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[[Image:464.png|right|thumb|250px|Amstrad CPC [[464]] with colour monitor]]

First came the CPC464, the father of the CPC family, released on the 21st June 1984 (with production ceasing in 1990). This model used an integrated tape recorder and offered 64KB of RAM. It sold around two million units in Europe and, technology-wise, was more impressive than the ZX Spectrum and on a similar level with the Commodore 64. One notable exception was the sound chip: while the C64 employed the splendid custom SID chip, Amstrad opted for a generic sound chip - [[AY|AY-3-8912]] - with unremarkable features. That said, the firmware of the CPC was leagues ahead of the C64.)

The CPC464 sported a palette of 27 colours and [[Video modes|three distinct resolutions]]: 160x200x16 colours (mode 0), 320x200x4 colours (mode 1) and 640x200x2 colours (mode 2, 80-column mode).

[[image:CPC_472_es.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Spanish Amstrad CPC 472]]

The [[472|CPC 472]] was a Spanish version of the CPC 464 with an additional, non-functional 8KB RAM. The reason was that Spain charged an import tax on home computers with 64K or less RAM, the fake "72K" CPC version bypassed that tax. The tax was invented in September 1985, and was dropped a few months later (when Spain joined the EEC). Also in 1985, but independtly of that tax, Spain dictated that computers must have spanish keyboards, which resulted in two CPC 472 versions: Older models with english keys, newer ones with spanish keys. The CPC 472 is very rare.

[[Image:cpc664.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Amstrad CPC [[664]] with colour monitor in 80-column display mode]]

* ''[http://www.gondolin.org.uk/hchof/review.php?id=29&mcid=27 Your Computer (June 1985) review of the CPC664]''

[[Image:Cpc6128.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Amstrad CPC [[6128]] with colour monitor]]

The presence of this extra memory and the clever design of Amstrad's CP/M Plus implementation allowed for a TPA (Transient Program Area) of 61KB, more than enough to run all CP/M software.

== ANT (Arnold Number Two) prototype ==

A few of the PCW's design features which don't appear to make any sense on their own stem from this shared ancestry. But the project was dropped at a fairly early stage, and the CPC Classic lived on before eventually succumbing to the Plus. Only one prototype board is believed to survive, in the possession of ex-Locomotive Software engineer [[Richard Clayton]].

== The Plus series ==

While the Amstrad Plus computers were arguably one of the best 8-bit computers ever built for the mass market, they died an early death as the 16-bit era had well and truly begun.

== The GX4000 ==

As expected, the GX4000 was a flop that could not break the stranglehold that Sega and Nintendo had on the market at the time. As a result, the GX4000 was soon to be found selling at ridiculously low prices - as little as £19.99 in the UK - as dealers tried to offload their stock. It was a shame, because if Amstrad had realised the market potential and produced this console a few years earlier, it could well have been a success. As it was, it had to suffer the same fate as the even less powerful Commodore 64GS.

== Clones ==

This expanded clone is the successor of the Aleste. Currently under development.

== Outro ==

Besides a lot of [[emulators]], several old and modern hardware [[clones]] have been produced up to now.

==See also==

*[[CPC timeline]]