website/content/museum/msx-turbo-r.md

---
title: MSX Turbo R
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Japan
years:
- '1991'
params:
  name: MSX Turbo R
  company: /companies/msx
  company_name: MSX
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: MSX Turbo R
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: MSX
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Japan
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1991'
  - label: CPU
    value: R800 - Z80A downwards compatible but 5 to 10 times faster than a Z80
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3.579545 MHz (Z80 mode), 7.16 MHz (R800 mode - equivalent to a 28.64MHz Z80 CPU)
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: Video chip must be compatible with the Yamaha VG9938 or V9958, sound chip must be compatible with the General Instruments AY8910
  - label: RAM
    value: from 256 KB to 512 KB + 32 KB SRAM up to 4 MB with some soldering
  - label: VRAM
    value: 128 KB (up to 192 KB)
  - label: ROM
    value: 80 KB (Basic) 80KB (MSX Disk Basic) 16KB (MSX-MUSIC Basic) 496KB (MSX View)
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 x 25 / 40 x 25 / 32 x 25
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 64 x 48 / 256 x 192 / 256 x 212 / 512 x 212 / 512 x 424
  - label: COLORS
    value: 16 / 16 - 256 / 16 among 512 / 131072
  - label: SOUND
    value: AY-8910 + YM-2413 chip (9 channels of music) + PCM = 13 available channels!
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 425(W) x 292(D) x 89(H)mm / 3.4Kg
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Joystick(2), Cartridge(2), RGB, Composite Video, Centronics, External Audio, MIDI (GT version)
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: Built-in 3.5'' disk drive
  - label: OS
    value: MSX-BASIC by default, MSX-DOS when booted. The 32KB SRAM of the GT also doubles as a bootable RAM drive
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply unit
  - label: PRICE
    value: |-
      ST: $87,800 Yen (Japan, 1990)\
      GT: $99,800 Yen (Japan, 1990)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - emulators
  - links
  photos:
  - title: THE PANASONIC FS A1ST
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  emulators:
  - title: BlueMSX
    url: http://www.bluemsx.com/
    platform: Windows
    text: Excellent free MSX emulator that can reproduce MSX, MSX2, MSX2+, and Turbo-R. The emulator also supports the SVI318/328, and ColecoVision systems !
  - title: openMSX - The MSX emulator that aims for perfection.
    url: http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/
    platform: Multiplatform
    text: This new MSX emulator can reproduce, among many other MSX, MSX2and MSX2+ machines, both Panasonic Turbo-R models. Be sure to get the catapult frontend and the system roms from FUNET.
  links:
  - title: FILE-HUNTER.COM
    url: http://www.file-hunter.com/
    text: Excellent! All MSX emulators, sources and utilities!
  - title: MSX French Club
    url: http://www.chez.com/msxfr/turbor.html
    text: Nice and complete description of the TurboR systems (in French)
  - title: MSX Ultimate FAQ - Turbo R page
    url: http://www.faq.msxnet.org/msxtr.html
    text: Very nice info from this excellent site!
  comments:
  - author: Roger Jowett (Ulster)
    date: Thursday 28th February 2013
    text: |-
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v$zsjTpFR0oYQ

      please help\
      trying to convert 8bit video for sam coupe\
      this is still not mode 3 interlaced with hmpr bit 5$6 CLUT alterations per scan line HELP we only need a DMA...\
      masterdos/basic atom lite support HELP
  - author: Fernando Reyes Martinez (Brazil)
    date: Monday 11th October 2010
    text: 'Humity: 20\~80$ (percent of course)'
  - author: Fernando Reyes Martinez (Brazil)
    date: Monday 11th October 2010
    text: |-
      Hi,

      About MSX turboR, the original price (back in 1990 until 1992) was:

      ST: $87,800Yen\
      GT: $99,800Yen

      Operation temperature: +10\~35C\
      Humity: 20\~80$

      Dimensions: 425(W) x 292(D) x 89(H)mm\
      Weight: 3.4Kg

      That is.
  related:
  - /museum/panasonic-fs-a1-gt
  - /museum/panasonic-fs-a1-st
  oc_id: 290
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230606191359/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=290
    date: '2023-06-06'
---

Here is the last MSX computer ever made. It is the successor of the [MSX 2+](/museum/msx-2-291/) and thus has many characteristics in common. New features include: a new PCM sound chip which can produce digitized sound up to 44 KHz (in assembly language) and a new Z80 downward compatible R800 processor. The user can select the CPU (Z80 or R800) by software.

Panasonic was the only company to produce MSX 2 Turbo R systems: the FS A1. Two versions of the FS A1 were presented, the [FS A1 ST](/museum/panasonic-fs-a1-st/) and the [FS A1 GT](/museum/panasonic-fs-a1-gt/). The GT has 512 KB RAM, a MIDI interface and MSX View in ROM (MSX View is the Graphic User Interface compatible with MSX-DOS).

Panasonic stopped the production of the Turbo R when they launched the 3DO game system in 1992. They failed with this system and never returned to MSX. Lot of extensions, however, were produced by third-party companies to enhance the Turbo R, among them, an OPL4 Sound Card, a hi-res card (Yamaha V9990) with lot of hardware sprites and IDE or SCSI interfaces.

**David Heremans** reports:\
There is a mixed mode where you can have +4096 colors simultaneously with an extra 16 indexed colors so that still pictures in full color can be displayed while the index palatte of 16 redefinable colors can be used for all kind of effects. But trying to display that would probably be a litle long for the small space reserved for it on the page.

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>