A couple of Newbie questions..

[prismra]

Well I've played around with WinUAE so I am somewhat familiar with the Amiga.  I have decided to stop playing with the emulators so I can have the REAL experience (It's just not the same.)

I am kicking around the idea of getting an A1200 (non-tower.)

I would like to be able to run the newer 'scene' demos and older games.  I am told I need a accelerator board with a Motorolla 68060 CPU but I hear they are really expensive.  I also heard there are some boards that have a PPC chip AND the 060.  Is there an affordable alternative that will get me what I need?

Also, anyone know where I can get a US 110v power supply that works for the A1200?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[motorollin]

Yes, get a 68030 or a 68040 with some extra RAM. Much cheaper than an 060 and will do what you want.

--
moto

[itix]

If you need a power supply it might be the best idea to get old AT PSU and use it on your A1200. Connector just isnt compatible so you must work around it but it is really needed if you are going to use a HD and/or decent acceleration card.

[X-ray]

If you want to run demos and play games and have a respectable A1200, you can settle for a 50mHz 68030 accelerator with extra RAM. You don't don't really need an 060 or a PPC for what you want (especially if it is an A1200 that is not going to be put in a tower).

[prismra]

That's awesome guys, thanks for the great support and fast replies..

Someone on lemonamiga said that all the new demos are written for the 060.  I just don't want to spend the money and not have the right stuff ya know?  Were they full of it or what?

In regards to the PSU, anyone know where I can procure a 110v one?  Strangely enough, this is proving to be the hardest item to come by for a dude in the US.

[amigadave]

prismra wrote:
That's awesome guys, thanks for the great support and fast replies..

Someone on lemonamiga said that all the new demos are written for the 060.  I just don't want to spend the money and not have the right stuff ya know?  Were they full of it or what?

In regards to the PSU, anyone know where I can procure a 110v one?  Strangely enough, this is proving to be the hardest item to come by for a dude in the US.

There might be some new demos that need an 68040 or 68060, but most should run fine on the 68030.  I have heard that the 68060 is actually the coolest running of those three CPU's though since you mentioned staying with a standard A1200 case instead of a tower, the heat should be considered.  Money??? Everything for Classic Amigas is EXPENSIVE compared to equivalents on other computers, so if money is a concern, you have started to get addicted to the wrong machine.

As for your PSU problem, the suggestion made was to get a standard ATX PC PSU and adapt it to use the connector from a standard A1200 PSU.  There are articles somewhere on the Net for making this conversion, or someone here can walk you through it I am sure.

Welcome to the world of Amiga.  Please don't say we didn't warn you if you find it a bit challenging and expensive, but we that have stuck with it for so many years believe it is worth it.   :-)

[prismra]

Thanks!

I'm looking into converting a ATX PSU.  I know I have an extra one lying around..

So, will the BLIZZARD 1230-IV NOT work in a standard A1200?  Will it crash on me all the time?  (Now I'm worrying.)

[Matt_H]

Nope, the Blizzard 1230-IV is arguably the best 68030 accelerator available for the A1200. Very reliable and expandable.

[motorollin]

prismra wrote:
I'm looking into converting a ATX PSU.  I know I have an extra one lying around..

I have done this and it works fine. If you need any information let me know. I don't see any reason why a 1230-IV wouldn't work in any A1200, hopefully someone else can confirm this.

--
moto

[Karlos]

@prismara

If you can find an 060 card without having to sell a kidney, grab it with both hands.

There is a wealth of demo material that runs fine on 68030, but I am afraid you heard only the truth regarding more recent demos. I have a 68040/25MHz and a lot of the most recent ones absolutely crawl on it. I have one of those Blizzard PPC/680x0 cards you heard about, I bought the 040 version when I got one as I felt I really needed all my internal organs ;-) I was also pretty sure that the PPC would provide a better upgrade path for future software and that the 68040 would be fine for most cases, which it has been.

However, a 68030 can often be a life saver compatability wise if you wish to run older software.

[prismra]

Thanks Karlos!

I thought you could just hold down a key to disable the accelerator board in case of compatability problems with old games/demos..

[Karlos]

prismra wrote:
Thanks Karlos!

I thought you could just hold down a key to disable the accelerator board in case of compatability problems with old games/demos..

You can but then you are talking about your basic 68020/chipmem combo again ;-)

[prismra]

Right, I thought that was the idea.  In that the older games only work on that setup.

Also, is there a link you can send me that details all this hardware stuff for me.  As to what chip memory is, fast ram, z3 ram, rtg ram, all that?  I'm not clear on what you can upgrade and how well, you get it-- im just hopeless!

[Argus]

A lot (most) AGA games benefit speedwise from at least *some* fastram on an A1200.

[prismra]

What are the different types of RAM (chip, fast, Z3, etc.) and where do I stick 'em?   :-)

NM, figured it out.  Gotta love the google.