Amstrad User Group
Amstrad User Group
Colour Personal Computer CPC 464
The 464 is the first success model in a series of CPC's. Equipped with a 4 megahertz Zilog-Mostek Z-80 processor, a data recorder, a BASIC language built into ROM, a 12 inch monitor (different versions and sizes available) and at a reasonable price this was a good investment in the 80's.
Even today it is still amazing to switch a computer on and, within a few seconds, face a ready-to-use computer. Try that with a modern Pentium III 1gHz with a lot of extras on board - it seems to keep on booting forever!
Worth mentioning is the keyboard of the 464: as with the Commodore C64 the keyboard is actually an integration of system housing, keyboard, storage medium (data recorder) and the various connections (joystick, interface for an external disc drive, printer and input/output expansion port).
Soon after the introduction the computer was adopted by lots of users and dozens of magazines started to publish (in various languages) so called 'listings' for the machine: lists with program code that the readers could type over with their machine.In this way you could build up a collection of software (often games) for little money and gain some knowledge of programming at the same time. With little or no competition, brands like Tandy, Commodore, Sinclair (later bought by Amstrad) and Amstrad itself flourished.
The glory of the CPC-computer started to fade only years after the IBM PC (and compatibles) fully took over the computer market, but it has left it marks on various domains. Nowadays it is still a cheap games console, with the vast collection of cheap or freeware games - still an alternative for the 'low budget gamer' or the retro computer owner. All classic games, ranging from Tetris to Pacman and Donkey Kong have been implemented on the CPC and can still be obtained today. A CPC can be hooked up to a TV with just a little effort and expense and can be converted for stereo sound. Music cassettes (also suitable for data recorders) can be obtained everywhere while, with a little effort, you can still buy a used 9-pin joystick (Atari standard) too.
The picture on the left shows an English (Amstrad) version of the CPC: identical to the Schneider, but for the bright colours. The English version has colour coded keys and an extra coloured strip over the lid of the data recorder.
You will find more Schneiders in The Netherlands than Amstrads because of the agreement in the joint venture between Amstrad and Schneider. This also applies to a few of the other older computers: the entire CPC range (464/664/6128 - not the + variety), the PCW 8256/8512 (not the later models) and the PC 1512/1640. Most of the Amstrads of the latter types are so called 'grey-import', not imported by Schneider or sold by InfoData. The Continental European Schneider models are equal to the Amstrads (with, in the case of the 464, the exception of the colour) but the version for the German home market has modified connectors, due to the strict German certification standards. This is often annoying when you want to fit standard add-ons: you will need to fit expensive adaptors or will need to make one yourself.
To the main CPC-page.
