PC-9800 series
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The PC-9800 series (PC-9800シリーズ) is a range of 16 and 32-bit Japanese home computers manufactured between October 1982 and 1995 by NEC.
Following the release of first PC-9801 computer, the PC-9800 series became a dominant force in the Japanese computing market, owed in part to NEC's history with the PC-8000 series and PC-8800 series, the ability to quickly display Japanese kanji symbols at then-high screen resolutions, and an early decision to adopt MS-DOS as an official operating system. More than 18 million PC-9800 series computers had been sold in Japan by 1999[1].
History
The original PC-9801 was designed as a 16-bit business machine, building lessons learned with the N5200, first released in 1981. Many components were shared with the N5200, but it was the µPD7220 graphics display controller which was its main selling point; a NEC-produced chip that could quickly decode and render kanji text at a high-enough resolution to read. At the time, most computers either lacked support for the thousands of kanji characters, be it memory limitations, or the processing speeds required to render them on-screen; NEC tapped into this market early, and before its rivals had caught up, had become the dominant force in business computing.
Unlike the PC-8800 series, where only two major hardware revisions were introduced throughout the 1980s (the original PC-8801 and 1985's PC-8801 mkII SR), the PC-9800 series featured ever-evolving computers in a number of form factors. Significant updates were released annually, with notable increases in processor capabilities, memory and available graphics modes throughout the decade. This constant change caused problems for developers, especially in the early days when compatible disk formats would change between machines, and so the PC-9800 series software market is more fractured than its contemporaries.
Unlike the IBM PC which rapidly gained traction in the West, the PC-9800 series involved bespoke equipment all manufactured by NEC. An absense of "PC-9800 compatibles" meant NEC could control pricing; only in the early 1990s after pressure from IBM compatibles running DOS/V (which could now handle kanji characters in software) was the company forced to open up to compete, though ultimately gave way to the cheaper and more versitile nature of what had been set in motion by IBM and Microsoft. A successor, the PC-9821 series bridged the gap even further and maintained PC-9800 series support.
When the series was forced to work with Microsoft to create a PC-9800/PC-9821 compatible version of Windows 95 (then 98, then 2000), the concept of NEC maintaining a different set of bespoke computing standards became redundant, and like its peers in the computing industry, began to produce PC compatibles instead.
In 1997 the firm released the PC compatible PC-98NX which in turn had revisions and successors; these are not covered by NEC Retro, as while compatibility layers were created for traditional PC-9800 software, they effectively stand as IBM PCs with NEC branding, as opposed to bespoke NEC hardware.
NEC tailored its flagship computing series to different markets, creating slim-size models with the PC-9801 U and its successors, higher-end workstations for CAD (starting with the PC-98XA), laptops (PC-98LT), notebooks (PC-9801 N) and servers.
List of computers
The PC-9800 series adopted an arguably complex naming scheme for its hardware. "U" denotes built-in 3½-inch floppy disk drives, "X" usually suggests a 80286 processor (unless the machine was built after 1992), and numbers typically hint towards the capacity of the built-in hard drive (4 and 5 often suggest 20MB and 40MB respectively, though NEC were very inconsistent over the years). "W" means the computer shipped with a PC-98 version of Microsoft Windows, but the situation is not always clear cut - "A" models for example tend to be more powerful than "S" models, and there are multiple definitions for "F".
On top of this, longer product names were not printed on the casing. While there are technically five different PC-9801 VM models, identifying them from a distance is not always easy, particularly if the machine had been modified from its default state (and modifications were common - no PC-98 computer shipped with both a 5¼-inch and 3½-inch floppy drive - consumers had to choose between one or the other, though not all PC-98 software was distributed on both disk formats).
| Name | Date | Price | Processors | RAM | Built-in media drives | Video | Sound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main CPU | Clock | 2nd CPU | Clock | HDD | 5¼-inch FDD | 3½-inch FDD | CD-ROM | ||||||
| PC-9801 | 1982-10-13[2] | ¥298,000 | 8086 | 5MHz | 128KB | No | No | No | No | 640x400, 8 colours | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 F1 | 1983-10 | ¥328,000 | 8086-2 | 5/8MHz | 128KB | No | 1x 2DD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 F2 | 1983-10 | ¥398,000 | 8086-2 | 5/8MHz | 128KB | No | 2x 2DD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 E | 1983-11 | ¥215,000 | 8086-2 | 5/8MHz | 128KB | No | No | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 F3 | 1984-10 | ¥758,000 | 8086-2 | 5/8MHz | 256KB | 10MB | 1x 2DD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 M2 | 1984-11 | ¥415,000 | 8086-2 | 5/8MHz | 256KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 M3 | 1985-02 | ¥838,000 | 8086-2 | 5/8MHz | 256KB | 20MB | 1x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 U2 | 1985-06 | ¥298,000 | V30 | 8MHz | 128KB | No | No | 2x 2DD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 VF2 | 1985-07 | ¥348,000 | V30 | 8MHz | 256KB | No | 2x 2DD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 VM0 | 1985-07 | ¥295,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 384KB | No | No | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 VM2 | 1985-07 | ¥415,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 384KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 VM4 | 1985-10 | ¥830,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 384KB | 20MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 UV2 | 1986-06 | ¥318,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 384KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 VM21 | 1986-11 | ¥390,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 VX0 | 1986-11 | ¥353,000 | 80286 | 8MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | No | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 VX2 | 1986-11 | ¥433,000 | 80286 | 8MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 VX4 | 1986-11 | ¥693,000 | 80286 | 8MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | 20MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 VX4/WN | 1986-11 | ¥730,000 | 80286 | 8MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | 20MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 VX01 | 1987-06 | ¥353,000 | 80286 | 10MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | No | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 VX21 | 1987-06 | ¥433,000 | 80286 | 10MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 VX41 | 1987-06 | ¥630,000 | 80286 | 10MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | 20MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 UV21 | 1987-06 | ¥318,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 VX41/WN | 1987-07 | ¥658,000 | 80286 | 10MHz | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | 20MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 UX21 | 1987-10 | ¥348,000 | 80286 | 10MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG |
| PC-9801 UX41 | 1987-10 | ¥545,000 | 80286 | 10MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 640KB | 20MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG |
| PC-9801 UV11 | 1988-03 | ¥265,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 CV21 | 1988-03 | ¥355,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 RA2 | 1988-07 | ¥498,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RA5 | 1988-07 | ¥736,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RX2 | 1988-09 | ¥398,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RX4 | 1988-09 | ¥566,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 VM11 | 1988-11 | ¥328,000 | V30 | 10MHz | 640KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper? | ||
| PC-9801 ES2 | 1989-04 | ¥448,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 ES5 | 1989-04 | ¥638,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 EX2 | 1989-04 | ¥348,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG |
| PC-9801 EX4 | 1989-04 | ¥488,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 640KB | 20MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG |
| PC-9801 RX21 | 1989-10 | ¥338,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RX51 | 1989-10 | ¥508,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RS21 | 1989-11 | ¥398,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 640KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RS51 | 1989-11 | ¥398,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 640KB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RA21 | 1989-11 | ¥498,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 RA51 | 1989-11 | ¥668,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | V30 | 8MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | xx |
| PC-9801 DX2 | 1990-11 | ¥318,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | 640KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DX/U2 | 1990-11 | ¥318,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DX5 | 1990-11 | ¥468,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | 640KB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DX/U5 | 1990-11 | ¥468,000 | 80286 | 12MHz | 640KB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DS2 | 1991-01 | ¥358,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 640KB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DS/U2 | 1991-01 | ¥358,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DS5 | 1991-01 | ¥508,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 640KB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DS/U5 | 1991-01 | ¥508,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 640KB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DA2 | 1991-01 | ¥448,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DA/U2 | 1991-01 | ¥448,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DA5 | 1991-01 | ¥598,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DA/U5 | 1991-01 | ¥598,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DA7 | 1991-02 | ¥698,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 100MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 DA/U7 | 1991-02 | ¥698,000 | i386DX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 100MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 UF | 1991-02 | ¥218,000 | V30HL | 8/16MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 UR | 1991-02 | ¥218,000 | V30HL | 16MHz | 640KB | No | No | 1x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 UR/20 | 1991-02 | ¥348,000 | V30HL | 16MHz | 640KB | 20MB | No | 1x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 CS2 | 1991-10 | ¥398,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 640KB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 CS5 | 1991-10 | ¥548,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 640KB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 CS5/W | 1991-11 | ¥675,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 3.6MB | 80MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FA/U2 | 1992-01 | ¥458,000 | i486SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FA5 | 1992-01 | ¥578,000 | i486SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FA/U5 | 1992-01 | ¥578,000 | i486SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FA7 | 1992-01 | ¥648,000 | i486SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | 100MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FA/U7 | 1992-01 | ¥648,000 | i486SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | 100MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FA2 | 1992-02 | ¥458,000 | i486SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FX2 | 1992-05 | ¥278,000 | i386SX | 12MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FX/U2 | 1992-05 | ¥278,000 | i386SX | 12MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FX5 | 1992-05 | ¥398,000 | i386SX | 12MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FX/U5 | 1992-05 | ¥398,000 | i386SX | 12MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FS2 | 1992-05 | ¥348,000 | i386SX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FS/U2 | 1992-05 | ¥348,000 | i386SX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FS5 | 1992-05 | ¥468,000 | i386SX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FS/U5 | 1992-05 | ¥468,000 | i386SX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FS7 | 1992-05 | ¥538,000 | i386SX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 100MB | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 FS/U7 | 1992-05 | ¥538,000 | i386SX | 20MHz | 1.6MB | 100MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 US | 1992-07 | ¥248,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 US40 | 1992-07 | ¥358,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | 40MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 US80 | 1992-07 | ¥418,000 | i386SX | 16MHz | 1.6MB | 80MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | FM, SSG | ||
| PC-9801 BX/U2 | 1993-01 | ¥218,000 | i486SX2 | 20MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX/U6 | 1993-01 | ¥288,000 | i486SX2 | 20MHz | 3.6MB | 80MB | No | 1x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX/M2 | 1993-01 | ¥232,000 | i486SX2 | 20MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA/U2 | 1993-01 | ¥328,000 | i486DX2 | 40MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA/U6 | 1993-01 | ¥388,000 | i486DX2 | 40MHz | 3.6MB | 80MB | No | 1x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA/M2 | 1993-01 | ¥342,000 | i486DX2 | 40MHz | 1.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX2/U2 | 1993-11 | ¥178,000 | i486SX | 25MHz | 1.8MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX2/U7 | 1993-11 | ¥238,000 | i486SX | 25MHz | 3.6MB | 120MB | No | 1x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX2/M2 | 1993-11 | ¥192,000 | i486SX | 25MHz | 1.8MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BS2/U2 | 1993-11 | ¥238,000 | i486SX | 33MHz | 3.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BS2/U7 | 1993-11 | ¥278,000 | i486SX | 33MHz | 3.6MB | 120MB | No | 1x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BS2/M2 | 1993-11 | ¥252,000 | i486SX | 33MHz | 3.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA2/U2 | 1993-11 | ¥338,000 | i486DX2 | 66MHz | 3.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA2/U7 | 1993-11 | ¥378,000 | i486DX2 | 66MHz | 3.6MB | 120MB | No | 1x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA2/M2 | 1993-11 | ¥352,000 | i486DX2 | 66MHz | 3.6MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX3/U2 | 1995-01 | ¥98,000 | i486SX | 33MHz | 1.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX3/U2/W | 1995-01 | ¥163,000 | i486SX | 33MHz | 5.6MB | 210MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA3/U2 | 1995-01 | ¥138,000 | i486DX2 | 66MHz | 3.6MB | No | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BA3/U2/W | 1995-01 | ¥198,000 | i486DX2 | 66MHz | 7.6MB | 210MB | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | Beeper | ||
| PC-9801 BX4/U2 | 1995-07 | ¥98,000 | 486DX2 | 66MHz | 2.0MB | xx | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | PCM | ||
| PC-9801 BX4/U2/C | 1995-07 | ¥113,000 | 486DX2 | 66MHz | 2.0MB | xx | No | 2x 2HD | Yes | xx | PCM | ||
| PC-9801 BX4/U2-P | 1995-09 | ¥98,000 | Pentium | 63MHz | 2.0MB | xx | No | 2x 2HD | No | xx | PCM | ||
| PC-9801 BX4/U2/C-P | 1995-09 | ¥113,000 | Pentium | 63MHz | 2.0MB | xx | No | 2x 2HD | Yes | xx | PCM | ||
Note: Floppy disk standards among NEC machines are both named and formatted slightly differently than Western counterparts:
- Double Density (2DD): 640KB
- High Density (2HD): 1.232MB
Typically a 2HD drive can read 2DD disks, but this was not guaranteed (the PC-9801 M being a prime example).
Promotional material
JP flyer
References
- ↑ Computing Japan. LINC Japan. 54-59: 18. 1999
- ↑ https://jpn.nec.com/profile/corp/history.html (Wayback Machine: 2024-03-24 14:48)
| 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) |
| PC-9800 series Laptop hardware |
| V30 Computers: PC-9801 LV (1988) 286 Computers: PC-9801 LX (1989) |
| 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) |
| PC-9800 series Workstation hardware |
| 286 Computers: PC-98XA (1985) | PC-98XL (1986) |
| PC-9800 series Peripherals |
| Not sure how to organize this one |
| stuff |
| Okay so I have no idea how best to do this |