Introduction + Questions

Wasagi · 06 June 2010, 15:15

Hi all,

I've recently become interested in the amiga scene again after having a desire to play jetstrike recently then becoming more and more engrossed. I haven't touched amiga hardware since I gave up my a500 with A570 and mem expansion in '95.

Looking around the forums it seems the best machine to get nowadays is an a1200 in terms of upgradability etc. I do have some questions though!

I have seen new 1200s on sale at amigakit. Is there any negatives to buying one of these machines over an older one? I assume they use the same floppy drive as the escom models? Do they still suffer from the 'yellowing' problem and is this avoidable?

What kind of upgrades would I need and for what uses? I primarily want to play games on the thing, but would love to tinker with OS upgrades and applications. I fear I may be inclined to seek an accelerator board. Is one of these necessary? What benefits do they bring? What can't I do without one? I have figured a '30 is probably the best bang for buck, do you need a '60? What make board is best? The posts I've read point to a blizzard IV. How much memory is needed?

Im sorry if there are a lot of questions. I have tried to look around and find info, but more often than not the things I read raise more questions!

alexh · 06 June 2010, 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

Is there any negatives to buying one of these machines over an older one?

The price. The lack of the Commodore badge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

I assume they use the same floppy drive as the escom models?

Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

Do they still suffer from the 'yellowing' problem and is this avoidable?

Yes, unavoidable. You can restore the yellowing with Retr0Bright

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

What kind of upgrades would I need and for what uses?

RAM (or CPU) upgrade.
Hard drive
Kickstart 3.1 ROM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

I fear I may be inclined to seek an accelerator board. Is one of these necessary?

No.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

What benefits do they bring?

OS speed, hard drive speed, demo compatibility, the ability to use more than 8Mbytes of Fast RAM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

What can't I do without one?

Play some demos. Practically use some of the more CPU demanding applications.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

How much memory is needed?

Without an 030 card the most you can fit is 8Mbytes. The full 8Mbytes will disable the PCMCIA slot so most users fit a switch to toggle between 4Mbytes and 8Mbytes.

The more RAM you've got the better the OS and some applications work. Little or no benefit for games.

Wasagi · 06 June 2010, 15:37

Wow thanks for the swift reply!

Is there a way to emulate the differences between accelerator board/no accelerator board in uae? Just to get a feel of responsiveness. These accelerator boards dont seem cheap!

I've read about retr0bright and it suggests that after application coat the plastic in a clear acrylic varnish or some other uv resistant coating. Could this prevent yellowing on new plastic?

alexh · 06 June 2010, 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

Could this prevent yellowing on new plastic?

Possibly but it will undoubtedly change the finish.

Wasagi · 10 June 2010, 21:40

Thanks for the help alex, I really appreciate it. How much is a reasonable amount to pay for a used 'pristine' a1200? Also do the 8mb ram upgrades cost a lot?

fitzsteve · 10 June 2010, 22:05

Hi Wasagi,

Welcome to EAB

An 8mb Ram expansion will set you back anything from £20-£40 or sometimes more though ebay.

For a boxed and pristine A1200, if it includes the Workbanch disks/folder and all the inserts maybe £75? You would however be able to pick up a good used one for half that but pristine will command that little extra.

I suggest keep a close eye on these forums and Amibay, really nice examples come up quite often and may come with a Ram upgrade/Acclerator of course that will add to the price.

Best of luck with your serach.

Steve.

ck1200 · 10 June 2010, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasagi

Thanks for the help alex, I really appreciate it. How much is a reasonable amount to pay for a used 'pristine' a1200? Also do the 8mb ram upgrades cost a lot?

Welcome to the club ...and yes you can pick up a clean fully working 1200 for around the price Steve says above, there is this one on e-bay now but about to finish> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

a bit more expensive due to the cd rom fit but shows clean models can still be sourced (even cbm one's) failing that you could get a model with a good case but say a yellowed keyboard cheaper and just replace the keybopard element with a new one

good luck

Chris

Wasagi · 11 June 2010, 10:50

Thanks guys, this really is a great community!

06 June 2010, 15:15	#1
Wasagi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Essex / United Kingdom Posts: 264	Introduction + Questions Hi all, I've recently become interested in the amiga scene again after having a desire to play jetstrike recently then becoming more and more engrossed. I haven't touched amiga hardware since I gave up my a500 with A570 and mem expansion in '95. Looking around the forums it seems the best machine to get nowadays is an a1200 in terms of upgradability etc. I do have some questions though! I have seen new 1200s on sale at amigakit. Is there any negatives to buying one of these machines over an older one? I assume they use the same floppy drive as the escom models? Do they still suffer from the 'yellowing' problem and is this avoidable? What kind of upgrades would I need and for what uses? I primarily want to play games on the thing, but would love to tinker with OS upgrades and applications. I fear I may be inclined to seek an accelerator board. Is one of these necessary? What benefits do they bring? What can't I do without one? I have figured a '30 is probably the best bang for buck, do you need a '60? What make board is best? The posts I've read point to a blizzard IV. How much memory is needed? Im sorry if there are a lot of questions. I have tried to look around and find info, but more often than not the things I read raise more questions!

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06 June 2010, 15:37	#3
Wasagi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Essex / United Kingdom Posts: 264	Wow thanks for the swift reply! Is there a way to emulate the differences between accelerator board/no accelerator board in uae? Just to get a feel of responsiveness. These accelerator boards dont seem cheap! I've read about retr0bright and it suggests that after application coat the plastic in a clear acrylic varnish or some other uv resistant coating. Could this prevent yellowing on new plastic?

10 June 2010, 21:40	#5
Wasagi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Essex / United Kingdom Posts: 264	Thanks for the help alex, I really appreciate it. How much is a reasonable amount to pay for a used 'pristine' a1200? Also do the 8mb ram upgrades cost a lot?

10 June 2010, 22:05	#6
fitzsteve Professional slacker! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Kent, UK Age: 44 Posts: 6,685	Hi Wasagi, Welcome to EAB An 8mb Ram expansion will set you back anything from £20-£40 or sometimes more though ebay. For a boxed and pristine A1200, if it includes the Workbanch disks/folder and all the inserts maybe £75? You would however be able to pick up a good used one for half that but pristine will command that little extra. I suggest keep a close eye on these forums and Amibay, really nice examples come up quite often and may come with a Ram upgrade/Acclerator of course that will add to the price. Best of luck with your serach. Steve.

11 June 2010, 10:50	#8
Wasagi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Essex / United Kingdom Posts: 264	Thanks guys, this really is a great community!

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