I have the main unit.
type computer
country England
year 1988
os MS-DOS 3.30, MS Windows 2.1
cpu 8086 prosessor
speed 8 MHz
ram 640 KB
rom ? KB
disk 3.5″ 720KB
hd 30 MB
monitor 14″ VGA color monitor
sound PC speaker
ports Mouse, parallel, RS323, keyboard, 3x8bit expansion slots
The Amstrad PC2086/30 — Affordable Computing in the 286 Era
Released in 1988, the Amstrad PC2086/30 represented Amstrad’s continued commitment to bringing IBM-compatible computing to the widest possible audience. Succeeding the highly successful PC1512 and PC1640, the PC2086 delivered updated specifications — a 3.5-inch disk drive, VGA colour display, and a 30 MB hard drive — while maintaining Amstrad’s aggressive value pricing.
Hardware
The PC2086/30 was powered by an Intel 8086 processor at 8 MHz with 640 KB of RAM. The 3.5-inch 720 KB floppy drive was a forward-thinking choice that anticipated the industry’s transition away from 5.25-inch media. The 30 MB hard disk, 14-inch VGA colour monitor, MS-DOS 3.30, and Microsoft Windows 2.1 made it a capable platform for word processing, spreadsheets, and early Windows applications. Three 8-bit ISA expansion slots provided room for sound cards, additional storage, and networking.
Significance
The PC2086 series continued Amstrad’s mission of democratising PC ownership, serving the small business and home office markets that larger manufacturers largely ignored in favour of corporate customers. Its inclusion of a 3.5-inch drive — uncommon on budget machines of the era — reflected Amstrad’s practical, user-focused approach, anticipating the format that would become universal by the early 1990s.
