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  1. Hardware
  2. Gaming PCs

The Personal Computers of the 1980s

Features
By Mark Pilkington ( Maximum PC ) published 26 September 2014

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

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

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1982 - Sinclair ZX Spectrum

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1982 - Commodore 64

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1982 - Jupiter Ace

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1982 - Sord M5

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1983 - Epson QX-10

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1983 - Acorn Electron

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1983 - Apricot PC

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1983 - Camputers Lynx

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1983 - Oric 1

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1984 - Apple Macintosh / II

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1985 - Atari ST

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1985 - Commodore 128

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Mark Pilkington
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