Inside the Commodore 64
This pioneering PC made instant geeks out of millions of people back in the 80s. But what lies within the Commodore 64's fetching brown shell?
Benj Edwards
Can You Make It More Brown?
The Guinness Book of World Records lists the Commodore 64 as the best-selling computer model of all time: Sales estimates range from 17 million to 30 million units worldwide in the years between its splashy introduction in 1982 and its reluctant end in 1994. With so many C64s out there, this home computing pioneer clearly was the right product at the right time and at the right price ($595 at launch) for a lot of people. Even now, nerds everywhere get misty-eyed when they talk about it, heaping praise on the brown-on-brown low-cost wonder that dominated the low-end computer market for most of the 80s. (And according to PC World contributing editor--and onetime editor in chief--Harry McCracken, the C64's beguiling TV ads may have had a lot to do with the model's success.) Let's go to the workbench and look at the insides of this little PC that could.
The Best of PC World
PCW Download Guide
Related Desktops Articles
- 7 Apple Products That Would Have Been Cool Apple's Phil Schiller put on a triumphal snoozefest in his Macworld 2009 keynote. Here are seven cool product concepts we would have loved to see him announce.
- HP Desktop PCs Continue to Disappoint in Reliability Readers say they can depend on their Apple notebooks, but HP and Lenovo owners are significantly less happy.
- The Most Reliable Tech Gear 44,000 PCWorld.com visitors reveal which companies make the sturdiest gear--and which ones won’t forget you after the deal is done.
- BFG Tech Unleashes Phobos High End Gaming System The fastest parts money can buy are used to produce BFG's first attempt as system builder. Will anyone bite?
- Apple Says Goodbye to Macworld, Without Jobs ]Apple introduced a new 17 inch MacBook Pro laptop and changes to iTunes at Macworld Tuesday.
Best Prices on Desktops
iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 24" DesktopPrice: $1778.99
Pavilion a6600z Desktop - CustomizablePrice: $299.99
TouchSmart IQ504 DesktopPrice: $929.96
Aspire AM3641-ED2200A DesktopPrice: $408.00
VAIO VGC-JS110J/S DesktopPrice: $818.92
Pavilion a6610t Desktop - CustomizablePrice: $349.99
PC World's How To Buy Laptops Guide
- Laptop Buying Guide: The Big Picture There are more laptop choices than ever. We'll identify and discuss the available options--including screen size, weight, battery life, and communications ports.
- Laptop Buying Guide: Laptop Specs Explained Do you need a superfast CPU? Or a huge hard drive? We'll guide you through the choices and tell you which features are most critical.
- Laptop Buying Guide: Laptop Shopping Tips Looking for a powerful, versatile notebook at a reasonable price? Our advice will help you find the right laptop.
-
SatellitePro with industry-leading 2-year warrantyAvailable with the Satellite Pro® S300. Only from the laptop expert, Toshiba
PC World's Marketplace
PC World's Free Whitepapers
"Inside the Commodore 64" Comments