Advice Needed: Should a buy a vanilla A1200 @ 50 Euro?

[DoomMaster]

To Wain:

I have been working with computers since the first personal computer was released back in 1977, the Apple computer.  Also, I have personally owned, operated, repaired and upgraded EVERY kind and type of personal computer ever made, including ALL of the different Amiga models.  So, I do NOT need to prove myself to you or any one else for that matter.     :-D

[DoomMaster]

To redrumloa:

You guys are ok in my book.  I just like to get people here talking!     :-D

[redrumloa]

Sorry to hear that, but you should know by now that a moderator can never win..

Oh I know.

And for the record, i don't think C= put out any crap machines. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

[tintin]

500$  for an A4000 ?  So far nobody has been offering anything on mine yet. :-(

[Wain]

Sorry for the off-topic running guys, I've directed my response to the new thread in talk-about for the A1200 being a toy machine and other related arguments.

Oh yeah, and just for clarification for everybody, I do not think any amiga computer is crap, I loved my 2000 (RIP)


For the On-Topic:
An inexpensive A1200 is a really good buy, you've got more versatility in terms of upgrades and software than pretty much anything else these days.  Plus it gets you one to toy around with until you know what you want to do with it before going for any big investments.

[Damion]

@Jethro_Tull

The 1200 is a fun machine, upgraded or not. If
the machine is not yellowed and well cared for
$50 is a good price. Aside from (sometimes)
dodgy floppies, the Escom machines are great.
They were basically assembled from parts C= had
left behind, so the motherboards, *most* of the
chips/etc are from the C= era.

[carls]

@DoomMaster

Also, I have personally owned, operated, repaired and upgraded EVERY kind and type of personal computer ever made

Great news! I have an old Sony SMC 70G, but it produces dodgy graphics when using the genlock. Perhaps you have any clues?

[Jethro_Tull]

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'm simply amazed by the number of replies my thread generated in such a short time!  I certainly wasn't making a fuss over spending 50 Euros (like someone claimed), I just wanted an Amigan's  opinion before buying the machine.  I expected one or two replied in due time, certainly not this!!  Thanks to all of you ppl, you're simply great, you know that, do you?

I've been following the Amiga scene right from the birth of the A1000, when it was considered an expensive dream machine, I remember the reviewer on PCW literally drooling all over it, heaping praise upon praise.  I also remember fondly the A500 boom days, when everyone (and I mean everyone) owned one.  

Amiga clubs were springing up everywhere, people were doing all kinds of thing with them, audio editing, writing music, astronomy, graphic design, CAD etc etc.  It was the first affordable machine which could do all this (and more) easily.  It's no wonder really a lot of people are still fond of the Amiga, it made using a computer a fun and enjoyable, just the way it should be.

Sadly, I can also recall the dark ages, when major magazines thinned down gradually to over priced brouchers and then disappeared.  When the failure of the CDTV and the CD32 brought Commodore to it's knees.  It's a pity, since in my opinion, they had a winner on their hands with the CD32.  Unfortunatly it was competing with Sony, Sega, Nintendo and their huge budgets.  Besides Psygnosis, all major software houses were already deserting the Amiga, and the killer games were released for the other consoles.  With the subsequent buyouts, the Amiga brand slid more and more into oblivious, and hardware and software stagnated for ages.

And this brings me to my point, addressed to DoomMaster, currently all Amigas are toys, from the humbe A500 to the A4000T.  Although some can still be usefull tools in niche areas, they're nothing more then toys nowadays, just face the reality.  Besides, negative comments are simply the worst aspect of this community, don't fuel feuds and clashed!  All machines have their merits and weaknesses, keeping in mind the times they were released in.  Do we need Amiga VS Genesis, A1200 VS A2000 etc, AROS VS AOS VS MORHPOS and all this CRAP???

Thanks to all of you, I've made up my mind to be an Amiga owner once more, and phone the bloke tomorrow and arrange to view the machine, hoping he didn't sell it to someone else in the meantime.  If all goes well, I'll be looking for a PPC card for the beastie on e-bay soon........ maybe redromula will find warehouse full of the things........

Thanks again.

[Wain]

And this brings me to my point, addressed to DoomMaster, currently all Amigas are toys, from the humbe A500 to the A4000T. Although some can still be usefull tools in niche areas, they're nothing more then toys nowadays, just face the reality. Besides, negative comments are simply the worst aspect of this community, don't fuel feuds and clashed! All machines have their merits and weaknesses, keeping in mind the times they were released in. Do we need Amiga VS Genesis, A1200 VS A2000 etc, AROS VS AOS VS MORHPOS and all this CRAP???

Congratulations on wading through all of our crap, and welcome back!  We like to yell at each other a lot because it's a pretty diverse group, but in all fairness, everyone is pretty helpful here too.  

[B00tDisk]

DoomMaster wrote:
To Wain:

I have been working with computers since the first personal computer was released back in 1977, the Apple computer.  

Do you enjoy being wrong all of the time?  How does it feel?  Well, if nothing else, it gets you attention.

I'd recommend having a quick look at this for a quick lesson in "first personal computers".

Just because the Apple was yours doesn't make it the first.  (Hint: some folks who built a little box called the MITS Altair would disagree with you, as well as - now brace yourself - Commodore! (Witness the TIM-1 and KIM-1 systems).  

As a matter of fact, you can go all the way back to 1960 with the Heathkit HC-1 analogue computer if you want to split hairs...but I'll let you off the hook and say you were only off by four years, not seventeen.

Oh, and incidentally, the Apple you purchased in 1977 wasn't even the first Apple.  The '77 Apple was an Apple-II.  The Apple Computer was released in 1976 - along with many, many other computers that year.

Finally, IBM released the first Personal Computer with the 5100 in September of 1975.  Have a gander here for more information.

(Note: before you refuse to click the link and then proclaim that the IBM-PC wasn't released until 1981, the IBM-PC was model #5150.  The model 5100 predated it by six years.)

Eagerly awaiting your reply!

[DonnyEMU]

Hey I love the Amiga 1200 it's a great computer and it's fun expanding it.. I do animation and multimedia for a living. Even though it's very old technology it's hardly a toy..

I still love using deluxe paint's light table feature and the immediate feedback I get with pencil test animations. I can work on it like pencil and paper and I don't even realize it's part of the thought process (as I do when using photoshop and layers).

The Video Toaster (Amiga version) is still in use in many community access television stations and in many production houses (even though it's getting to be really old and everyone wants the High-Definition equipment..

So calling it a toy really isn't the case, but you definitely have to know the specific application you want it for.

[B00tDisk]

The A1200 is a motherboard that comes conveniently packaged in a sturdy plastic-and-metal packing case.  Once you remove it from this shipping container and install it into a modified ATX tower, you're all set!  :-D

[QuikSanz]

Whats with this stuff?
I love my A2000 , it's stuffed with all kinds of goodies, but I am looking for an A1200 because the only things I can't do is add a faster bus or AGA. That in itself is worth it. More software that will not use CBGFX is useable. Now we know why your called the doommaster

Chris

[mikeymike]

@ DoomMaster

I have been working with computers since the first personal computer was released back in 1977

Ego... at... critical mass... cannot... hold it... much... longer!

{BOOM}

So, if you don't need to "prove yourself", how come you've mentioned this 1977 business twice in such a short period of time?  Surely your comments and advice should speak volumes of your experience...

[olegil]

Hell yeah!
I'm on my second A500 and my second A1200.
The Access and the AmigaOne are still my original ones, though :-)

Of course an A3000 or an A4000 (forget the A2000, it might seem nice but there's too little you can do with it compared to the newer Amigas, e.g. PCI, PPC etc). is more professional, but I've never owned one. My A1200 has PCI and manages 1600x1200, 60Hz 32bit Workbench. Bit slow refresh due to old 21" screen and non-overclocked Voodoo 3 (would need to overclock somewhat AND buy a new screen to go much above 60Hz at that resolution, I think).

There's a lot of fun to be had with a stock A1200 as well, which is why I tried to get my old one operational again this week. So far, no luck :-(

However, I have an Access board that provides me with the fun I need from Aga games. And an A500 for oldies ;-)

[iamaboringperson]

But you have to tell people about your experience with micro computers from the 70's, people just arnt convinced these days by superior technical knowledge alone, you know.