---
title: IBM 5120
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1980'
cpus:
- IBM
params:
  name: '5120'
  image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_5120_system_1.jpg
  company: /companies/ibm
  company_name: IBM
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: '5120'
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: IBM
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1980'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: APL, BASIC
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full stroke 73 keys with numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: IBM
  - label: SPEED
    value: Unknown
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 64 chars x 16 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 45 Kg.
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Parallel and Serial
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: 2 x 8'' 1.2 MB floppy drives
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built in power supply unit
  - label: PRICE
    value: $13500
  tabs:
  - photos
  - hardware
  - links
  forum_thread: 775
  photos:
  - title: 5120 WITH PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to **Michael Lewis**
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_5120_system_s2.jpg
  - title: PROMOTIONAL PICTURE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_5120_prm-pic_1.jpg
  hardware:
  - title: 5103 PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: 132-column bidirectional dot matrix printer with tractor feed. 80 characters per second.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/ibm_5120_printer5103_1.jpg
  - title: PRINTER CONNECTOR
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The massive connector of the 5103 printer. Two parallel and one serial ports are used to transfer data's to the printer!

      Why not make things really complicated!
    image: /media/museum/hardware/ibm_5120_printer5103connect_1.jpg
  links:
  - title: Eric's IBM 5100 Portable Computer page
    url: http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/retrocomputing/ibm/5100/
    text: Detail information
  - title: IBM 5110 page
    url: http://computermuseum.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/dev/ibm_5110/technik/en/
    text: Very complete information here !
  related:
  - /museum/ibm-5100
  oc_id: 794
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608091256/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=794
    date: '2023-06-08'
---

The 5120 integrated system was the last evolution of the 5100 and 5110 portable series, and the last 'heavy desktop' computer made by IBM.

The 5120 was an intermediate system between the IBM mainframes and the future [5150 PC](/museum/ibm-pc-model-5150/). Actually, it was the first desktop Personal Computer made by IBM.

Basically, The 5120 technology remained the same as the 5100 model: same custom processor and same IBM typical hardware profile inspired by the mainframes technology.

The system featured a 9-inch monochrome moniteur (many 5100 users asked for a larger display) and two 8" floppy drives.

The system was sold with both APL and BASIC languages in ROM. APL allowed numerous business software written on IBM minicomputers to run on the 5120.

---

**Bruce Franklin** specifies:\
After the IBM 5120, IBM manufactured another computer in Rochester based on the Intel 8088 chip that was called the DataMaster.\
The computer's performance was poor compared to the 51XX computers, and IBM did not sell many of them.\
Most people attribute the "IBM Personal Computer" as the first of what we know as PC's today, however IBM's model number for the PC introduced in 1981 was the IBM 5150. It was merely a new model of the 51XX line of computers and the second model to use an Intel processor.