Commodore PC 30-III

The PC 30-III was a third-generation Commodore 80286 system, also marketed in some regions as the Select Edition 286.

Its modern enclosure and integrated design brought Commodore’s business PCs into the late-1980s AT market.

Notable Features

• The motherboard is closely related to the PC 40-III but normally lacks its integrated VGA hardware.
• Regional bundles and drive capacities vary.

Historical Significance

• Its modern enclosure and integrated design brought Commodore’s business PCs into the late-1980s AT market.

Collector’s Notes

• Model suffix, motherboard revision, supplied display adapter, drives and original Commodore keyboard should be documented.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Commodore PC 30-III
Manufacturer	Commodore
Launched	Friday, January 1, 1988
Discontinued	1990s
Country	West Germany
CPU	Intel 80286 at model-dependent speed
Units Sold
Form Factor	AT-class desktop computer
Power	Internal mains supply or battery/adapter for portable models
Networking	Optional modem, serial networking and Ethernet or Token Ring adapters
Operating System	Commodore MS-DOS and compatible PC operating systems
Expansion / I/O	ISA expansion, serial, parallel, video and storage interfaces; exact complement varies
Keyboard	Detached PC-style keyboard
Storage	3.5-inch floppy and 20MB hard disk typical
Sound	PC speaker; optional sound cards
Colours	Adapter-dependent colour
Graphics	EGA graphics; closely related PC 40-III boards may include VGA
Display	External monochrome or colour monitor
ROM	IBM-compatible BIOS ROM
RAM	1MB typical; expandable
CPU Speed	Typically 12 MHz