In 1983 and 1984, NEC was the third-largest vendor of personal computers in the world behind IBM and Apple. However, its APC line never sold as well in North America as it did in Asia (as the N5200) and Europe. As a result, the greater nostalgia factor for the APC means higher values for the system overseas.
The APC III looked more PC-compatible than the original APC, down to the generic-looking off-white case. However, it required a different software format, which meant that availability of popular software titles was limited.
The main selling point of the PC-100 was its outstanding graphics capability, which was comparable to that of the Apple Lisa. Both NEC monitors sold with the PC-100 could rotate to provide a landscape or portrait view.
NEC Advanced Personal Computer (APC) (May 1982, desktop)
Original Retail Price: $3,298
Base Configuration: 5MHz PD8086 CPU, CP/M-86, one expansion slot, 128K RAM (256K max), 4K ROM, 8-inch floppy disk drive, integral 12-inch monochrome CRT, keyboard/keypad, RS-232C and parallel ports
Video: 25-line x 80-column text, 640 x 475 graphics
Size/Weight: 19.7 x 13.8 x 18.1 inches
Important Options: MS-DOS or Concurrent CP/M-86, second 8-inch floppy disk drive, integral 12-inch color CRT, printer
NEC Advanced Personal Computer (APC) III (May 1984, desktop PC)
Original Retail Price: $1,995 to $3,995
Base Configuration: 8MHz PD8086 CPU, MS-DOS, four NEC bus slots, 128K RAM (640 max), 32K ROM, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, 14-inch monochrome monitor, monochrome and RGB ports, keyboard/keypad, RS-232C and parallel ports, owner’s manual
Video: 25-line x 80-column text, 640 x 400 graphics, eight colors
Important Options: Unix System III, 10MB hard disk drive, IEEE-488 interface, gameboard card, maintenance and reference manuals
NEC Advanced Personal Computer (APC) IV (1986, desktop PC)
Base Configuration: 8MHz 80286 CPU, 640K RAM, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, 20MB hard disk drive, keyboard/keypad, two RS-232C and one parallel port
Video: 800 x 560 graphics, EGA and CGA
Important Options: 40MB hard disk drive, MuliSync color monitor
NEC PC-100 (late 1983, desktop PC)
Base Configuration: 7MHz 8086 CPU, MS-DOS 2.01, 128K RAM (640K max), 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, keyboard/keypad, mouse, RS-232C port, BASIC, application suite
Video: 750 x 512 graphics, 16 colors
Important Options: second 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, 14-inch monochrome or color monitor, dot matrix printer
Classic Tech 