Commodore PET/CBM 2000, 3000 and 4000 series
(1977)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET
Launch price: $495 for 4K RAM or $795 for 8K RAM. starting at around £500 when launched In the UK
Processor: 6502 at 1MHz
RAM: 4K on earlier revisions and up to 32K
ROM: 16K
Sound: White-Noise generator via user port
Graphics: 4o x 25 character resolution. Pre-defined character graphics. A Pic-Chip was available later in the PETs life, giving it a quarter-block resolution of up to 80 x 50
Notes: Early versions of the CBM/PET machines had a black and white screen. Later a green-screen was introduced. Screens were either 9″ or 12″
Commodore VIC-20
(1980)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_VIC-20
Processor: 6502 at 1.0227 MHz (USA) or 0.973 MHz (Europe)
Launch price: 69.800 Yen (Japan). $299.95 (USA), around £200 (UK)
RAM: 5K potentially up to around 37K. although common RAM packs provided either 3K. BK or 16K. Late in the Vic-2o’s life. a 32K RAM pack was introduced
ROM: 16K similar to the PETs
Sound: 3 channel generated from the VIC chip
Graphics: Original VIC chip. 22 x 23 pre-set character rnatrix, which can be changed up to 31 x 25, although some characters wil be off the screen. 16 colours in total, 8 foreground and 16 background allowing 256 colour combinations. High resolution display at 192 x 200 and 96 x 200 low resolution maximum. Again, pixels will be hidden off the screen.
Notes: Officialy Commodore’s first colour computer. aimed
as an entry level personal computer
Commodore PET/CBM 8000 series and SuperPET
(1981)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET
Processor: 65oo at 1MHz coprocessor for SuperPET at 1MHz. Upgrade option for earlier 8000 machines.
RAM: 32K up to 96K
ROM: 16K
Sound: Later revisions had a built-in speaker
Graphics: 80 x 25 character matrix. Predefined character graphics
Notes: As with earlier revisions of the PET, the built-in screen ranged from 9″ to 12″. Greenscreen was a standard, and later revisions had rounded and more stylish casings
Commodore 64
(1982)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64
Processor: 6510 at 1.0225Mhz (USA) and 0.985Mhz [Europe]. Launch price: $595 (USA). £299 excluding VAT (UK)
RAM: 64K RAM system, meaning that any area of memory, with exception or the first two bytes of the zero page could be RAM
ROM: 20K
Sound: SID chip. 3 channel sound. The SID is probably the best known feature of the 64
Graphics: VIC-ll chip. 40 x 25 character matrix. 320 x 200 high resolution, 160 x 200 low resolution, 16 colours, 8 hardware sprites. Bugs in the VIC-ll chip allow the borders to be open on the C64, meaning you can create a wide-screen or tall-screen effect. It is also possible to open the border in all directions. This allows for a greater resolution by using still sprites in the borders. It is also possible to display more than 8 sprites on one screen
Notes: This is Commodore’s and the world’s best selling 8-bit home computer. The 64 came in many guises, but, with exception of the Commodore MAX, they were all basically the same machine. The original C64 and the later C64, are the best known machines
Commodore C16/C116
(1984)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_16
Processor: 7501 at 0.89 MHz or 1.76 MHz
Launch price: Around £140 (from june 1984)
RAM: 16K expandable to 64K
ROM: 16K and either 16K or 32K on the C116
Sound: 2 channel sound from TED chip
Graphics: TED chip. 40 x 25 character matrix. Various resolutions up to 320 x 200 high resolution. Allows up to 121 colours. Similar display to the C64
Notes: This was Commodores replacement to the VIC 20, as an entry level computer. With just 16K of RAM, it is remarkamble that this machine survived
Commodore Plus/4
(1984)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_Plus/4
Processor: 7501 at 0.89 MHz or 1.76 MHz.
Launch price: Around £300 (October 1984)
RAM: 64K
ROM: 32K to 64K. Built in word processor, database and spreadsheet program
Sound: 2 channel sound from TED chip
Graphics: TED chip. (Graphical capabilities are same as the C16 and C116
Notes: Some say that this was intended as Commodore’s replacement to the C64. however lacking hardware sprites and with poorer sound capabilities, the Plus/4 would never take the 64s crown. Other intended machines in this range included the C232 and C364. The latter would have speech capabillities, but both were shelved. The Plus/4 was a modest success, even with a Iittle dedicated software base
Commodore 128, 128D, 128Dcr
(1985)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_128
Processor: 8502 at 1.0225 or 2.044 MHz (USA), 0.985 or 1.97Mhz approximately (Europe), Zilog Z80 at 4 MHz approximately
Launch price: Around £349
RAM: 1.28K RAM (2 banks of 64K), with 16K Video RAM initially, and 64K on later models. This extra memory can be used as a temporary RAM disk as long as are not using 8o- column display
ROM: 48K
Sound: SID chip, 3 channel sound. Later revisions used the C64c SID chip
Graphics: VIC-II and VDC 8563. The VIC-ll provided all of the graphical functions of the C64, including the bugs. The VDC chip alowed an 80-column display via the RGB port, which alowed 640 x 200 high resolution or 640 x 400 interlaced display with 16 colours
Notes: The C128 is much sought after by those who like to upgrade their system, as it has a better tolerance of devices such as the SuperCPU and RAMLink