Unlike other IBM PC compatibles of the time, it has custom graphics hardware supporting a 320×200 resolution with 16 simultaneous colors (chosen from a 512-shade palette)[1] and hardware-accelerated drawing capabilities, including a blitter,[2] allowing it to update the screen 50 times as fast as an IBM standard color graphics adapter.

In most computer systems of the era, the CPU is used to create graphics by drawing bit patterns directly into memory.

The Mindset added a new custom-designed VLSI vector processor to handle many common drawing tasks, like lines or filling areas.

There are a number of parallels between the Mindset and the Amiga 1000, another computer designed by ex-Atari engineers that offered advanced graphics.

His distinctive case for the Mindset is included by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in its permanent collection.

[7][8] As development continued and it became clear that the machine would be ready before the MS-DOS-based Microsoft Windows 1.0 was, Bill Gates became personally involved in the project to assist Mindset in emulating IBM character graphics without losing performance.

Once Mindset officials determined that most of the desirable software was compatible, development was frozen and the OS burned to ROM in late 1983.

At the time it garnered critical acclaim, with reviewers universally praising its graphics and overall performance which was much faster than contemporary PCs.

By the summer of 1984, it was clear the system was not selling as expected, and the company re-purposed it for the video production and graphics design markets.

Today a program like City had better run on the Commodore 64, or else be capable of charting the cost of equity capital.

[14] The system architecture is based on the Intel 80186, with proprietary VLSI chips that enhance and speed up the graphics.

[6] Bill Gates became involved with development, assisting Mindset in emulating IBM character graphics without losing performance.

The Mindset was designed by several ex-Atari engineers[6] like the Amiga 1000, another computer of the era with an advanced graphics subsystem and modular expandability.

[7] A dual 5.25-inch floppy drive module that sits above the main unit was available and part of the common sales configuration for the system.