Reviving Retro: Why The World Needs a Comeback of Classic Beige Computers

Reviving Retro: Why The World Needs a Comeback of Classic Beige Computers

Key Takeaways

• Beige PCs were popular in the 80s thanks to widespread office use and the dominance of IBM.
• There are plenty of vintage PC peripherals but no cases to match them.
• Building a retro PC with a vintage beige aesthetic while incorporating modern features is challenging and limited.

If you were born before the year 2000, there’s a good chance your first PC was some shade of gray or beige. What is it about the color that made virtually all computer manufacturers pick it over the now ubiquitous black?

Why Were Most PCs Beige in the First Place?

We have a whole article that explains why PCs from the 80s and 90s were beige in case you want to learn more, but I want to give you a quick explanation here as well. A key factor behind the popularity of beige PCs of yesteryear is that computers were generally reserved for office use. Corporations were the primary customers for PCs in the 80s—24.6% of all employed adults in the US in 1984 used a computer at work, whereas only 8.2% of all households had a computer.

Beige, gray, brown, and other earth tones were all the rage in office cubicles. Beige was considered sleek and professional, so computers had to follow suit. We do the same with kitchens; I passed on a great deal on a toaster because it was pink and retro, so it didn’t fit the style of my stainless steel kitchen.

Another contributing factor is that IBM dominated the PC industry , and its products were predominantly beige. If you wanted to sell a PC in the 80s, you’d clone IBM and make it beige. Computers were primarily considered tools rather than gaming or entertainment systems, so the safe choice was the right choice in terms of looks.

I also want to touch on the fact that plastics turn yellow over time. Light gray and white computer parts eventually turn yellow from UV light exposure and oxidation . Plus, indoor smoking was far more common, so a layer of yellow tar would slowly build up on the computers over time. This isn’t the “good “ kind of beige that I want to bring back—fortunately, you can often restore the original color with the help of Retr0bright .

I Want a Blend of Modern and Retro

I associate beige computers and peripherals with my childhood. I spent countless hours of quality time playing emulator games on my dad’s computer . I want to recapture that nostalgia by building a retro PC that captures the vintage beige aesthetic without sacrificing some of the modern features I’ve grown to love, such as tempered glass and a universal form factor that can fit modern PC parts like oversize GPUs and liquid coolers.

This sounds like a simple request, but it’s almost impossible to find a good case that fits the bill and isn’t an expensive, limited edition model. There isn’t a single one on Amazon. The two best examples I could find are the Limited Edition RestoMod PC and the Corsair Obsidian 900D Special Edition Beige PC . A genuine floppy drive of the same color would be a nice bonus, too.

The weirdest part about this situation is that we have plenty of retro peripherals. There are some excellent retro keyboards and keycaps, controllers , and gaming mice . Yet the central piece of your build is impossible to find in a retro color like beige, off-white, or gray. Dear manufacturers, please stop forcing us to pair retro peripherals with modern-looking computers!

8BitDo

Old Beige Cases Are Great for Sleeper Builds

If you’re adamant about building a beige PC, why not go for the real deal? Beige PC cases are everywhere; there’s a good chance you’ll find a really nice one in a thrift store or at a garage sale for less than $20. You can equip it with high-end PC parts to create a “sleeper” build that looks like an old PC from the outside but has all the latest specs on the inside.

Just make sure that it can fit a modern graphics card and ATX or mATX motherboard to save yourself from the trouble of having to drill holes into it. Conversely, if you’re the DIY type, consider talking to a glazier about the possibility of fitting a tempered glass side panel onto the case. You’ll end up with a one-of-a-kind modern beige PC that also happens to have a fully functional floppy drive.