What should I look for when buying a Comodore 64?

[VACRMH]

A friend at work was telling me about some games he loved when he used to own one, and i'm thinking about giving it a try, any tips for me when I look for one? These are the things i'd like to know...

1. Are there any different models? Any that are better or worse? (Some wear out quicker, something like that.)

2. Are the games on diskettes? If so, would I run a risk of getting dead games?

3. Does it use a monitor, or can I use my TV?

4. What would the average price for one be?

5. What kind of adaptor does it use to hook up to a TV?

6. Any cheap starter games I should look for?

7. What's a good price for a boxed system?

Thanks alot, if I think of anymore questions i'll post :D

[Jibbajaba]

I'm sorry I'm not an expert when it comes to C64, but I'll do my best here...

1. Because it is the most "Classic" model, I have the original C64. It's the tan one with the brown keys. I know that there is at least one other model, the 64C, but I don't know what the difference is aside from appearance.

2. Games come on Disk, Tape, and Cartridges. The unit has a cartridge slot on the back so you can play cart games with just the base unit. You would have to buy a seperate disk drive or tape drive to play games which come on those media. Incidentally, it is compatible with Atari 2600 and 7800 joysticks, as well as Sega Genesis gamepads. You can also buy a Commodore-branded joystick which is pretty sweet looking.

3. TV works fine. It uses the same type of hookup as an atari does; the single RCA style cable. I use an adapter which converts it into a cable-style connection which can be screwed into the back of the TV (is that an RG-59 connector? I dont remember) You can get a Commodore brand monitor for it though if you want one.

4. I did a quick search of completed items on eBay and found that the price of a boxed original system seems to go for as little as $10 or as much as $76. I don't know why some of them went so high because there were plently of completed auctions which were complete boxed systems that went for $10. The shipping is where it will hurt a little. I wouldnt pay more than $10-15. Heres one that even came with a few carts and a neat Commodore magazine:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=45101&item=3811053342&rd=1

Disk drives and tape players can be found for $1 on ebay. Thats how much I payed for my disk drive. But again shipping will kill you because the thing weighs a freakin ton.

5. Answered in part 3.

6. I've always been a fan of choplifter, but maybe that's because it was the first C64 game I ever played. I'll leave this one for someone else to answer. All I will say is that I prefer cartridge based games because at some point the disk and tape games are going to degrade to the point of no longer being playable.

My recommendation would be to look for an auction (assuming you are looking to buy on eBay) that comes with everything you think that you are going to want (disk drive, tape player, joystick, etc.) It is not hard to come across such an auction, and this way you will save on shipping by buying it all at once.

Thats all. Hope I was helpful.

[Flack]

1. Are there any different models? Any that are better or worse? (Some wear out quicker, something like that.)

You can choose between the C64, a C64C, and a C128. The C64 is the common brown one. The C64C is identical internally, but received a facelift to make it look more like the 128. A C128 has both C64 and C128 modes, so when you boot it up in C64 mode it's also identical. There is also the SX64, the portable version of the 64. All are functionally identical, run all the same programs and use all the same peripherals. I recently bought a C64C CIB for $20 from Maxlords, if that gives you an idea.


2. Are the games on diskettes? If so, would I run a risk of getting dead games?

Game are available on diskette, cassette, and cartridge. Disks and cassettes will eventually go bad, but I have copied disks that are going on 20 years old that have been abused and still work fine. Disks seem to be slightly more prevalent in the US while European's tended to favor cassettes (for what reason I have no idea -- it's ungodly slow). Also, every cart game is also available on diskette.


3. Does it use a monitor, or can I use my TV?

The C64 has a special cable that connects to the C64, and the other end is split out into two RCA cables, one for video and one for audio (the C64 is not in stereo). I picked up a spare cable for around $5 off of eBay the other day.


4. What would the average price for one be?

If you're talking loose and working, I'd say a C64 or a C64C should be under $20 (which is the deal of the century, in my book). Disk drives should also be under $20. Commodore disk drives had a tendency to go out of alignment, so before paying top dollar I'd want to try one out. To hook up a disk drive you'll also need a serial cable.


5. What kind of adaptor does it use to hook up to a TV?

A proprietary Commodore cable (see #3 above).


6. Any cheap starter games I should look for?

I'm sure there are threads around of the best Commodore games. Check Lemon64.com for some great lists and recommendations.


7. What's a good price for a boxed system?

I just paid $20 for a C64C. Since the Commodore 64 was the best selling PC of all time (it's listed in the Guiness Book for World Records), they aren't too hard to find.

--

For a C64/C64C/C128, you'll need the machine, a video cable, and a power supply (which was external). To hook up a disk drive, you'll need a drive, a serial cable, and a power cord (drives used the same power cords that PC's use now). To play games you'll need a couple of Atari 2600 compatible joysticks. I'd also highly recommend a fast load cartridge, which speeds up the Commodore's painfully slow loading system by like 700%. Epyx's Fastload was the standard, but all the Final Cartridges and others like that all contain fast loading features as well.

Good luck, and let us know what you find!

EDIT: Well crap someone beat me to the punch. Oh well. Happy hunting still!

[PackratMarty]

What about the comodore Plus 4? I just remembered I have 2 of these things buried in with the beta vcrs, laserdiscs, videodiscs and the stupid laser film that has no use, I only took one out of the box and it seemed really crappy ( I only tried one cart) While any commodore experts are giving info on the commodore 64, I'd appreciate knowing about this thing to. I already have a C64 on my wish list, I'm gonna feel really stupid if I the 4 plus thing plays any decent games ( I remember thinking it must be text only) and I'm so tech illiterate I buried it.

[FABombjoy]

The C64C is identical internally, but received a facelift to make it look more like the 128.

Plus it has better heatsinking on some of the chips.

There are also 2 versions of the SID, but I couldn't tell you which has which OR which is preferred.

[Jibbajaba]

EDIT: Well crap someone beat me to the punch.

That's OK I think your post was more informative than mine.

[Flack]

What about the comodore Plus 4? I just remembered I have 2 of these things buried in with the beta vcrs, laserdiscs, videodiscs and the stupid laser film that has no use, I only took one out of the box and it seemed really crappy ( I only tried one cart) While any commodore experts are giving info on the commodore 64, I'd appreciate knowing about this thing to. I already have a C64 on my wish list, I'm gonna feel really stupid if I the 4 plus thing plays any decent games ( I remember thinking it must be text only) and I'm so tech illiterate I buried it.

There's another topic about the Plus/4 going around right now too, but just to recap, the Commodore 64 has 64k of RAM. The Commodore 16 only has 16k, so the games are 1/4 as big (and, for the most part, 1/4 as good). The Commodore Plus/4 is basically the same as the Commodore 16. It has 16k of RAM, but the difference is the Plus/4 also has four built in applications (Word Processor, Spreadsheet, etc). They all basically sucked.

Other than for collecting reasons, both the C16 and the Plus/4 belong with your beta VCRs and other obsolute pieces of hardware.

[Raedon]

get a c128.. they last longer.

but if you must buy and old C64 make sure the Video out port has 8 pins not 5.. the original C64 had a really horrible picture because of an easrly rev. video chip and only have a 5 pin din like a VIC 20.. newer ones had 8 pins.

[SoulBlazer]

I agree -- get what I had back in the day. The C128D, with the newer drive model built in, is the best version. It's also durable and should'nt cause you any problems.

Of course, I play all my favorite Commodore games on emulators now to avoid that awfull disc loading time. ;)