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PC-9801 VX

From NEC Retro

PC9801VX logo.png
PC9801VX2.jpg
PC-9801 VX
Manufacturer: NEC
Release Date RRP Code
PC-9801 VX
JP
(VX0) 		¥353,000353,000
PC-9801 VX
JP
(VX2) 		¥433,000433,000
PC-9801 VX
JP
(VX4) 		¥693,000693,000
PC-9801 VX
JP
(4/WN) 		¥730,000730,000
PC-9801 VX
JP
(VX01) 		¥353,000353,000
PC-9801 VX
JP
(VX21) 		¥433,000433,000
PC-9801 VX
JP
(VX41) 		¥630,000630,000
PC-9801 VX
JP
(41/WN) 		¥658,000658,000

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This teeny-tiny article needs some work. You can help us by expanding it.

The PC-9801 VX is a computer released as part of the PC-9800 series.

Hardware

The PC-9801 VX is an upgrade over the PC-9801 VM, and introduced an 80286 processor essentially starting a new generation of PC-9800 computers.

286-spec versions of the PC-9800 series arrived later than their IBM PC counterparts in the West, owed in part to NEC's use of the V30; a home-grown update to Intel's 8086 processor used in prior machines. Despite having extra features, the V30 was envisioned as simply a faster 8086 for the PC-9800 series, and NEC instructed developers not to tap into its extra features (presumably anticipating a switch to 286-based processors when production costs allowed). However, as some developers ignored this advice, the PC-9801 VX and UX were forced to include a V30 as well, alongside a backwards compatible mode to support it.

In addition to this change, the amount of on-board RAM was increased to 640KB as standard. Also included was an Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC) which builds on the Graphic Charger (GRCG) of earlier models (and is backwards compatible). The EGC is a more capable chip that can render graphics more efficiently, but screen resolutions and colour counts are a match for the GRCG.

As with the VM line, a PC-9801 VX0, VX2 and VX4 variants were offered with differing numbers of drives. The 286 was clocked at 8MHz, however after Epson released the PC-9800-series compatible PC-286 (which used the same processor, albeit clocked at 10MHz), NEC responded with VX01, VX21 and VX41 variants also clocking the processor at 10MHz.

The PC-9801 VX4/WN and PC-9801 VX41/WN variants were the first NEC machines to come installed with Microsoft Windows (in this case, version 1.0).

Technical specifications

PC-9801 VX0

  • Main processor: 80286 clocked at 8MHz
  • Secondary processor: V30 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Graphics processor: 2x µPD7220
  • Graphics: Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC)
  • RAM: 640KB
  • Text VRAM: 12KB
  • Graphics VRAM: 256KB
  • ROM: 96KB
  • Floppy Disk drive(s): None
  • Sound: Internal "beeper"
  • General Expansion Slot(s): 4 slots

PC-9801 VX2

  • Main processor: 80286 clocked at 8MHz
  • Secondary processor: V30 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Graphics processor: 2x µPD7220
  • Graphics: Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC)
  • RAM: 640KB
  • Text VRAM: 12KB
  • Graphics VRAM: 256KB
  • ROM: 96KB
  • Floppy Disk drive(s): 2× 5¼-inch 2HD (1MB formatted)[fn 1]
  • Sound: Internal "beeper"
  • General Expansion Slot(s): 4 slots

PC-9801 VX4(/WN)

  • Main processor: 80286 clocked at 8MHz
  • Secondary processor: V30 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Graphics processor: 2x µPD7220
  • Graphics: Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC)
  • RAM: 640KB
  • Text VRAM: 12KB
  • Graphics VRAM: 256KB
  • ROM: 96KB
  • Hard Disk drive(s): 20MB (SASI)
  • Floppy Disk drive(s): 2× 5¼-inch 2HD (1MB formatted)[fn 1]
  • Sound: Internal "beeper"
  • General Expansion Slot(s): 4 slots

PC-9801 VX01

  • Main processor: 80286 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Secondary processor: V30 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Graphics processor: 2x µPD7220
  • Graphics: Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC)
  • RAM: 640KB
  • Text VRAM: 12KB
  • Graphics VRAM: 256KB
  • ROM: 96KB
  • Floppy Disk drive(s): None
  • Sound: Internal "beeper"
  • General Expansion Slot(s): 4 slots

PC-9801 VX21

  • Main processor: 80286 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Secondary processor: V30 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Graphics processor: 2x µPD7220
  • Graphics: Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC)
  • RAM: 640KB
  • Text VRAM: 12KB
  • Graphics VRAM: 256KB
  • ROM: 96KB
  • Floppy Disk drive(s): 2× 5¼-inch 2HD (1MB formatted)[fn 1]
  • Sound: Internal "beeper"
  • General Expansion Slot(s): 4 slots

PC-9801 VX41(/WN)

  • Main processor: 80286 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Secondary processor: V30 clocked at 8-10MHz
  • Graphics processor: 2x µPD7220
  • Graphics: Enhanced Graphic Charger (EGC)
  • RAM: 640KB
  • Text VRAM: 12KB
  • Graphics VRAM: 256KB
  • ROM: 96KB
  • Hard Disk drive(s): 20MB (SASI)
  • Floppy Disk drive(s): 2× 5¼-inch 2HD (1MB formatted)[fn 1]
  • Sound: Internal "beeper"
  • General Expansion Slot(s): 4 slots

List of games

Gallery

  • PC9801VX0.jpg

    PC-9801 VX0

  • PC-9801 VX2

  • PC9801VX4.jpg

    PC-9801 VX4

  • PC9801VX01.jpg

    PC-9801 VX01

  • PC-9801 VX21

  • PC9801VX41.jpg

    PC-9801 VX41

Promotional material

  • JP flyer

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Can also read 2D and 2DD disks.

References



PC-9800 series hardware
PC-9800 series Desktop hardware
PC-9801 (1982) | PC-9801 F (E) (1983) | M (1984)

V30 Computers: U | VF | VM (21) | UV (21) | CV (1985-1988)
286 Computers: VX | UX | RX | EX | DX | UR | UF (1986-1991)
386 Computers: RA | RS | ES | DA | DS | CS | FS | FX | US (1988-1992)
486+ Computers: FA | BX | BA | BX2 | BS2 | BA2 | BA3 | BX3 | BX4 | BX4-P (1993-1995)
Other: DO | DO+ | GS (1989-1990)

PC-9800 series Laptop hardware
V30 Computers: PC-9801 LV (1988)

286 Computers: PC-9801 LX (1989)
386 Computers: PC-9801 LS (1988) | PC-9801 T (1990-1991)
V50 Computers(9801 Incompatible): PC-98LT (1986) | PC-98HA (1993)
Other: PC-9801 P (1993)

PC-9800 series Notebook hardware
V30 Computers: PC-9801 N (1989)

V30HL(286) Computers: PC-9801 NV (1990-1991) | PC-9801 NL/(R)(A) (1992-1994)
386 Computers: PC-9801 NC (1991) | PC-9801 NS/(E)(T)(L)(R)(A) (1990-1994)
486 Computers: PC-9801 NA/(C) (1992) | PC-9801 NX/C (1993)

PC-9800 series Workstation hardware
286 Computers: PC-98XA (1985) | PC-98XL (1986)

386 Computers: PC-98XL² (1987) | PC-98RL (1990)

PC-9800 series Peripherals
Not sure how to organize this one
stuff
Okay so I have no idea how best to do this
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