The vintage Amstrad CPC 464 computer is the first 8-bit home computer produced by Amstrad, an English company. It was in production from 1984 to 1990. It is equipped with Zilog Z80 processor and supports CP/M operating system.
CPC stands for "Colour Personal Computer". Despite this, the Amstrad CPC 464 computer in my collection has the Amstrad GT 65 monitor, which is monochrome. I decided to buy it at the beginning of 2022, so, I participated in an auction on eBay. The bidders were few and I managed to grab it at a good price.
Unfortunately, during transport, the monitor suffered slight damage, due to the poorly done packaging. The seller partially refunded me, making it even cheaper to buy this vintage computer.
Technical specifications of the Amstrad CPC 464
CPU: Zilog Z80, 4 MHz
ROM: 32 KB
RAM: 64 KB
Graphics: Motorola MC6845
Text mode: 20×25 characters in 16 colors, 40×25 characters in 4 colors, 80×25 characters in 2 colors
Graphics mode: 160×200 pixels at 16 colors, 320×200 pixels at 4 colors, 640×200 pixels at 2 colors
Audio: General Instruments AY-3-8912
Keyboard: 74-key QWERTY, with arrow keys and numeric keypad; 6 keys recorder + tachometer reset
Software included in ROM: Locomotive Basic and AMSDOS
Built-in tape recorder
Expansion ports:
- 1 Printer
- 1 BUS port
- 1 Floppy Disk Port
- 1 RGB Video Output for Amstrad Monitor
- 1 Audio output for headphones or line
- 1 Joystick Port (Atari compatible)
Emulation
It is possible to emulate the Amstrad CPC 464, on a common Windows PC, via the Caprice Forever and WinAPE emulators. In this way, it is possible to try to start programs and games, as well as program the retro computer, in a simple and convenient way... without even owning it!
Amstrad CPC 464 Power Supply
The power supply of the Amstrad CPC 464 is located inside the Amstrad GT 65 monitor (or color monitor, depending on the model purchased). However, you can power your computer at 5V direct current.
Amstrad CPC464 startup screen
Vintage computer boot screen is with yellow lettering on a blue background. With the Amstrad GT65 monitor, being monochromatic, it shows green writing on a… green background!
CP/M operating system
The Amstrad CPC 464 supports the CP/M operating system version 2.2. To be able to load it, you must have the floppy disk drive connected to the computer, with the CP/M diskette. To start CP/M you use a specific AMSDOS command:
|CPM
AMSDOS (short for Amstrad Disk Operating System) is an operating system built into the Amstrad CPC464 ROM, which allows the computer to manage floppy disk drives.
Here is the CP/M version 2.2 boot screen with the list of files in the floppy disk.
Papers
1. Amstrad CPC464 manuale d’uso (ITA)
2. Amstrad CPC464 user’s manual
3. Amstrad CPC464 service manual
4. Amstrad CPC464 disk system and CP/M manual
5. CP/M operating system manual
Collection entry date: 02/21/2022