Retro Tech

Gareth takes you on a brief tour of the classic 80’s 8-bit computer in this new series of videos featuring a loving tribute to tech from the past in a bite sized format.

The Amstrad CPC 464 was Gareth’s first home computer that started a passion for the cheap but somewhat reliable computer company, Gareth has put together a fairly modest collection over the years and hopes to give you a guided tour of each piece.

The CPC series was pitched against other home computers primarily used to play video games and enjoyed a strong supply of game software. The comparatively low price for a complete computer system with dedicated monitor, its high resolution monochrome text and graphic capabilities and the possibility to run CP/M software also rendered the system attractive for business users, which was reflected by a wide selection of application software.

The CPC models’ hardware is based on the Zilog Z80A CPU, complemented with either 64 or 128 kB of memory. Their computer-in-a-keyboard design prominently features an integrated storage device, either a compact cassette deck or 3″ floppy disk drive. The main units were only sold bundled with a colour or monochrome monitor that doubles as the main unit’s power supply. Additionally, a wide range of first and third party hardware extensions such as external disk drives, printers, and memory extensions, was available.