Sharp X1 turbo III

<p>The Sharp X1 turbo III was the mature disk-oriented version of the turbo line, released in November 1986. Its two floppy drives supported both 2D and higher-capacity 2HD media, while a second-level JIS kanji ROM expanded Japanese character support.</p><p>It preserved the established 640 by 400 eight-colour display and turbo controller hardware, delivering a polished version of the productive X1 architecture shortly before Sharp shifted attention to the multimedia turbo Z and 16-bit X68000.</p>

<h6>Notable Features</h6><ul><li>Two floppy drives supported both 2HD and 2D media.</li><li>Included JIS first- and second-level kanji character ROMs.</li><li>Retained the turbo family’s 640×400 eight-colour high-resolution display.</li></ul><h6>Historical Significance</h6><ul><li>Released one month before the more multimedia-focused X1 turbo Z.</li><li>Represented the fullest conventional development of the disk-based X1 turbo architecture.</li></ul><h6>Collector's Notes</h6><ul><li>The dual-density drives are central to the model and should be tested carefully.</li><li>Original Japanese system software and high-resolution Sharp display equipment make the computer substantially easier to use.</li></ul>

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Sharp X1 turbo III
Manufacturer	Sharp
Launched	Saturday, November 1, 1986
Launch Price	¥168,000
Country	Japan
CPU	Sharp Z80A at 4 MHz
Units Sold
Model Number	CZ-870C
Software	X1 turbo software, CP/M and Japanese productivity applications
Controllers	Z80 CTC, DMA and SIO
Text Support	JIS level 1 and level 2 kanji ROMs
Storage	Two built-in 5.25-inch 2HD/2D floppy drives
Sound	Three-channel PSG
Display	640×400 in 8 colours plus compatible X1 graphics modes
Video RAM	High-resolution text, PCG and graphics memory
RAM	64KB main RAM
CPU Speed	4 MHz