Amstrad PC2286

Amstrad PC2286

Manufacturer	Amstrad
Type	Personal computer
Release date	1989
Introductory price	£999
Media	5.25 inch or 3.5 inch FDD
Operating system	MS-DOS 4.01, Windows 2.1 and GW-BASIC
CPU	Intel 80286 CPU @ 12.5 MHz
Memory	1 MB (expandable to 4 MB)
Storage	40 MB HDD;
Display	12" and 14" monitors
Graphics	VGA
Input	Serial, parallel, mouse
Predecessor	PC1512/1640

The Amstrad PC2286 was launched 1989. ^{[1] [2]} It was part of the 2000 series, ^[1] that consisted of three models: PC2086 (8086), PC2286 (80286) and PC2386 (80386DX). ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

The series launched as a professional follow on to the PC1512/1640, using a plastic case similar to previous models, but this time the main computer unit had its own power supply unit built in. The machine's BIOS setting were battery-backed, using four AA batteries mounted on top of the base unit.

The PC2286 came with 3.5" floppy drives as standard, ^[8] with a side port enabling an external 5¼" disk drive to be connected. A range of monitors where available, with 12" and 14" screens both in monochrome and colour. ^[9]

Specifications

The differences across the range were mainly the CPU, memory and hard drive capacity.

• Processor:
  • PC2086: 8086 @ 8MHz; ^{[4] [3]}
  • PC2286: 80286 @ 12.5 MHz ^[10] ;
  • PC2386: 80386 @ 20MHz ^[7]
• Memory:
  • PC2086: 640KB; ^{[4] [3]}
  • PC2286: 1 MB/4 MB RAM ^[10] ;
  • PC2386: 4 MB/16 MB ^[7]
• Hard Disk:
  • PC2086: 30MB; ^{[4] [3]}
  • PC2286: 40 MB ^[10]
• Graphics: VGA adapter ^[10] supporting MDA, CGA, Hercules, EGA, MCGA and EVGA
• I/O: Serial, parallel, 5.25 inch or 3.5 inch FDD, ^[10] mouse
• Operating system: MS-DOS 4.01, ^[10] Microsoft Windows 2.1 and Microsoft GW-BASIC ^[10]

References

1. "Amstrad PC2286". Lo-tech Wiki.
2. "Amstrad PC2286". www.museo8bits.es.
3. "Amstrad PC2086/30". MCbx Old Computer Collection. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
4. "Amstrad PC2086 S". Computing History. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
5. "Retro Heaven: Amstrad - PC2286".
6. Cusack (April 3, 1989). "Amstrad wraps service with 286 and 386 PCs". Computerworld.
7. Pane (April 3, 1989). "Amstrad expands PC line with 12-MHz 286, 20-MHz 386". InfoWorld. p. 29.
8. "Amstrad PC2286 -". peacon vintage blog. September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-09-01.
9. "L' Amstrad PC2286". MO5.COM : Musée des Machines. Archived from the original on 2022-08-17.
10. "Amstrad advert: Can your computer keep pace with the Amstrad PC2286". nosher.net.

External links

• Amstrad PC2286 on RetrOldies Vlog