# DEC GT40

> VT11 vector graphic terminal

**Wikidata**: [Q5204783](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5204783)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEC_GT40)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/dec-gt40

## Summary
The DEC GT40 is a vector-graphics computer terminal introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation, classified in Wikidata as the VT11 vector graphic terminal. Built on the PDP-11 minicomputer family, it is catalogued as both a computer and a game-classification machine (ID 117).

## Key Facts
- Wikidata instance-of: computer
- Wikidata description: VT11 vector graphic terminal
- Game-classification machine ID: 117
- Commons category: DEC GT40
- Freebase ID: /m/05zymz4
- Wikipedia sitelinks: 2 (English and Commons)
- Featured image: FichierGT40_Lunar_Lander.png on Wikimedia Commons

## FAQs
### Q: What kind of device is the DEC GT40?
A: It is a vector-graphics terminal built around a PDP-11 microcomputer, designed for interactive graphics display rather than general-purpose computing.

### Q: Why is the GT40 listed as a "game-classification machine"?
A: Academic game databases assign it machine-ID 117 because it was frequently used to run early vector arcade games such as Lunar Lander.

### Q: How is the GT40 related to DEC's VT series?
A: Wikidata equates the GT40 with the "VT11 vector graphic terminal," placing it in the same VT terminal lineage but specialized for graphics.

## Why It Matters
The GT40 occupies a small but pivotal niche in computer history: it put real-time vector graphics within reach of university labs and industrial designers at a fraction of the cost of contemporary frame-buffer workstations. Because it paired a PDP-11 processor with a refreshed vector display, users could interact with wire-frame models or early video games at 60 Hz—performance previously available only on far more expensive machines. Its appearance in computer-science departments during the early 1970s seeded courses in computer graphics, CAD, and human-computer interaction. Arcade-game collectors now value surviving units for their role in running titles like Lunar Lander, making the GT40 one of the earliest examples of a general-purpose computer repurposed for commercial gaming.

## Notable For
- One of the first commercial terminals to combine a PDP-11 processor with a vector display in a single cabinet
- Recognised by game databases as machine-ID 117, a canonical platform for vector-based Lunar Lander
- Shares the VT11 designation with DEC's alphanumeric terminals, yet outputs pure vectors rather than text
- Surviving units are museum pieces because the vector CRT, interface cards, and chassis were sold together as an integrated graphics system rather than as separate components

## Body
### Hardware Identity
Wikidata and Freebase both catalogue the DEC GT40 under the uniform identifier /m/05zymz4 and describe it as a "VT11 vector graphic terminal," signalling that DEC marketed it within the VT terminal range but optimised for graphics rather than text. The unit is classed as a computer instance and carries only two Wikipedia sitelinks—evidence of its specialised, somewhat obscure status.

### Visual Documentation
The Wikimedia Commons category "DEC GT40" hosts photographs and screenshots, the most prominent being "FichierGT40_Lunar_Lander.png," a screen capture of the Lunar Lander game running on the hardware. These images serve as primary evidence of the GT40's vector capabilities and its association with early gaming.

### Academic and Gaming Cross-Reference
Game-classification registries assign the GT40 machine-ID 117, grouping it with platforms that run vector arcade code. This classification underlines the GT40's dual life: a laboratory graphics workstation that also became a target platform for entertainment software.