Skip to main content
PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES
Subscribe
(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
(opens in new tab)
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription (opens in new tab)
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$10.99
(opens in new tab)
View (opens in new tab)
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Hardware
  • Best Of
  • Magazine
  • The Top 100
  • Forum
  • More
    • PCGaming Show
    • Podcasts
    • Coupons
    • Newsletter SignUp
    • Community Guidelines
    • Affiliate Links
    • Meet the team
    • About PC Gamer
Popular
  • Starfield
  • Forspoken
  • 2023 games
  • Fallout show
  • D&D
  • RTX 4070 Ti

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. Features

The Personal Computers of the 1980s

By Mark Pilkington
( Maximum PC )
published 26 September 2014

  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • Comments

Hands up if you owned a computer in the 80s! After making some tentative steps in the late 70s, the 1980s saw home computing really take off. Back then, no young adult’s bedroom was complete without a computer, tape deck, and trusty joystick on display.

Home computing proved to be so popular it seemed like every company wanted a slice of the digital pie, with model after model released on an annual basis, all vying for dominance in the ultra-competitive marketplace.

Some efforts, such as the Commodore 64 and Spectrum, were hugely successful and went on to sell millions. But for every success story there were many more that failed to make the grade, with some models even being released and then going out of business the same year.

Here, Maximum PC presents 25 of the most memorable and noteworthy computers of the 1980s. Join us as we relive the golden age of home computing.

1981 - IBM PC

Page 1 of 25
Page 1 of 25

Page 2 of 25
Page 2 of 25

Page 3 of 25
Page 3 of 25

Page 4 of 25
Page 4 of 25

1982 - Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Page 5 of 25
Page 5 of 25

1982 - Commodore 64

Page 6 of 25
Page 6 of 25

1982 - Jupiter Ace

Page 7 of 25
Page 7 of 25

Page 8 of 25
Page 8 of 25

Page 9 of 25
Page 9 of 25

1982 - Sord M5

Page 10 of 25
Page 10 of 25

1983 - Epson QX-10

Page 11 of 25
Page 11 of 25

1983 - Acorn Electron

Page 12 of 25
Page 12 of 25

Page 13 of 25
Page 13 of 25

1983 - Apricot PC

Page 14 of 25
Page 14 of 25

1983 - Camputers Lynx

Page 15 of 25
Page 15 of 25

Page 16 of 25
Page 16 of 25

1983 - Oric 1

Page 17 of 25
Page 17 of 25

1984 - Apple Macintosh / II

Page 18 of 25
Page 18 of 25

Page 19 of 25
Page 19 of 25

1985 - Atari ST

Page 20 of 25
Page 20 of 25

Page 21 of 25
Page 21 of 25

1985 - Commodore 128

Page 22 of 25
Page 22 of 25

Page 23 of 25
Page 23 of 25

Page 24 of 25
Page 24 of 25

Page 25 of 25
Page 25 of 25
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • Comments
Mark Pilkington
Social Links Navigation
0
See comments
Load Comments
Recommended
Corsair just made power supplies interesting, which I didn't realize was possible
Civ 6 streamer figures out how to win without founding any cities in 'extremely impressive' video
  1. The best gaming monitor on a blue background
    1
    The best gaming monitors in Australia for 2023
  2. 2
    The Best Steam Deck accessories in 2022
  3. 3
    Best MSI gaming laptop deals
  4. 4
    The best microphone for gaming in 2023
  5. 5
    The best graphics cards in 2022
  1.  Big Blue Bubble
    1
    Power Chord review
  2. 2
    MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming X Trio
  3. 3
    Industries of Titan review
  4. 4
    Forspoken review
  5. 5
    Loupedeck Live S

PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab).

  • About Us (opens in new tab)
  • Terms and conditions (opens in new tab)
  • Privacy policy (opens in new tab)
  • Cookies policy (opens in new tab)
  • Advertise with us (opens in new tab)
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers (opens in new tab)

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.