Retro Computing Archives

Tandy CM-5 monitor

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing September 1, 2023September 25, 2023

The Tandy CM-5 monitor, introduced in 1987, was the less expensive CGA-compatible monitor from the Tandy 1000’s heyday. It was a very basic monitor and had a reputation for being reliable, but Tandy cut some corners on the picture tube.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Windows 7 retro gaming PC

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing August 29, 2023January 23, 2026

If you want a Windows 7 retro gaming PC, you have a lot of options. The dizzying number of options may make it more confusing. But it’s also part of the appeal. Let’s talk about how to select components and build one. As for the argument whether Windows 7 is retro: If you’re nostalgic for it, it’s retro.

Dave Farquhar

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EGA on a CGA monitor

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing August 22, 2023July 28, 2023

As expensive as CGA monitors are, EGA monitors or even more expensive and difficult to come by. But did you know you could do EGA on a CGA monitor, albeit with some caveats? In this blog post, I’ll explain what degree of interoperability CGA and EGA have.

Dave Farquhar

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MFM vs RLL hard drives

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing August 9, 2023August 4, 2023

The most common type of hard drive for most of the 1980s was called MFM. At least that’s what we commonly call them today. That was to distinguish them from a similar type we called RLL. How much difference there was between the two was always a bit controversial. But let’s look at MFM vs RLL hard drives.

Dave Farquhar

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Triton Turbo XT

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing August 2, 2023July 8, 2023

The Triton Turbo XT is an interesting piece of 1980s oddware. The picture kind of gives it away. But that’s not a TI-99/4A perched in front of an XT clone for no reason. The Triton Turbo XT was an upgrade to make your TI-99 IBM compatible. Sort of.

Dave Farquhar

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Amiga tank mouse

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing July 24, 2023January 8, 2025

The Amiga tank mouse refers to the original Amiga mouse design that shipped with the Amiga 1000 computer in 1985, and survived with a different connector into the Amiga 500 and 2000 generations. The tank nickname refers to its bigger, blockier design compared to modern, sleeker devices.

Dave Farquhar

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Micro League Baseball

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing July 11, 2023September 6, 2023

As far as I know, one photograph exists of me with my first computer, and it’s appropriate that I was playing Micro League Baseball. I probably spent more time playing that game than every other game I had for that computer combined. There were certainly earlier statistical baseball simulations than Micro League. And Earl Weaver Baseball from 1987 was definitely better. But for about 3 years, between 1984 and 1987, Micro League Baseball was perhaps the most popular and best statistical baseball simulation you could get.

Dave Farquhar

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IBM 5170 TEMPEST variant

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing, security July 2, 2023March 18, 2025

I had an inquiry recently regarding the Tempest version of the IBM 5170, also known as the IBM 4459. The IBM 5170 Tempest variant was a version of the conventional IBM PC/AT designed for sensitive environments. It is more of a curiosity today, and there are good reasons why it is rare.

Having spent part of my career in the type of environment where this machine would have been used, I can elaborate on some of its design, and why it was built the way that it was. I may also be able to give some insight into why not many of these devices survive today.

Dave Farquhar

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Windows XP on SSD

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 21, 2023June 6, 2026

A perception exists that you can’t use an SSD with Windows XP. Although it is true that Windows XP was not designed for SSDs and did not specifically support them, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them together. In this blog post, I will talk about the pros and cons of using an SSD with Windows XP.

Dave Farquhar

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Packard Bell Corner PC

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 13, 2023June 11, 2023

The Packard Bell Corner PC is an oddball PC from the 1995 to 1996 time frame. It was Packard Bell’s attempt to make something that looked a little different from the traditional boxy desktop or tower PC. The exact model number varied between retailers but I know it was sold as the Axcel 459CD or as the PB 2000. But if you just call it the Packard Bell Corner Computer or Corner PC, almost anyone familiar with that era knows what you’re talking about.

The Packard Bell Corner PC sold for $1,299 without a monitor. The least expensive monitors Packard Bell offered sold for around $250, but you could get as much as a 20-inch display for it, which added $1,700 to the price. Yes, the top of the line monitor cost considerably more than the computer.

Dave Farquhar

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