The PC-8001 was one of Japan's first full-fledged personal computer systems, preceded only by the Hitachi BASIC Master. Although primitive, the PC-8001 launched at a competitive price and paved the way for NEC's eventual dominance of the Japanese PC industry in the 1980s and 1990s.

There were three major models:
- PC-8001
- PC-8001mkII
- PC-8801mkIISR