The IBM System/23 was a large and heavy (95lbs) all in one desktop system. The aim was to have a computer that was easy to set up and use by first time users. The System/23 DataMaster combined word processing and data processing into one machine to give small businesses the benefits of Information Processing. The same engineers who designed the System/23 Datamaster went on to eventually design the IBM PC.

The System/23 DataMaster was an 8-bit microcomputer, it used the Intel 8085 CPU running at 3.07MHz. The computer has four internal expansion slots. The system was designed mostly using off-the-shelf ICs that were available that time. This marked a change for IBM, which previously had relied on their own semiconductors. The system had sixteen 8kB memory modules, giving it a total of 128kByte of memory. Interestingly the computer used 9-bit RAM instead of the simpler 8-bit. The 9th bit was used to store parity data, part of an error-detection mechanism that detects memory errors during runtime. In case of an error, the system generates an interrupt and halts.

The Video subsystem is based on the Intel 8275 IC. This component is responsible to generate sync signals and other video functions. Displayed characters are defined by a character generator which consists of 8 pages of 128 characters to support different regions and languages. The pages are selected by jumber configuration, but can also be changed during runtime. The screen is 80 colums by 24 rows.