Visit Guide
AMSTRAD CPC 464
With over two million units sold in Europe, the Amstrad CPC 464 was, alongside the Commodore 64 and the BBC Micro, one of ZX Spectrum’s fiercest competitors.
Created by engineer Ivor Spital, this computer was the result of Amstrad’s wish to invest in the booming market for Micro Computers, and to push against the electronic consumption recession experienced in the early ‘80s.
The CPC 464 was significantly more powerful to run games than Sinclair’s creations were. Yet, and due to its’ small representation in the market, many of its’ features were rarely enjoyed, and were overwhelmed by iffy-quality ports from other platforms.
Amstrad’s CPC line was also sold by Schneider, which is why it is fairly common to find these versions in Germany and Switzerland.
When it was released in 1984, the CPC 464 also came with a professional keyboard as well as an attached cassette reader. It only cost £249 (monitor included), being a worthy opponent to the relatively “basic” ZX Spectrum.
Release year: 1984
Processor: Zilog Z80 at 4 MHz
Memory: 64K
Resolution: Maximum 640×200 (2 colours) / Regular 160×200 (16 colours)
Sound: AY-3-8912 (3 voices)
Media: Cassettes