A4000 components

[slk486]

It seems to be pretty difficult to track down an A4000, and parts seem easier to come by, so I thought about putting one together.

My memory is a bit cloudy, so which components would be needed?

Case
A4000D MB
CPU Daughterboard?
PSU
Keyboard

Anything else?

Also, are there any signs of immediate hardware failure i should be aware of (leaky battery and whatnot)?

[Jope]

You also need the Zorro riser.

However, there are A4000s on Amibay all the time..

Leaky batteries and bulging caps are something to look for.

[alexh]

Check for broken SIMM retainer clips too.

[slk486]

Originally Posted by Jope

You also need the Zorro riser.

However, there are A4000s on Amibay all the time..

Leaky batteries and bulging caps are something to look for.

Right - just discovered Amibay today..

Bulging caps can be replaced, right? Whereas leaky batteries could have damaged the motherboard?

Are the clips needed or just for safety?

[slk486]

Can any of the experts here point me in the right direction of a decent accelerator as well?

[alexh]

How much money do you have?

~€600 will get you a Cyberstorm PPC @240/66MHz
~€350 will get you a Cyberstorm MKIII @66MHz
~€280 will get you an Apollo 4060 @80+ MHz
..
..
..
~€35 will get you an A3640 @25MHz

Originally Posted by slk486

Are the clips needed or just for safety?

Without them you may need some blue-tac to keep the simms from coming loose and causing a memory fault.

[Philophus]

It's been some time since an a3640 has gone that cheaply.

[slk486]

Originally Posted by alexh

How much money do you have?

~€600 will get you a Cyberstorm PPC @240/66MHz
~€350 will get you a Cyberstorm MKIII @66MHz
~€280 will get you an Apollo 4060 @80+ MHz
..
..
..
~€35 will get you an A3640 @25MHz


Without them you may need some blue-tac to keep the simms from coming loose and causing a memory fault.

Thanks alexh, think I'll start looking for an Apollo 4060 - i take it they're well viewed?

[Jope]

I'd look for a CSMK2 instead of the Apollo, but that's just me, blindly trusting Phase5 hardware. :-)

[slk486]

Thanks Jope, I'll look into that one as well, then.

A few more questions (sorry for being such an ignorant bastard here)

What is the recommended monitor setup - Multisync monitor like I had back in the day, or a flickerfixer/scandoubler and a TFT (or CRT even) - maybe a GFX card (which one)?

What would be the most complete solution?

I've looked at all kinds of hardware during the years and search around EAB, but can't really organize it all in my head.

[alexh]

If you don't have a monitor at all :

~€120 will get you a new 4:3 LCDTV with RGB SCART input + compatible SCART cable.

If you already have a regular CRT/LCD VGA monitor then :

~€500 will get you a Mediator 4000Di + PCI Voodoo 3000 + Indivision AGA 4000 + Monitor switcher.
~€180 will get you a second hand Picasso IV

[slk486]

I've got plenty of monitors, both TFT and CRT, but due to the TFT scaling issues I think I'll use a CRT.

Since getting a Picasso IV (Believe I had that one in my A2000) is much cheaper, there must be drawbacks?

[Jope]

Not so many. The Picasso IV is quite a well rounded card after all. Of course it isn't that fast by modern standards, but it's not like you can get maximum use out of the Voodoo either.

The difference in price is that you don't need the mediator to plug the card in and the indivision to double your horizontal refresh in custom chip modes..

[alexh]

Originally Posted by slk486

Since getting a Picasso IV is much cheaper, there must be drawbacks?

It is only 4Mbytes this limits the maximum RTG resolution. It might not be possible to have native resolution (i.e. the sharpest picture) on a new(ish) LCD.

It has a relatively slow memory clock speed which means the higher the resolution, the more colours on screen and the higher the refresh rate the more sluggish it feels.

You need to get a card with the latest firmware for the FlickerFixer for artefact free native Amiga gfx. They can be upgraded with a replacement chip from Tobias Seiler, but at a cost.

The scan-rate converter in the FlickerFixer is slightly inferior to the Indivision 4000 but I dunno how you could qualify by how much.

[Jope]

Another thing that the low video RAM brings is, that if you have several screens open, they won't all fit in the display card's memory.. Thus the RTG software will end up moving the screens into the video RAM via Zorro III, creating visible lag.

Don't know if that is a problem with the Voodoo card, haven't gone PCI. :-)

[slk486]

Allright, thanks for all your input. I'll go for the A4000 with a Picasso IV and see where it takes me.

Now just to find the hardware

[Philophus]

Originally Posted by Jope

Another thing that the low video RAM brings is, that if you have several screens open, they won't all fit in the display card's memory.. Thus the RTG software will end up moving the screens into the video RAM via Zorro III, creating visible lag.

Don't know if that is a problem with the Voodoo card, haven't gone PCI. :-)

Definately not a problem with Voodoo/mediator

[slk486]

I managed to get a hold of a Scala Workstation 040 and now have an Indivision AGA 4000 on the way.

I saw a Piccolo SD64 for sale on Amibay, but am wondering what the speed is like on that thing?
Or in other words which GFX card should I look for, now that I have the flicker fixer/scandoubler taken care of?

I'd rather not go the way of a monitor switch...

[zipper]

Piccolo is pretty good, about CV64/PicassoIV level (same chip as in PicassoIV).

[slk486]

Originally Posted by zipper

Piccolo is pretty good, about CV64/PicassoIV level (same chip as in PicassoIV).

So all in all the only difference would be the built in flicker fixer of the PicassoIV?