CITATION — REFERENCE ENTRY
Commodore 64 Ultimate Review: 21st Century Computing from a 1982 perspective — Tom's Hardware
- Key
- pounder2025c64u
- Authors
- Pounder, Les
- Issued
- 2025-12-15
- Type
- article-magazine
- Container
- Tom's Hardware
Raw CSL JSON
{
"URL": "https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/commodore-64-ultimate-review",
"type": "article-magazine",
"title": "Commodore 64 Ultimate Review: 21st Century Computing from a 1982 perspective",
"author": [
{
"given": "Les",
"family": "Pounder"
}
],
"issued": {
"date-parts": [
[
2025,
12,
15
]
]
},
"accessed": {
"date-parts": [
[
2026,
5,
16
]
]
},
"container-title": "Tom's Hardware"
}
Claims
-
The C64U produces sound through an eight-core FPGA-based SID emulation called UltiSID, plus two onboard sockets that accept original 6581 or 8580 SID chips.
"Audio | SID 6581 or 8580 | UltiSID octal core FPGA SID emulation Sockets for dual 6581 or 8580 SIDs"
-
The Commodore 64 Ultimate is built on an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA.
"CPU | 1.023MHz (NTSC) 0.985MHz (PAL) | AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA"
-
The C64U keyboard has 66 keys with Gateron Pro 3.0 mechanical switches rated at 55 g actuation.
"Keyboard | 66 keys | 66-Key Gateron Pro 3.0 55g switches"
-
The Starlight Edition of the C64U sells for $349 versus $299 for the Beige edition.
"This version is $349, versus the beige version at $299, and it includes a series of RGB LEDs inside a translucent case."
-
The Commodore 64 Ultimate provides 128 MB of DDR2 RAM.
"RAM | 64KB | 128MB DDR2 RAM"
-
Commodore International Corporation was co-founded by Sean Donohue, Leo Nigro, and YouTuber Christian "Peri Fractic" Simpson, and includes several Commodore-era veterans as advisers.
"The Commodore 64 Ultimate comes from a new team that recently purchased the company. Co-founded by Sean Donohue, Leo Nigro, and retro YouTuber Christian "Peri Fractic" Simpson, Commodore International is made up of new faces and many from the early days of Commodore and the retro computing scene. We have the Father of the Commodore 64, Al Charpentier; Jeri Ellsworth, who created the C64 joystick, which was a fully working C64 in a joystick; and Dave Haynie, who was an original Commodore engineer and is closely associated with the Amiga. There is also Bil Herd, one of the engineers from Commodore's 8-bit era, and RJ Mical, who contributed to Commodore's Amiga, as well as the Atari Lynx and the 3DO."
-
The Commodore 64 Ultimate's menu can overclock the C64 from 1 MHz to 64 MHz and enable a RAM Expansion Unit up to 16 MB.
"If we delve into the menus, we can set up Wi-Fi and wired network connections, tweak the video and audio settings, and even overclock the Commodore 64 from 1 MHz to 64 MHz! There is even the option to enable a RAM Expansion Unit all the way up to 16MB of RAM."
-
Tom's Hardware reviewer Les Pounder summarized the C64U as a 1982 computer brought into the modern era.
"This is the ultimate version of a 1982 computer, and it is a beautiful love letter to the era, with plenty of features to bring it into the 21st century."
-
The C64U outputs video as HDMI at 1080p (50 Hz PAL or 60 Hz NTSC) and as analog signals through a DIN-8 connector carrying CVBS, S-Video, or RGB.
"Video | VIC-II 320 x 200 at 16 colors DIN or RF output | HDMI 1080P at 50Hz PAL or 60Hz NTSC Analog via DIN-8: CVBS, S-Video, or RGB"
-
Wi-Fi on the C64U is provided by an ESP32-S3 module connected to the FPGA.
"At the top left of the motherboard is an ESP32-S3, which provides Wi-Fi to the FPGA, and just above it are the USB ports, Ethernet, and HDMI."
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