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Offline mrmoonlightTopic starter

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Which next ?
« on: April 15, 2014, 08:27:45 PM »
Hi I have a 1200 Amiga and a 600 Amiga both in really good condition with accelerators fitted and extra memory and both surf the net using roadshow so I am well pleased ,but I have the urge to buy just one more Amiga and cant for the life of me make my mind up which I ought to go for ,I thought maybe the 500 but that wont give me any thing more or the Amiga 2000 which I know little about, so I would be pleased if anyone has any advice to give ,Brian.:):)
Amiga 1200 E-Matrix 32 bit Fast-Ram 20 gb wd harddrive
Amiga 1200 Compact Flash CF IDE Back Plate Adapter
 
Hisoft promidi Interface
MP3 MAS player
Amiga 600
ACA620EC Accelerator Kipper/type
CF 4GB
C/F HD
 Pioneer CD/DVD
Hisoft promidi Interface
 


Offline mrmoonlightTopic starter

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Amiga 1200 E-Matrix 32 bit Fast-Ram 20 gb wd harddrive
Amiga 1200 Compact Flash CF IDE Back Plate Adapter
 
Hisoft promidi Interface
MP3 MAS player
Amiga 600
ACA620EC Accelerator Kipper/type
CF 4GB
C/F HD
 Pioneer CD/DVD
Hisoft promidi Interface
 

Offline utri007

Re: Which next ?
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2014, 10:56:39 PM »
Quote from: mrmoonlight;762610
Hi thanks ,the A1500 looks tempting,not sure about the  damage  to the 4000   .


I bought a CDTV two weeks ago. :) They are quite cheep, considering that only 30 000 units has made.
ACube Sam 440ep Flex 800mhz, 1gb ram and 240gb hd and OS4.1FE
A1200 Micronic tower, OS3.9, Apollo 060 66mhz, xPert Merlin, Delfina Lite and Micronic Scandy, 500Gb hd, 66mb ram, DVD-burner and WLAN.
A1200 desktop, OS3.9, Blizzard 060 66mhz, 66mb ram, Ide Fix Express with 160Gb HD and WLAN
A500 OS2.1, GVP+HD8 with 4mb ram, 1mb chip ram and 4gb HD
Commodore CDTV KS3.1, 1mb chip, 4mb fast ram and IDE HD
 

Offline ElPolloDiabl

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Re: Which next ?
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2014, 11:21:03 PM »
A2000 good if you can get a cpu upgrade plus some other expansions.
quick spec:
68k @ 7mhz
1MB of chip RAM
16-bit bus
32-bit cpu slot.

A3000 has onboard flicker fixer. You might find one cheaper than an A4000.

A500 is so much like the A600, don't bother.
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Offline scuzzb494

Re: Which next ?
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2014, 11:32:43 PM »

Offline danbeaver

Re: Which next ?
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2014, 12:26:30 AM »
I too would recommend an A4000D because of the Zorro III, AGA, space and expandability.  You can start out pretty basic and then slowly build to a PPC monster, or not.
 

Offline NovaCoder

Re: Which next ?
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2014, 01:45:37 AM »
I'd recommend an A3000 and selling the A600 which you don't really need if you have an A1200.
Life begins at 100 MIPS!


Nice Ports on AmiNet!
 

Offline Oldsmobile_Mike

Re: Which next ?
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2014, 02:16:59 AM »
Depends on your budget.  A4000 is crazy expensive but if you want the best, it's the way to go.  A3000 is a little cheaper, no AGA, but a beautiful piece of hardware.  Then there's the A2000, which I'd recommend for it's balance of affordability and ease of repair/upgrading.  But then I might be slightly biased, haha.  ;)
Amiga 500: 2MB Chip|16MB Fast|30MHz 68030+68882|3.9|Indivision ECS|GVP A500HD+|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|Cocolino|SCSI DVD-RAM
Amiga 2000: 2MB Chip|136MB Fast|50MHz 68060|3.9|Indivision ECS + GVP Spectrum|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|AD516|X-Surf 100|RapidRoad|Cocolino|SCSI CD-RW
 Amiga videos and other misc. stuff at https://www.youtube.com/CompTechMike/videos
 

Offline Tenacious

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Re: Which next ?
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2014, 03:35:19 AM »
Here's a different consideration.  Your 600 and 1200 are both of more recent surface mount construction.  So are the 4000 and CD32.  They are working now, but, if a chip goes bad, most likely you will have to find someone to repair the motherboard, if you can.

OTOH, the 1000, 500, 2000 and 3000 (CDTV, too?) are the older thru-hole and socket construction.  If a chip in one of those takes a dive, it is far easier to replace.  Swapping chips is even a useful troubleshooting technique.  There is plenty of documentation.  IMHO, the 2000s and 3000s with RTG can do some fairly modern things.  A500s are still plentiful and dirt cheap (though starting to demand rising prices).

So, how long do you want to be an Amigan?  ;)

EDIT: I've often wondered if the early SCSI HDs have better longevity going forward than newer IDE and solid state solutions.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2014, 12:44:29 PM by Tenacious »
 

Offline Lurch

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Re: Which next ?
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2014, 09:11:24 AM »
The A3000 is gorgeous :-) I also like the A4000T, that tower case hmm.
-=[LurcH]=-
A500 Plus Black 030@40MHz 128MB | A1200T 060@80MHz 320MB | Pegasos II G4@1GHz 1GB  | Amiga Future Sub
 

Offline scuzzb494

Re: Which next ?
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2014, 01:45:36 PM »
What ever you play with it is going to be old kit. It's just that the 4000 is the least old and is the most versatile when it comes to getting bits to work with it. I have never encountered any great issues with the 4000 as a durable machine. Suffers from all the same kinda probs that the 3000 or 2000 would. It is just that the 4000 is where Amiga was before it all folded and had they not it no doubt would have been just developed into a glorified PC. Which is where Escom picked up the thread in the hope of converting the user base.

Personally I would start from scratch and scrounge, beg, borrow bits and maybe make some of your own from PC stuff. I have built 4000s that were dead along with 3000s. I have even been given kit because I showed my enthusiasm.

Below is a 4000 tower which has to be the best of the best when it comes to customising the standard 4000d. And then there are images of my 4000 projects and my 3000UX which I have built from a scrap of parts which started with just the case. All I have has been bought off Ebay, Amibench[of old] or given to me by folk who wanted a good home for their kit. So getting involved in the community, keeping your eyes open, and taking a few gambles often pays off.... The last image was a gamble I took on a sale for a 500 that claimed to be a 1200... and when I cracked her open I was well surprised.

Building and looking after Amigas is always fun. And having projects is the most rewarding.

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz520.htm

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz383.htm

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz361.htm


http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/car_0608/car08401.jpg

Offline danbeaver

Re: Which next ?
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2014, 04:10:38 PM »
Quote from: Tenacious;762633
Here's a different consideration.  Your 600 and 1200 are both of more recent surface mount construction.  So are the 4000 and CD32.  They are working now, but, if a chip goes bad, most likely you will have to find someone to repair the motherboard, if you can....


I have refurbished a number of Amiga models and use routinely an A4000T and X1000.  The A500 & A600 are very limited in their capabilities and expandability; the A1200 can be expanded and even towerized but it is a real pain keeping it all connected and working.  The A3000 is beautiful but poorly designed, cramped inside and full of sharp edges that make in a "bloody" pain.  The A4000T is roomy easy to work on (except for the drive cage), has IDE and good SCSI, allows all sorts of expansion, but are hard to find for sale.  The A4000D has less room and expandability than the T, but is still an easy beast to "live" with.

Repairs used to be a problem until a month ago when I sent 4 A4000D and 1 A4000T motherboards to Anthony Hoffman for repair.  I had the four A4000Ds repaired and returned in under a fortnight.  The T needed an SCSI 53C710 smd chip replaced that he had to order and it took another week.  Phase5 products can be repaired by Stan Sędłak (3 CSPPCs took about 2+ weeks from out my door to back in my hands).
 

Offline mrmoonlightTopic starter

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Re: Which next ?
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2014, 07:29:38 PM »
Quote from: Tenacious;762633
Here's a different consideration. Your 600 and 1200 are both of more recent surface mount construction. So are the 4000 and CD32. They are working now, but, if a chip goes bad, most likely you will have to find someone to repair the motherboard, if you can.

OTOH, the 1000, 500, 2000 and 3000 (CDTV, too?) are the older thru-hole and socket construction. If a chip in one of those takes a dive, it is far easier to replace. Swapping chips is even a useful troubleshooting technique. There is plenty of documentation. IMHO, the 2000s and 3000s with RTG can do some fairly modern things. A500s are still plentiful and dirt cheap (though starting to demand rising prices).

So, how long do you want to be an Amigan? ;)

EDIT: I've often wondered if the early SCSI HDs have better longevity going forward than newer IDE and solid state solutions.
   
 Hi thank you so very much I do appreciate your help and will sort through all the info you have presented ,I have got my thoughts on the A2000 or A3000 but need to read more about each one ,and as for the how long I want to be an Amigan  lol  its a brilliant hobby and has gave me hours of pleasure and still does and reading all the posts on here is awesome and really enjoyable ,thanks again Brian.:):)
Amiga 1200 E-Matrix 32 bit Fast-Ram 20 gb wd harddrive
Amiga 1200 Compact Flash CF IDE Back Plate Adapter
 
Hisoft promidi Interface
MP3 MAS player
Amiga 600
ACA620EC Accelerator Kipper/type
CF 4GB
C/F HD
 Pioneer CD/DVD
Hisoft promidi Interface
 

Offline mrmoonlightTopic starter

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Re: Which next ?
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2014, 07:36:59 PM »
Quote from: scuzzb494;762673
What ever you play with it is going to be old kit. It's just that the 4000 is the least old and is the most versatile when it comes to getting bits to work with it. I have never encountered any great issues with the 4000 as a durable machine. Suffers from all the same kinda probs that the 3000 or 2000 would. It is just that the 4000 is where Amiga was before it all folded and had they not it no doubt would have been just developed into a glorified PC. Which is where Escom picked up the thread in the hope of converting the user base.

Personally I would start from scratch and scrounge, beg, borrow bits and maybe make some of your own from PC stuff. I have built 4000s that were dead along with 3000s. I have even been given kit because I showed my enthusiasm.

Below is a 4000 tower which has to be the best of the best when it comes to customising the standard 4000d. And then there are images of my 4000 projects and my 3000UX which I have built from a scrap of parts which started with just the case. All I have has been bought off Ebay, Amibench[of old] or given to me by folk who wanted a good home for their kit. So getting involved in the community, keeping your eyes open, and taking a few gambles often pays off.... The last image was a gamble I took on a sale for a 500 that claimed to be a 1200... and when I cracked her open I was well surprised.

Building and looking after Amigas is always fun. And having projects is the most rewarding.

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz520.htm

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz383.htm

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz361.htm


http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/car_0608/car08401.jpg

Wow the most incredible photo collection I have ever come across and so very thankful to you for sharing them with this forum and indeed myself ,I will be up half the night looking at all these goodies very best wishes Brian.:):)
Amiga 1200 E-Matrix 32 bit Fast-Ram 20 gb wd harddrive
Amiga 1200 Compact Flash CF IDE Back Plate Adapter
 
Hisoft promidi Interface
MP3 MAS player
Amiga 600
ACA620EC Accelerator Kipper/type
CF 4GB
C/F HD
 Pioneer CD/DVD
Hisoft promidi Interface