Atari PC

Atari's Line of Personal Computers

Atari PC1

Released in January 1987 and discontinued in 1990, the Atari PC series marked Atari’s entry into the IBM PC-compatible market. The first model, later renamed the Atari PC1, was followed by the PC2, which featured a larger case and five expansion slots. Atari ultimately released five desktop PC models: the PC1, PC2, PC3, PC4, and PC5.

The Atari PC1 originally retailed for $699 (about $1,900 adjusted for inflation)

ATARI PC1 AT A GLANCE

Atari PC4 The Atari PC1 was built using the compact chassis of the Atari Megafile 44 and lacked ISA expansion slots. Key features included:

Intel 8088-2 processor running at 8.0 MHz (or 4.77 MHz)
512 KB RAM (upgradeable to 640 KB)
EGA graphics (onboard NSI Logic EVC315-S), compatible with CGA and Hercules
5.25" Chinon FZ-502 floppy drive (360 KB)
Bundled with Atari’s 83-key keyboard and PCM1 mouse

Later Models: PC2 to PC5, and the Atari ABC 386

Atari PC2

Larger, more expandable case
Intel 8088-2 processor (8.0 or 4.77 MHz)
512 KB RAM (upgradeable to 640 KB)
EGA graphics
Adaptec ACB-2072 RLL controller
5 x 8-bit ISA expansion slots
Dual 5.25″ floppy drives (Chinon FZ-502, 360 KB)
Atari 83-key keyboard and PCM1 mouse

Atari PC3

Same 8088-2 CPU at 8.0 or 4.77 MHz
640 KB RAM
EGA graphics
Adaptec ACB-2072 RLL controller
5 x 8-bit ISA expansion slots
Two 5.25″ floppy drives (Chinon FZ-502, 360 KB)
Optional 3.5″ 720 KB floppy drive (Epson SMD-380)
30 MB RLL hard drive (Seagate ST-238R)
Atari 83-key keyboard and PCM1 mouse

Atari PC4

AMD 286 CPU (16, 12, or 8 MHz)
1 MB RAM (expandable to 8 MB using 30-pin DIPP modules)
Onboard VGA graphics (Paradise PVGA1A-JK)
Data Technology DTC7187 RLL controller
5 x 16-bit and 1 x 8-bit ISA slots
1.2 MB 5.25″ floppy drive (Epson SD-680L)
Optional 1.44 MB floppy drive
66 MB RLL hard drive (Seagate ST-277R)
Mitsumi AT keyboard and serial mouse

Atari PC5

Intel 386 CPU (20, 16, or 8 MHz)
2 or 4 MB RAM
VGA graphics card (WD VGA Plus 16, 256 KB)
Adaptec ACB-2372B floppy/hard drive controller
Kouwell KW-524F multi I/O card
PS/2 expansion slots
1.2 MB 5.25″ floppy drive (Epson SD-680L)
Optional 1.44 MB floppy drive
66 MB RLL hard drive (Seagate ST-277R)
Mitsumi AT keyboard and serial mouse

Atari ABC 386

The final Atari IBM-compatible model, the ABC 386 ("Atari Basic Computer"), came in both desktop and laptop versions:

CPU: 386SX at 20 MHz or 386DX at 40 MHz
1 or 2 MB RAM
Super-VGA graphics
40 MB or 80 MB hard drive
1.44 MB floppy drive
Came with MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.0
Also available as the ABC N386SX laptop version

Operating System

The Atari PC line shipped with a combination of MS-DOS and Atari’s mouse-driven GEM desktop environment:

Microsoft MS-DOS 3.21
GW-BASIC 3.2
GEM Desktop EGA v2.1
GEM Write v1.0 and GEM Paint v2.0

Graphics and Display Cards

EGA (PC1, PC2, PC3)

NSI Logic EVC315-S onboard
Supports 16 colors from a 64-color palette
Resolutions:
- EGA: 640×350 (16 colors)
- CGA: 640×200 (4 colors)
- Hercules: 720×348 (monochrome)

VGA (PC4, PC5)

PC4: Onboard Paradise PVGA1A-JK
PC5: WD VGA Plus 16 card (256 KB)

Audio Capabilities

The Atari PCs featured only the standard PC speaker—no dedicated sound hardware.

I/O Ports and Connectivity

Mouse port (compatible with Atari ST mice)
External Floppy Drive Port (compatible with Atari ST drives)
Monitor port
RS-232 serial port
Centronics parallel port
Real-time clock

Monitors

The PC1–PC3 models were typically bundled with the Atari PCM-124 12″ monochrome EGA monitor, which supported CGA and Hercules modes.

Atari PCM-124 12″ EGA Monochrome Monitor

Expansions & Upgrades

PC1 Upgrades

NEC V20 CPU upgrade (requires desoldering the 8088 processor)
Memory upgrade to 640K
8087 co-processor (socket is provided)
Atari PCH204 20MB Hard Drive Unit
External Floppy Disk Drive (Atari ST compatible)

ADDITIONAL PC2/PC3/PC4/PC5 Upgrades

5 x 8-bit internal expansion slots on PC2 and PC3
5 x 16-bit and 1 x 8-bit ISA expansion slots on PC4
PS/2 expansion slots on PC5
2nd internal Floppy Disk Drive
Internal Hard Disk

■ Atari PC Line of Computers

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