Would AmigaOS 3.9 be ok for me?

[stu232]

My machine has a 33Mhz 030 and 128Mb Ram.

Would this be too slow to use AmigaOS 3.9?

I really love the look of 3.9 but I doubt my hardware would be able to handle it.

[jack-3d]

Your config is OK for OS3.9. Oficially they said it like this:

Minimum Requirements:

• CD-ROM drive
• Hard drive
• 68020 or higher processor
• Amiga 3.1 ROMs (version 40.xx)
• 6 MB Fast RAM

For improved performance, we recommend:

• 68030 or higher processor
• 8 MB Fast RAM
• Graphics accelerator and/or scandoubler
• Modem

To take full advantage of OS 3.9 we also recommend you add the following:

• 68060 processor with PowerPC accelerator card
• 16-bit sound card
• 32 MB Fast RAM
• I/O Accelerator

[demolition]

I have just migrated from 3.1 to 3.9 on my 1200 with ACA1232, so same speed as yours. It takes maybe twice as long to boot, but actual usage feels faster. Opening of windows and loading icons are maybe twice as fast. I think this is due to patched and optimized libraries which could also have been used with 3.1. All in all, I don't expect to go back to 3.1, although 3.9 is quite painful to install in comparison. But I have taken backups of the various steps, so if things go bad, I can always step back.

[stu232]

Thanks guys.

@ Demolition, how does WHDLoad perform?

My Kickstart rom is 3.0, will I need to upgrade to 3.1?

[fitzsteve]

Originally Posted by stu232

Thanks guys.

@ Demolition, how does WHDLoad perform?

My Kickstart rom is 3.0, will I need to upgrade to 3.1?

WHDLoad will be exactly the same and yes you will need to upgrade the Roms to 3.1, if you have an ACA card you can use the Maprom feature instead of buying the physical Roms

[demolition]

I've only tried a few games on WHDLoad but couldn't see a difference. Performance should be identical since WHDLoad disables the OS while the game is running.

WB3.9 does require a 3.1 ROM, however if you have an ACA accelerator, you could just maprom it (similar can be done with Blizzard/Apollo etc.).

Edit: Two minds, one thought it seems.

[stu232]

ooh tell me more, are you saying I can load the KS 3.1 Rom from my Cloanto disk on to the ACA1232 and the machine will boot from that instead of my onboard 3.0 roms?

Sorry for all the newbie questions, I've only just bought an A1200, the last time I owned one was way back in 1994, so I've got a lot to catch up on.

[demolition]

Yes, using the acatune tool, you can map a ROM file from HDD into the accelerator and it would work exactly like a physical ROM. The Cloanto ROMs are encrypted though, and I don't think acatune supports those, so you'd have to dump a decrypted version before it could be used.
You would also have to load it from HDD every time you cold boot the machine as it will be lost every time you remove the power (it is loaded into RAM). This means adding acatune to the top of your startup-sequence so it will be loaded before starting WB.

[stu232]

Originally Posted by demolition

Yes, using the acatune tool, you can map a ROM file from HDD into the accelerator and it would work exactly like a physical ROM. The Cloanto ROMs are encrypted though, and I don't think acatune supports those, so you'd have to dump a decrypted version before it could be used.
You would also have to load it from HDD every time you cold boot the machine as it will be lost every time you remove the power (it is loaded into RAM). This means adding acatune to the top of your startup-sequence so it will be loaded before starting WB.

Sounds easy enough.

Although how would I go about decrypting the Cloanto rom, can I mount it in WinUAE and rip it from there?

[demolition]

Yes, mount it in WinUAE, boot into CLI and dump it on the Amiga side using the Transrom tool or similar. Should work for most ROMs.

[stu232]

Thanks demolition.

@ Fitzsteve, I've just realised that I've been watching your Youtube tutorials all week!

Great videos, I've found them incredibly informative.

I'm currently watching your OS 3.9 video, that looks really good on your setup.

Is it essential that I buy one of those scan doubler things that you are using, I have my miggy connected to a CRT with an Amiga <> SCART lead.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by stu232

Is it essential that I buy one of those scan doubler things that you are using, I have my miggy connected to a CRT with an Amiga <> SCART lead.

For gaming, you should probably keep using that.
Although for desktop work, it is very nice to have an Indivision connected to an LCD screen.

[stu232]

I think I'll have a bash at installing OS3.9 onto my 4Gb CF card.

Anyone got a link to a good (easy) tutorial?

I'll install it using WinUAE.