7 Bizarre FrankenPCs That Are Better Off Dead

In the beginning, personal computers came as parts you had to assemble together yourself (sometimes at the electronic component level): memory boards, CPU boards, motherboards, chassis, storage, keyboard, and displays all sold separately.

But soon, complete computer systems began to coalesce, and you could buy a fully functional machine—sometimes with an integrated disk drive, keyboard, or monitor.

Over the next decade, manufacturers pushed the envelope, adding printers, cassette drives, joysticks, acoustic modems, and more. When these integrations went too far, the result was sometimes terrifying, resulting in a bolted-on, patchwork computer appearance. It's what I call a FrankenPC.

Today, we're used to sleek, minimalistic machines (mostly thanks to Apple). But while Apple spent the 1970s and 80s pioneering simplicity, other firms pioneered monstrosity. Let's step back in time and see what we've thankfully left behind.

1. APF Imagination Machine (1979)

How about a game console with a PC bolted on? That's exactly what you got if you bought the APF Imagination Machine, a home computer that consisted of the APF-M1000 console attached to the IM-1, a large keyboard/speaker dock with a built-in cassette tape player (for program storage and retrieval). As both an underpowered computer and console, the Imagination Machine fared poorly in the marketplace. But it looks terrifying. (Photo: APF)

2. DataBlocks A-II (1986)

Some manufacturers weren't content to create their FrankenComputers alone. No, they let the customer do it themselves, bolting on all sorts of external modules and add-ons until they ended up with a Leaning Tower of 'Puter like the DataBlocks A-II system seen here. Intended primarily for industrial control and scientific applications, the A-II disappeared about as soon as it debuted. (Photo: DataBlocks)

3. Spectravideo SV-318 (1983)

Out of all these FrankenComputers, the Spectravideo SV-318 is the most aesthetically pleasing. It seems like a great idea to build a joystick into a computer—until the joystick breaks, of course. This low-end, introductory member of Spectravideo's first PC line became the root of the later MSX standard that took hold in Japan. (Photo: Spectravideo)

4. Access Matrix Access (1983)

Sometimes a luggable computer isn't enough. The Access, an obscure machine released by Access Matrix Corp. in 1983, included an Epson MX80 dot-matrix printer and acoustic connect telephone modem. Of course, that's in addition to a CRT, two disk drives, and a keyboard, which all folded up into one portable package. No wonder it weighed 33 pounds. (Photo: Access Matrix Corp.)

5. Canon NoteJet 486 (1993)

Cannon's strange-looking NoteJet 486 stands out in the annals of weird notebook history due to its integrated BubbleJet printer (Canon's trade name for its inkjet printers) that printed three pages per minute. This 7.7-pound computer also sported a 9.5-inch monochrome VGA display and a 486 CPU for around $2,500. (And if you were so inclined, you could also buy that neat trackball remote thingy.) (Photo: Canon)

6. IBM Instruments Computer System (1983)

Similar to the DataBlocks system we saw earlier, the IBM Instruments Computer System thrived on being a monstrous assemblage of modular parts (sort of like Voltron, but less awesome) for scientific use. If Dr. Frankenstein had dug up a bunch of dead computer parts and bolted them together, it probably would have looked like this. (Photo: IBM)

7. IBM Convertible PC 5140 (1986)

Ah, that silly IBM. Taking the "modular horror" approach, the IBM Convertible PC could utilize several add-on modules such as a thermal printer, a serial port adapter, and a CRT display adapter, all of which latched onto the back of the machine. When you were done, the system would be an extra 7 inches longer and 8 pounds heavier. It was often difficult to find a desk that will hold such a beast. (Photos: Steven Stengel)