $7,299, and the Model 130 at $8,799. While these prices were high, Compaq positioned them as being on the lower end of predictions for such high-performance machines. Journalists highlighted the fact that Compaq, not IBM, was upgrading a major component of the IBM PC standard, with InfoWorld running the headline "Compaq Introduces 386 PC, Challenges IBM to Match It." In the article, Compaq president Rod Canion warned IBM that they had six months to release a 386-based PC or risk losing significant market share.
Despite initial sales being slow, with only 25,000 units sold by February 1987, the Deskpro 386 gained momentum. By the second quarter of 1987, Compaq sold 90,000 units. The Deskpro 386 generated significant revenue for Compaq in 1988, despite the older Deskpro 286 outselling it in terms of quantity.
The Deskpro 386 was well-received by the tech press. InfoWorld called it "the hottest IBM PC compatible now available," and PC Magazine praised its build quality and exceptional PC compatibility. The computer’s performance and fast hard drive made it a standout in its category. In 2006, PC World ranked the Deskpro 386 as the second greatest personal computer of all time.
Compaq continued to release updated versions of the Deskpro 386, incorporating newer versions of the 386 chip. In 1987, the company released the Deskpro 386/20, based on a 20MHz 80386 chip. In 1988, Compaq introduced the Deskpro 386/25 and Deskpro 386S, the latter based on the 386SX chip. The Deskpro 386/25 set a new performance standard, though it was priced at $10,000. The Deskpro 386S, designed for local-area networking, was a more affordable model, with fewer expansion slots.
