Commodore USA Announces C64x Extreme: Quad Core in a Classic Commodore Chassis
by Kristian Vättö on November 7, 2011 10:52 AM ESTEveryone old enough remembers Commodore 64. For many, it was their first computer. It was among the first computers aimed for home use and its unique form factor was unforgettable. Simply put, Commodore 64 had everything inside a keyboard-like chassis. The original Commodore 64 was made by Commodore International, which defuncted in 1994. Last year, a company called Commodore USA bought branding rights for Commodore brand.
Commodore USA launched C64x Ultimate in 2010, which was a direct copy of the classical Commodore 64 with new internals. It featured a dual core Atom CPU and NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics, so not exactly top-notch hardware, considering that it was priced at $999. The company has now announced C64x Extreme with Core i7-2720QM. The complete specs are below.
| Commodore C64x Extreme Specifications | |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-2720QM (4/8, 2.2GHz, 6MB) |
| Chipset | Intel HM67 |
| Graphics | Intel HD 3000 |
| Memory | 8GB DDR3 |
| Storage | 2TB 7200rpm hard drive |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, LAN, HDMI, DVI, VGA, PS/2, audio-in, audio-out, mic |
| OS | Mint 11 |
| Price | $1499 |
Due to the price, C64x will most likely attract mainly Commodore enthusiasts. There isn't even a discrete GPU or Windows included. C64x comes with pre-installed Mint 11, which is a Linux distribution. There is a Linux based Commodore Vision OS coming from Commodore USA later on, though, for ultimate retro experience.
C64x uses regular mini-ITX motherboards and Commodore USA also sells a barebone model without any innards priced at $349. Not cheap, but it might be a good alternative in case you are not pleased with the configurations provided by Commodore USA. However, the form factor limits your components a lot so fitting a desktop CPU and GPU without modding is likely impossible.
C64x Extreme will start shipping on December 15th and can be ordered from Commdore USA's website.
Source: Commodore USA
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silverblue - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
I'm loving the retro feel; I wonder if another classic computer will get such treatment?JediJeb - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
Would be nice if someone would do the same for the Atari series. 800 or 800XL would be nice, I wonder if I can retrofit the 800XL stashed away in my closet. Though I would probably opt for one of the AMD Fusion processors to further lower the cost.silverblue - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
That's the ticket. The Dragon 32/64 are also ripe for it... maybe even the BBC Micro?I just thought how good my Saturn case would be for an HTPC, or at least as the inspiration for one.
Lord 666 - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
I would want mine in an Apple IIC chassis.Paul Tarnowski - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
Heh, that just gave me the idea for putting some modern innards in my old A1200 case. But Llano instead of one of the Es. I want some gaming ability. Or wait until Ivy Bridge comes out and see how the graphics does on it.And to think I had last thought about putting the innards of the A1200 case into a tower (I didn't only because I just got a PC).
SlyNine - Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - link
Or my packard bell computer. jk..Googer - Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - link
APPLE IIFreddo - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
I really want one of these as a HTPC, but they are a bit too pricy for that unfortunately.frakkel - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
Come on! It is not even silence!I remember the c64 so clearly and i remember it as silence.
Now more than 20 years after and we have added noise. Is that called progression?
Freddo - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link
Yeah, if I ever got this as a HTPC, I would get the barebone model and use an energy efficient fanless CPU like the Intel Atom.