Amstrad PCs
Vital Statistics
Introduced
September 1986 |
|
What's it like today? Fun Factor: 2/5 |
In 1986, Amstrad moved on from their successes in the personal computer market by releasing their first IBM PC-compatible computers, the PC1512 and, in June 1987, the PC1640. Both PCs were almost identical, with the exception that the PC1640 had 640K of RAM over the PC1512's 512K. They were up against IBM whose 8086-based IBM PC/XT was selling in droves. The PC1640 was sold in the US as the PC6400.
The design of these machines was slightly different to IBM's offering. The power supply was housed in the monitor, just as with Amstrad's CPC range of home computers. Many peripheral interface boards were hard-wired on the main board, including serial and parallel interfaces and the disk controller. Also, the PC1512's CGA-compatible display had a 9-pin DIN socket instead of the more standard 9-pin D-type socket that was adopted on the PC1640. An area of RAM was set aside, called NVR (non-volatile RAM), which was battery-backed (AA batteries!!) and stored configuration data of the machine. This also stored the realtime clock. The MCGA monitor option allowed for the simultaneous display of 4 colours from a total palette of 16 colours. For the PC1640, an EGA video option was made available, allowing for the simultaneous display of 16 colours from a palette of 64.
Upgrade options for the PC1512 and PC1640 were somewhat restrictive. The most common upgrade was to fit a hard disk, and this was typically done through the purchase and installation of a "hard card" (an expansion card that had a hard disk vertically mounted on it). These hard disks were typically 10Mb or 20Mb in capacity. Upgrading the video to EGA or VGA was, however, not possible. Upgrading the memory of the PC1512 was a simple matter of adding a further 128K of RAM chips to the main board.
The PC2000-series
were introduced in 1988 and were principally sold as business machines to compete against IBM's new PS/2 architecture.
Amstrad even came up some innovative ways to make sense of the rather complex memory configurations of the time - XMS and EMS. The range comprised a replacement
to the PC1512/1640 in the form of the PC2086 (with Intel 8086 processor
@ 8 MHz and 640K RAM), the PC2286 (with Intel 80286 processor @
12.5 MHz and 1Mb RAM), PC2386 (with Intel 80386DX-20 processor and
4Mb RAM). All three machines boasted VGA graphics as standard, 720K 3.5"
floppy drive, and the monitor no longer housed the power supply,
making upgrading simpler. The PC2000 series came in a large variety of specs, including LL, SD (Single Floppy Drive), DD (Double Floppy Drive), or HD as disk drive options, and 12MD (12" greyscale monitor), 14 CD (14" colour monitor), or 12/14 HRCD (12 or 14" High-resolution colour monitor) as display options. Options included a 32Mb RLL hard disk,
a second 3.5" 720K floppy drive, an external 5.25"
floppy drive, and a math coprocessor on the 2086 model. The flagship PC2386 came with a 64Mb hard disk and
a single 3.5" floppy drive. It was bundled with MS-DOS 4.01,
Microsoft Windows 2.1 (forebear of Windows 3.0), and Microsoft GW-BASIC. The PC2000-series unfortunately met with some issues at launch, including faulty
MS-DOS 4.0 disks and faulty disk controllers (neither of which were
Amstrad's fault). Amstrad resolved these issues quickly but the
media frenzy damaged sales irrevocably.
The PC3000-series,
launched in 1990, marked Amstrad's move to a more conventional PC
design, in order to overcome upgrade issues with its former series
of PCs and to freshen up its PC line. This series comprised the
PC3086 (with Intel 8086 processor @ 8 MHz and 640K RAM), the PC3286
(with Intel 80286 processor @ 16 MHz and 1Mb RAM), PC3386 SX (with
Intel 80386SX-20 processor and 1Mb RAM).
The PC4000-series, launched in 1991, consisted of just one machine, which wasn't even an upgrade over the PC3386 - called the PC4386 SX, it retained the Intel 80386SX-20 processor, but came with 4Mb of RAM and an 80Mb hard disk. It was housed in a smaller case, which was used again in the PC5000-series.
The PC5000-series, also launched in 1991, used the smaller, sleeker PC4386 case design, and comprised the PC5086 (with Intel 8086 processor @ 8 MHz and 640K RAM), the PC5286 (with Intel 80286 processor @ 16 MHz and 1Mb RAM), PC5386 SX (with Intel 80386SX-20 processor, 2Mb RAM and VGA graphics). The PC5286 was the first PC to be marketed as a games machine, and came with an Adlib- and SoundBlaster-compatible sound card manufactured by Amstrad themselves, and was bundled with some games and Pc-Works software suite. It didn't sell in great number, possibly because of it's slightly underpowered 80286 processor. Both the PC4386 and PC5286 was marketed as "family packs" just prior to being discontinued.
The PC6000-series consisted again of just one machine, called the PC6486 SX, it made use of the then-new Intel i486SX processor.
Amstrad also released a PC7000-series (7286, 7386SX and 7486SLC), PC8000-series (8486 486DX) and PC9000-series (9486i 486DX and 9555i Pentium), most of which were rather ordinary PC-compatible units in a sea of other manufacturers systems.
One Amstrad PC of note was the unusual Mega-PC, released in 1992. This was a SEGA MegaDrive and a PC all in one unit. The PC was a 386SX-25 with 1MB of RAM and a 40MB hard disk and also carried the model number 7386SX. The user could operate a slider on the front that switched the unit from PC mode into Mega Drive mode. The Mega Drive circuitry was actually held on an ISA expansion card. The Mega-PC could be used with the SEGA Mega-CD using a special connector, only available from Amstrad. It was bundled with a dual-sync 15/31 kHz 14" white monitor with internal speakers, an Amstrad white joystick, and a standard Amstrad PS/2-compatible keyboard. Later, an updated version of the Mega-PC, the Mega Plus, was sold which used a Cyrix Cx486SLC running at 33 MHz and came with 4MB of RAM. Amstrad ceased production of the Mega-PC and Mega Plus in 1993.
Luggables
Following the huge
number of sales of PC1512 and PC1640 units, Amstrad designed two
"luggable" versions of the same. Called the PPC512 and
PPC640 and launched in 1988, these weren't very portable, due to
their 22lb weight. The base PPC512 machine came with 512K of RAM,
a single 3.5" floppy disk drive, and a non-backlit LCD display
which was difficult to read in bad light. The PPC640 came with 640K
of RAM and a built-in 9600 baud modem. It's case was grey instead
of the PPC512's cream. Both were bundled with MS-DOS 3.3 and Organiser
software that only worked on the PPC-series. They could be powered
either from ten D-type batteries (which would only last a couple
of hours), or from the external 12V power supply. Upgrading the
PPC-series was almost impossible, and no hard disk option was ever
offered, although a dual-floppy option existed. Both machines sported
CGA graphics capability with an additional extended 640x200 16-colour
mode.
Laptops
Amstrad also released four laptop/notebook computers starting in 1990. The first of these was the ALT-286 was an Intel 80286-based laptop running at 16 MHz (you could set the CPU to 'slow' mode which made it run at 8 MHz), and came with 1Mb RAM, a 20 MB hard disk and a black and white backlit VGA 640x480 LCD screen. It retailed for £1,600. Released at the same time, the ALT-386 SX came with an Intel i386 SX-20 processor and a 40 MB hard disk. Both these had monochrome VGA screens and weighed a rather hefty 7kg. A colour-TFT version of the ALT386 SX came in the form of the ACL386 SX. This came with a 120 MB hard disk, 4 MB of RAM and a colour TFT LCD display. In September 1991, a smaller notebook version arrived, called the ANB386 SX which retailed for £1,699 and came with a 40 MB hard disk. The ALT-286 and ALT-386 SX share the same battery pack, user manual and service manual.
The following table contains a list of the specifications of the various Amstrad PCs:
1XXX Series
PC1512 |
PC1640 |
PPC512 |
PPC640 |
|
| Release Date | September 1986 | June 1987 | 1987 | 1987 |
| CPU | 8086 @ 8 MHz | 8086 @ 8 MHz | 8086 or NEC V30 @ 8 MHz | 8086 or NEC V30 @ 8 MHz |
| Memory Included | 512K | 640K | 512K | 640K |
| Max Memory Supported | 640K | 640K | 640K | 640K |
| Floppy Drives | 1 or 2 5.25" 360K | 1 or 2 5.25" 360K | 1 or 2 3.5" 720K | 1 or 2 3.5" 720K |
| Hard Drives | (optional) | (optional) | N/A | N/A |
| Graphics Card Options | CGA (with additional 640x200 16-colour mode) | MDA, Hercules, CGA, EGA | MDA, CGA | MDA, CGA |
| Monitor Options | Monochrome (Greyscale CGA) or Colour CGA | Low-resolution "CD" 640x200, or High-res "ECD" 640x350 monitor | CGA 640 x 200 (built-in) non-backlit, dark blue on green | CGA 640 x 200 (built-in) non-backlit, dark blue on green |
| Keyboard | 75-key XT | 75-key XT | 102-key AT | 102-key AT |
| Expansion Slots | 3 x full-length 8-bit ISA, accessible via expansion bay | 4 x full-length 8-bit ISA, 3 accessible via expansion bay, 1 internal | None | None |
| Bundled Software | MS-DOS 3.22, Digital Research DOSPlus 1.2, GEM 2.0, BASIC2 1.12 | MS-DOS 3.22, GEM 2.0, BASIC2 1.21 | MS-DOS 3.3, Organizer | MS-DOS 3.3, Organizer, Mirror II modem s/w |
| Models Available | SD (1 x 360K floppy) DD (2 x 360K floppies) HD10 (1 x 360K floppy, 10MB hard disk) HD20 (1 x 360K floppy, 20MB hard disk) |
SD (1 x 360K floppy) DD (2 x 360K floppies) HD10 (1 x 360K floppy, 10MB hard disk) HD20 (1 x 360K floppy, 20MB hard disk) HD30 (1 x 360K floppy, 30MB ST506 hard disk) |
PPC512S (1 x 720K floppy) PPC512D (2 x 720K floppies) |
PPC640S (1 x 720K floppy) PPC640D (2 x 720K floppies) |
2XXX Series
PC2086 |
PC2286 |
PC2386 |
|
| Year of Release | 1988 | 1989 | 1989 |
| CPU | 8086 @ 8 MHz | 80286 @ 12.5 MHz | 80386 @ 20 MHz |
| Memory Included | 640K | 1 MB | 4 MB + 64K of 35ns cache memory |
| Max Memory Supported | 640K | 16 MB (4 SIMM slots) | 16 MB (4 SIMM slots) |
| Floppy Drives | 1 or 2 3.5" 720K | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB |
| Hard Drives | (optional 32MB RLL hard drive, compatible with XT-IDE) | 40 MB RLL hard drive (compatible with XT-IDE) | 65 MB 28ms access time RLL hard drive (Type 1 in BIOS) |
| Graphics Card Options | VGA (Paradise) | VGA (supports MDA, CGA, Hercules, EGA, MCGA and EVGA) | Paradise VGA (supports MDA, CGA, Hercules, EGA, MCGA and EVGA) |
| Monitor Options | 12" or 14" VGA mono or VGA colour | 12" or 14" VGA mono or VGA colour | 12" or 14" VGA mono or VGA colour |
| Keyboard | 102-key (proprietary interface) | PC/AT 102-key (proprietary interface) | PC/AT 102-key (proprietary interface) |
| Expansion Slots | 3 x full-length 8-bit ISA, 1 x half-length 8-bit ISA, socket for external 5.25" or 3.5" floppy drive (looks like a parallel port), 1 x parallel port, 1 x RS232 serial port | 4 x full-length 16-bit ISA, 1 x half-length 8-bit ISA, socket for external 5.25" or 3.5" floppy drive (looks like a parallel port), 1 x parallel port, 1 x RS232 serial port, 80287 math coprocessor socket | 4 x full-length 16-bit ISA, 1 x 8-bit ISA, socket for external 5.25" or 3.5" floppy drive (looks like a centronics port), 1 x parallel port, 1 x RS232 serial port, 80387 math coprocessor socket |
| Bundled Software | MS-DOS 3.30, Windows 2.1 | MS-DOS 4.01, Windows 2.1, GW-BASIC | MS-DOS 4.01, Windows 386 |
| Models Available | PC2086/30 | PC2286/40 | PC2386/65 |
3XXX Series
PC3086 |
PC3286 |
PC3386SX |
|
| Year of Release | 1989 | 1989 | 1989 |
| CPU | 8086 @ 8 MHz | 80286 @ 16 MHz | 80386SX @ 20 MHz |
| Memory Included | 640K | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| Max Memory Supported | 640K | 16 MB | 16 MB |
| Floppy Drives | 1 or 2 3.5" 720K | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB |
| Hard Drives | (optional 30MB RLL hard drive) | 40MB RLL hard drive | 40MB RLL hard drive |
| Graphics Card Options | VGA (Paradise) | VGA (Paradise) | VGA (Paradise) |
| Monitor Options | Monochrome VGA | Colour VGA | High-resolution colour VGA |
| Keyboard | 102-key AT | 102-key AT, but with non-standard DIN socket from CPC 6128+ (WARNING: 3rd-party kbds won't work). | 102-key AT, but with non-standard DIN socket from CPC 6128+ (WARNING: 3rd-party kbds won't work). |
| Expansion Slots | 3 x full-length 8-bit ISA, 1 x half-length 8-bit ISA, external socket for 5.25" floppy drive | 1 x parallel port, 1 x 9-pin serial port (front), 1 x 25-pin serial port (rear) | |
| Bundled Software | MS-DOS 3.3, Windows 2.1 |
4XXX Series
PC4386SX |
|
| Year of Release | 1991 |
| CPU | 80386SX @ 20 MHz |
| Memory Included | 4 MB |
| Max Memory Supported | 16 MB |
| Floppy Drives | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB |
| Hard Drives | 80MB RLL hard drive |
| Graphics Card Options | VGA (Paradise) |
| Monitor Options | VGA |
| Keyboard | 102-key AT |
| Expansion Slots | |
| Bundled Software | MS-DOS 3.3 |
5XXX Series
PC5086 |
PC5286 |
PC5386SX |
|
| Year of Release | 1991 | 1991 | 1991 |
| CPU | 8086 @ 8 MHz | 80286 @ 16 MHz | 80386SX @ 20 MHz |
| Memory Included | 640K | 1 MB | 2 MB |
| Max Memory Supported | 640K | 16 MB | 16 MB |
| Floppy Drives | 1 or 2 3.5" 720K | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB |
| Hard Drives | Built-in XT-IDE controller, optional 40MB XT-IDE hard drive) | 40MB RLL hard drive (CMOS type 17) | 40MB RLL hard drive (CMOS type 17) |
| Graphics Card Options | VGA (Chips & Technologies) | VGA (Chips & Technologies) | VGA (Chips & Technologies) |
| Monitor Options | VGA | VGA | VGA |
| Keyboard | 102-key AT | 102-key AT | 102-key AT |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x half-length 8-bit ISA | 2 x 16-bit ISA, parallel port | 2 x 16-bit ISA, parallel port |
| Bundled Software | MS-DOS 3.3 | MS-DOS 3.3 | MS-DOS 3.3 |
Mega Series
Mega-PC |
Mega Plus |
|
| Year of Release | 1992 | 1993 |
| CPU | Intel 386SX @ 25 MHz / Motorola 68000 | Cyrix Cx486SLC @ 33 MHz / Motorola 68000 |
| Memory Included | 1 MB SIMM (EDO) | 4 MB SIMM (EDO) |
| Max Memory Supported | 16 MB EDO | 16 MB EDO |
| Floppy Drives | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB | 1 x 3.5" 1.44MB |
| Hard Drives | Built-in 40MB | Built-in 40MB |
| Graphics Card Options | SVGA with 256K video RAM | SVGA with 256K video RAM |
| Monitor Options | Dual-sync 14" monitor | Dual-sync 14" monitor |
| Sound Support | Built-in Adlib sound card on Mega Drive ISA card | Built-in Adlib sound card on Mega Drive ISA card |
| Keyboard | 102-key PS/2 | 102-key PS/2 |
| Expansion Slots | Connector on front for MegaCD (requires special converter from Amstrad) | Connector on front for MegaCD (requires special converter from Amstrad) |
| Bundled Software | MS-DOS 5.0, Multiworks, Contraption Zack game (Mindscape), World Atlas | ? |