Commodore IBM PC compatible systems


The Commodore PC compatible systems are a range of IBM PC compatible personal computers introduced in 1984 by home computer manufacturer Commodore Business Machines.
Incompatible with Commodore 64 and Amiga architectures, they were generally regarded as good, serviceable workhorse PCs with nothing spectacular about them, but the well-established Commodore name was seen as a competitive asset.[1]
History
In 1984, Commodore signed a deal with Intel to second source manufacture the Intel 8088 CPU used in the IBM PC, along with a license to manufacture a computer based on the Dynalogic Hyperion. It is unknown whether any of these systems were produced or sold.
In 1984, the first model released, the PC-10, sold for $559 without monitor ($1547 in 2024).[2] They were sold alongside Commodore's Amiga and Commodore 64c/128 lines of home and graphics computers. The PC10 was comparable in the market to the Blue Chip PC, Leading Edge Model D and Tandy 1000 line of PC compatibles.[3][4]
Models

The line consists of the following models: Series 1
First generation - Series I:
Commodore PC 5:
- Introduced in 1984, at $1395, the Commodore PC 5 was the low budget option with a Monochrome video card. It had a Intel 8088 running at 4.77 MHz and 256k RAM on-board (expandable to 640k). RS232 Serial and Centronics parallel printer ports were on the motherboard rather than on separate cards thereby making more slots available. it had one 5.25" floppy drive and no harddisk.(can be installed) it was released with MS-DOS 2.11 and GW Basic 3.2. it had 5x 8Bit PC BUS Slots. It have 2 motherboards. One contains CPU, RAM and ROM v. 2.01, as NPU socket and some VLSI chips. The second mainboard is connected by goldpin connectors, it''s an "IO board" containing serial and parallel port, ISA slots and all I/O chips. Some tracks from ISA slots are factory cut by drilling. The early PC10 has no RTC, HDD controller or reset switch, in front it has DIN keyboard connector
Commodore PC 10
- The Commodore PC 10 is a PC 5 with a added Color video card and two floppy drives
Commodore PC 10-1
- a 512k RAM and single floppy drive version. $519
Commodore PC 10-2
- 640K RAM and dual floppy Drives. $619
Commodore PC 10-S
- a PC 10 with a single floppy drive. (PC 10 have two floppy drives)
Commodore PC 20
- The Commodore PC 20 is a PC 10 with a 20 MB hard drive an only one floppy drive.
Commodore PC 40 / AT
- PC 40 is the top model of the first generation Commodore PC’s with improved 16bit "AT" hardware compared to 8bit XT in the others. It had a Intel 80286 that runs at either 6 or 10 MHz choosable by the user. Standard RAM was 1Mb and the video card was the same as in the PC 10 and 20. It had one 1,2 Mb 5.25 drive and a 20 MB hard drive. the cabinet had a key lock switch added Notes: The "PC AT" is a "PC 40" with a "AT" added to the name.
Second Generation - Series II
Commodore PC 10-II
- The Commodore PC 10-II is a minor revision of the original PC 10. It have mainly the same specifications and casing, but the main difference is that it has a new revised single motherboard opposed to the original PC 10 that have two motherboards combined. As the original PC 10, it comes with dual floppy drives and no hard drive.
Commodore PC 20-II
- The Commodore PC 20-II is a PC 10-II with one floppy drive and one hard drive
Third Generation - Series III
Commodore PC I
- The Commodore PC 1 is a special small form factor PC inspired by the design of the Commodore 128, meant for budget homes or office use. The PC 1 have no internal room for Harddisk, the "PC 1-20" Harddrive came with a 3.5" 20 Mb hard drive and can be connected to the expansion port. The machine can also be expanded with the "PC 1-NET" which added a Novell Ethernet 10 Bit card connected to the expansion port. Strangely there is no internal sound. but a 8 Ohm speaker can be added. there also was sold a expansion box for connection 3 ISA cards..
- Expansion slots: Commodore "PCEXP1" is a special expansion cabinet made for PC1. this gives 3 additional ISA Slots plus a extra 5.25 drive
Commodore PC 10-III
- The Commodore PC 10-III is a complete revision of the PC 10 and 10-II machine. it have a new sleeker cabinet and better specifications. while the two generations before only went at 4.77 MHz, the new III series uses an 8088-1 CPU capable of 10 MHz speeds. The really cool thing about the PC 10-III/Colt is that its Faraday FE2010 chipset allows the CPU speed to be adjustable via a SPEED.EXE utility via DOS or through keyboard commands. The default is the standard 4.77 MHz but the speed is adjustable to 7.16 MHz and 9.54 MHz. It also had more standard ram and a better video card. it is still a 8bit machine. it came with two floppy drives.
Commodore COLT
- An American version of the PC 10-III with slightly different front design. The front is a white variant of the PC 30-III front with the COLT logo on.
Commodore PC 10-III SD
- a PC 10-III with one floppy drive. (PC10-III have two floppy drives)
Commodore PC 20-III
- Same as PC 10-III but with a 20Mb HDD added.
Commodore PC 30-III (also sold as Select Edition 286)
- The commodore PC 30-III is a new generation AT machine with a EGA video card, a 3.5 floppy drive and a 20 MB Harddisk. The PC-30-III motherboard is the same as the PC40-III MB but with the VGA hardware missing from the Motherboard. (it is empty space on the motherboard for the VGA hardware)
Commodore PC 35-III
- PC-35-III is a PC 30-III but with VGA hardware added to the mainboard. same 20 MB harddisk as PC 30-III
Commodore PC 40-III
- PC 40-III is same as PC35-III, but with a 40Mb Harddisk.
Commodore PC 45-III
- same as PC-40-III but with an AMD equipped CPU instead of Intel in the PC-40-III
Commodore PC 50-II
- The Commodore budget 386 machine. it could be delivered with 40 or 100MB Harddisk or with just a3.5 floppy. it have SVGA
Commodore PC 60-III
- a top-of-the-line tower PC for professional use.
- Price: ?
- CPU: Intel 386DX 25MHz
- Optional CPU: A 387 FPU can be added.
- Standard RAM: 2Mb onboard RAM
- Optional RAM: upgradeable to 18Mb RAM via two expansion cards with max 8 Mb on each card.
- Video Card: Paradise 88 VGA card
- Floppy Drive: One Chinon FB-357 1.44Mb 3.5" and one Chinon FZ-506 1.2Mb 5.25" floppy drive.
- Harddrive: It came with different choices of hard drive from 60Mb to 200Mb hard disk.
- Expansion Bays: 4x 5.25 bay and 2x 3.5 bay.
- Expansion Slots: 7x 16bit AT expansion slots + 2x Commodore Slots for memory card. 9 total.
Commodore PC Spesifications: | PC 1 | PC 5 | PC 10 | PC 10-II | PC 10-III | PC 20 | PC 20-II | PC 20-III | PC 30-III | PC 35-III | PC 40 / AT | PC 40-20 | PC 40-40 | PC 40-III | PC 45-III | PC 50-II | PC 50-III | PC 60-40 | PC 60-80 | PC 60-III | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Also known as: | Colt | Select Edition 286 | SL 386SX - 25 | |||||||||||||||||||
Motherboard Year | 1987 | 1984 | 1984 | 1985 | 1989 | 1984 | 1985 | 1989 | 1989 | 1989 | 1987 | 1988 | 1988 | 1989 | 1989 | 1989 | 1991 | 1988 | 1988 | 1990 | ||
Price | £315, FIM
|
$1395 | $559(1988) / NOK 18000,- | $1,200/ DM 4.950, FIM 14.950,- (1986) | FIM 7.995,- (1988) | £999 (Aug 1988)
NOK 30000,- |
FIM 23.550,- (1986) | FIM 14.995,- (1988) | FIM 14.950,- ilman näyttöä (1989) | £2,247 (Feb 1987) | FIM 24.500,- ilman monitoria (1986) | 26.080,- ilman monitoria (1987) | FIM 21.500,- (1989) | FIM 22.850,- (1990) | FIM 36.480,- (1988) | FIM 46.480,- (1988) | £3,999 (40MB HDD), £4999 (80MB HDD)
FIM
| |||||
CPU | Siemens Intel 8088 | Intel 8088 | Intel 8088 | Intel 8088 | Siemens Intel 8088-1 | Intel 8088 | Intel 8088 | Siemens Intel 8088-1 | Intel 80286 | Siemens Intel 80286 | Intel 80286 | Intel 80286 | Intel 80286 | Intel 80286 | AMD N80L 268-12/S | Intel 80386 SX | Intel 386 | Intel 386 | Intel 386 | Intel 80386DX | ||
CPU MHZ | 4.77 MHz | 4.77 MHz | 4.77 MHz | 4.77 MHz | Standard 4.77 MHz Turbo 7.16 MHz Double 9.54 MHz | 4.77 MHz | 4.77 MHz | Standard 4.77 MHz Turbo 7.16 MHz Double 9.54 MHz | 12 MHz | 12 MHz | 6/10 MHz | 6/10 MHz | 6/10 MHz | 12 MHz | 12 MHz | 16 MHz | 25 MHz | 8 / 16 MHz | 8 / 16 MHz | 25 MHz | ||
Optional Co-Prosessor | Intel 8087 | Intel 8087 | Intel 8087 | Intel 8087 | Intel 8087-1 | Intel 8087 | Intel 8087 | Intel 8087-1 | Intel 80287 | Intel 80287 | Intel 80287 | Intel 80287 | Intel 80287 | Intel 80287 | Intel 80287 | Intel 80387 | Intel 80387 | Intel 80387 | Intel 80387 | |||
Chipset | Faraday FE2010A | Faraday FE2010A | Faraday FE3020 | Faraday FE3020 | Faraday FE3020 | Faraday FE3020 | ||||||||||||||||
Battery | Dallas DS1287 | Dallas DS1287 | Dallas DS1287 | Dallas DS1287 | ||||||||||||||||||
Standard Ram | 512 kB | 256 kB | 256 kB | 256 kB | 640 kB | 256 kB | 256 kB | 640 kB | 640 kB | 640 kB | 512 kB | 1 MB | 1 MB | 1 MB | 1 MB | 1 MB | 1 MB | 2,5 MB | 2,5 MB | 2 MB | ||
Expansion Ram | 4x 32k RAM | 384 kB | 384 kB | 384 kB | 384 kB | 384 kB | 512 kB | 15 MB | 15 MB | 2 MB | 15 MB | 13,5 MB | 13,5 MB | 16 MB | ||||||||
Maximum RAM | 640k | 640 kB | 640 kB | 640 kB | 640 kB | 640 kB | 1 MB | 16 MB | 16 MB | 1 MB | 16 MB | 16 MB | 16 MB | 18 MB | ||||||||
Video Card Name | WD Integrated Paradise PVS 2 | Hercules GB-101 MDPA | ATI CW16800-A | ATI CW16800-A | WD Paradise PVC4 | ATI CW16800-A | ATI CW16800-A | WD Paradise PVC4 | ATI EGA Wonder 800+ | Paradise 88 PVGA1A-JK | ATI CW16800-A | ATI CW16800-A | ATI EGA Wonder(800) | VGA | Paradise 88 PVGA1A-JK | Paradise 88 VGA | ||||||
Video Card modes | MDA, CGA, Hercules, Plantronics | MDA | MDA, CGA, HGC & Plantronics | MDA, CGA, HGC & Plantronics | MDA, CGA, Hercules, Plantronics | MDA, CGA, HGC & Plantronics | MDA, CGA, HGC & Plantronics | MDA, CGA, Hercules, Plantronics | MDA, CGA, EGA & Hercules | VGA | MDA, CGA, HGC & Plantronics | MDA, CGA, HGC & Plantronics | MDA, CGA, EGA | VGA (256 KB RAM) | VGA (256 KB RAM) | MDA, CGA, EGA, VGA | SVGA | MDA, Hercules, CGA, EGA | MDA, Hercules, CGA, EGA | MDA, Hercules, CGA VGA | ||
Video Card RAM | 64 kB | 64 kB | 64 kB | 64 kB | 64 kB | 256 kB | 256 kB | 64 kB | 64 kB | 256 kB | 256 kB | |||||||||||
Ideal Monitor | Commodore 1450 | 1901 | 1084 | 1084 | 1084 | 1084 | ||||||||||||||||
5.25" Floppy Drive | Chinon F-502L 360k | ALPS DFC222A 360kB | 2x ALPS DFC222A 360kB | 2x Chinon FZ-502LII 360k | 2x Chinon F-502L 360k | ALPS DFC222A 360kB | 1x Chinon FZ-502LII 360k | Chinon F-502L 360k | Chinon FZ-506 1.2Mb | Chinon FZ-506 1.2Mb | 1x 1,2 Mb 5.25 | 1x 1,2 Mb 5.25 | 1x 1,2 Mb 5.25 | Chinon FZ-506 1.2Mb | Chinon FZ-506 1.2Mb | 1x 1,2 Mb Chinon FR-506 | no | 1x 1,2 Mb 5.25 | Chinon FZ-506 1.2Mb | |||
3.5" Floppy Drive | Optional C-1010 or C-1011 can be added at the amiga style disk port on the right side | no | no | no | no | no | no | - | Chinon FB-357 1.44Mb | Chinon FB-357 1.44Mb | option | option | Chinon FB-357 1.44Mb | Chinon FB-357 1.44Mb | 1,44 MB | 1 | option | Chinon FB-357 1.44Mb | ||||
Harddisk | The optional 20 MB "PC 1-20" Hard drive can be connected to the expansion port. | no | no | no | optional | 20 MB | 20 MB | WD 20Mb HDD | WD 93028 AD 20MB 68 ms | WD 93028 A 20MB | 20 MB | 20 MB | 40 MB | 40 MB | 52 MB | 40Mb Conner CP-3044 or 100MB option. | 200 MB | 40 MB | 80 MB | |||
5.25" Expansion bay | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||
3.5" Expansion Bay | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
8-bit XT PC ISA bus | 1x PCEXP1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | ||||||
16-bit AT ISA bus | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | ||||||
Keyboard | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/AT 102 key | PC/AT 102 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/XT 88 key | PC/AT 102 key | PC/AT 102 key | PC/AT 102 key | PC/AT 102 key | PC/AT 102 key | PC/AT 102 key | |||
Operating System | MS-DOS 3.1 | MS-DOS 2.11 | MS-DOS 2.11 | MSDOS 3.3 | MS-DOS 2.11 | MSDOS 3.3 | MS DOS 4,01 | MS DOS 4,01 | ms-dos 3.20 | MS-DOS 3.21 | MS-DOS 3.21 | MS DOS 4,01 | MS DOS 4,01 | Windows 3.1 | ||||||||
Ports | Power, VGA, Component video, RSR-232 Serial, Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Centronic Parallel | Power, Printer Parallel, 2x RS232C, VGA | 2x RS232C, 2x Centronics Parallell | Centronic Parallel | |||||||
Power supply | 112 W | 112 W | 112 W | 112 W | 145 W | 170 W | 170 W | |||||||||||||||
Dimension | 326 x 330 x 85 mm | 390 x 360 x 150 mm | 390 x 360 x 150 mm | 390 x 360 x 150 mm | 390 x 360 x 150 mm | 390 x 360 x 150 mm | 366 x 381 x 146 mm | 366 x 381 x 146 mm | 381 x 146 x 356 mm | 377 x 158 x 421 mm |
Generation 4 SlimLine series
Commodore 286 SX
- Price:
- Description: Slimline computercase
- Motherboard year: 1991
- Processor: Intel 80286 running at 8/16 Mhz. (A 80287-16 FPU can be added to an empty slot.)
- ROM: 64KB Phoenix Bios
- RAM: 1MB onboard standard, expandable to 5MB
- Video Card: VGA 256K Byte, expandable to 512K
- Disk drive: 1x Chinon F-502L 360k 5.25 drive.(Optional 720k Commodore 1010 og 1011 can be added to the Amiga style Disk port on the right side)
- Harddrive: 40 MB - (313241-02), 50 MB - (311839-01) and 100 MB - (311840-01)
- Network: the "PC 1-NET" came with a Novell Ethernet 10 Bit card connected to the expansion port.
- Options: Expansion box for connection isa cards and Harddrive. an additional 8 Ohm speaker can be added for sound.
- Operating System: MS-DOS 3.20 and GW-BASIC
- Ports: VGA, Component video, RSR-232 Serial port, Centronic Parallel port.
- Expansion slots: 16 bit x1 (expandable to 16 bit x 3 + 8 bit x 2 by use of riser card)
- Keyboard: 84 Key XT Keyboard
- Cabinet: Special small form factor inspired by the 128C
Commodore 286-16
- A 16MHz 286 with 1Mb RAM, VGA video card, 3.5" floppy drive and 2x AT 16bit expansion slots.
Commodore 386SX-16
- A 16Mhz 386 with 1Mb RAM, VGA graphics card, 3.5" floppy drive and 5x 16bit ISA expansion slots.
Commodore 386SX-16
- A 25Mhz 386 with a Cyrix 387 FPU, 4Mb RAM, Cirrus Logic GD-5402 VGA (512kb video RAM), 40Mb HDD, 3.5" floppy drive and 5x 16bit ISA expansion slots.
Commodore 386DX-33
- A 33MHz 386 CPU
Commodore 486SX-25
- A 25MHz 486 with 4Mb RAM, VGA video, 1x 3.5" drive and a 150Mb HDD
Commodore 486DX-33
- CPU: 33MHz 486 with
- RAM: 8Mb RAM,
- Video Card: VGA video,
- Floppy drive: 1x 3.5"
- Harddisk: 150Mb HDD
Laptops
Commodore C286SX-LT
- a 12Mhz 286 with 1Mb RAM
Commodore C386SX-LT
- a 386 with 2Mb RAM and a 40Mb HDD
See also
- 3D Microcomputers, a Canadian computer manufacturer whom Commodore Canada authorized to produce PC clones bearing the Commodore label shortly before Commodore International's bankruptcy in 1994
References
- ^ "RUN Magazine issue 42".
- ^ "TCP ad, Run magazine Sep. 1987".
- ^ "The PC10 has Landed".
Two of the PC10-2's most visible competitors for the home and school markets are the Leading Edge Model D and the Tandy 1000SX.
- ^ "Run Magazine Issue 42 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
External links
- Richard Lagendijk: CIP - Commodore Info Page
- Bo Zimmerman: Commodore turns blue
- Bo Zimmerman's Commodore gallery
- OLD-COMPUTERS.COM
- Brochure comparing a number of Commodore Models
- Commodore History Part 6 - The PC Compatibles By The 8-Bit Guy
- Brochure for the Commodore PC10-1 and PC10-2 at classic.technology