Three Little Questions.
 

Hi,
I have allways liked the amiga computers but at the time 1992 my dad only had money to offer me a spectrum now having my own life i bought a second hand 1200 desktop added some extras but i'm planning to put it in a tower now i just have these 3 questions:

Accelarator Card:

I have a Blizzard 1260 Accelarator in my desktop A1200 will this fit in a Towered Case and i would apreciate an advice on the case i'm considering the elbox ones but i'm opened for sugestions.

Expansion:

This is a more curious question, now from what i have understood by some self investigation i can add a Elbox Mediator PCI ZIV to the 1200, but where dos such a big thing fits?, do i have to remove the Blizzard or does this fits on the blizzard itself?

PPC:
While reading about the Mediator PCI ZIV i noticed something about Shark PPC, now from what i inderstood i can put a card with a very modern an powerfull processor on the Mediator and have almost a new computer is this true? (Hope so)
And having such a configuration would it still be possible to revert to the a1200 hardware i mean could i disable the PPC card by some means for compatibility something like the Blizzard Key press at boot up?

Three Little Replies
 

Accelerator Card:
An expansion slot accelerator will fit fine in a towered Amiga. The tower model you buy should reflect the extent to which you wish to upgrade your A1200. As you are no doubt aware, there are many models on the market; functionality is broadly similar, with the most significant difference being number of drive bays. Some options, which afaik all accept Mediator busboards: Mirage, V-Tower, Eyetech EZTower. I myself own an E/Box (Winner/Power) Tower, which has 3 5.25" bays and 2 3.5" bays, sufficient for my needs.

Expansion:
The Mediator PCI ZIV is for Amigas with the Zorro IV busboard. The Mediator 1200 or Mediator 1200 SX are for 'plain' A1200 systems. The SX model is the superior version of the two. Fitting in one of Elbox's towers is perfect. The main busboard connects to the edge connector (where the accelerator previously was) via a passthrough, and hangs down parallel to the A1200 motherboard. The accelerator connects to the passthrough and functions as before.

PPC:
As a Mediator 1200 owner, I too am interested in the Shark PPC card. I don't know exactly how it will perform, as it has yet to be released. Hopefully it will include all of the features you describe. Perhaps another member has more information?

Edited to correct something in 2nd paragraph.

Re: Three Little Questions.
 

@mindjoker:

All towers will accept your accellerator card.

Best tower case: Don't know, I have a Micronik Classic which is excellent, but you won't find on of these
anymore. Do not buy a "Micronik Infinitiv" tower case, these are pure crap. The Elbox Towers (E/Box
and Mirage) are pretty good.

If you're adventurous or want to save some money, converting a PC case is not as hard as you might imagine.

As blackcornflake pointed out, you'll need a Mediator 1200 or Mediator 1200 SX. There are rumours that the SharkPPC cards will only work with the SX version.

The Mediator has an edge connector that fits between the A1200 expansion port and the Blizzard. The actual main board with the PCI slots sits on top of your motherboard.

Yes. A Mediator + SharkPPC combo is a completely new computer - in fact, it will be able to work without the A1200 motherboard attached.

If you'll get a SharkPPC card, you can sell your Blizzard accellerator, as it won't be used anymore.

I don't know if this will be possible.

It is important to note that the SharkPPC will only work with AmigaOS4. And Elbox still did not supply a SharkPPC to the OS4 development team, so it remains to be seen when (if) the babies will hit the market.