I'm tired of PC's, update an A1200 or wait OS4 hardware?

[balrogsoft]

Hi, i'm tired of PC's, i need for work, i work programming mobile and web-based videogames, and i can't make it on Amiga, but for home use, i want a machine to see movies, listen music, burn cd's/dvd's and browse the web, and maybe programming some games or utilities for Amiga. So the options are, update a A1200 (that was not updated since years, i still have a Blizzard 1230/50Mhz), or wait for a OS4 hardware, that maybe will never available. Another thing is that i want compatibility with old 1200 games and programs, then maybe the best option is a A1200 on a tower with PPC/060 acelerator, mediator, Voodoo 3 3000, and Sound Blaster.

I made some numbers on www.amigasuperbit.com, i can get a complete upgrade for 799 EUR:

Xtreme Box A1200 Tower + Keyboard adapt + PSU AT + Mediator + 1200 MMCD = 315 EUR
Blizzard PPC 603e 210Mhz/060 50Mhz without SCSI = 387 EUR
Voodoo 3 3000 PCI 16MB = 75 EUR
Sound Blaster 4.1 = 21.55 EUR

Total 799.02 EUR

Maybe i can get a cheap Voodoo and Sound Blaster on ebay, but it only decrease 50 or 60 EUR to the price.

If i choose the A1200 upgrade option, i can run 1200 games without problems? i can switch between AGA or Voodoo output without disconnecting Voodoo? The voodoo specifications says "MPEG-1,2 playback", so i can see VCD and SVCD without sound or video cuts with this machine? And how about Avi files (divx, xvid, mp4, ...)? You recommend me get a Blizzard PPC 603e with SCSI (it's about 80 EUR more expensive, maybe i can save some money buying PCI cards on ebay, and get a SCSI version)?

The other option is wait for OS4 Hardware, but i will not get 1200 compatibility, or not? and only motherboard probably will cost like the A1200 upgrade... so the question is, what i can made? upgrade an A1200 or wait OS4 hardware?

Thanks you guys...

[balrogsoft]

First, thanks for your help, i saw good and bad arguments for the upgrade option, i know that Amiga don't have a good browser, but i have my P4 2.6Ghz notebook (that i need for work, it don't work very nice last weeks, but it works) for webs that i can't visit with my Amiga.

About video player functions, if i can view SVCD or at least VCD is enough for me, i remember a VCD spanish movie published on a PC magazine and works on a 486, i think that a PPC 603e with a voodoo is enough for VCD or SVCD, or i'm wrong?. I read that mpeg2 pci decoders that have a EM8400 processor are also compatible with mediator, someone have a MPEG pci card on mediator?

I know that a A1200 with PPC will never be a today computer, but i really like Amiga, i had one since 1989, i left Amiga world on 2001 and i returned on 2005 again. I used PC's only four years, i used Amiga more years, and i want bring to my Amiga 1200 more years of use, and a A1200 with a blizzard 1230/50Mhz with 50 Mb of memory don't give me all functions that i use at home.

I used WinUAE a lot, but a PPC isn't emulated, and windows is at background, i never saw a smoth 2d scroll under windows, it have small jumps, and Amiga have scroll by hardware, i know that scroll isn't the most important thing, but is an example of things that i will never get with UAE. I think that emulators is not the solution of my needs.

I read about PowerVixxen accelerators, but it will be compatible with mediator? because an Amiga without pci slots isn't very usefull. And how is the stage of production? it was showed a prototype on any Amiga show event? it will have 68k compatibility like a blizzard with PPC/060?

About A1 systems, on the Spanish shop that i will buy the hardware, the AmigaOne XE G3 800Mhz motherboard with linux and OS4 price is 798 EUR, the same price that the A1200 upgrade, but i need the tower, and PCI cards for graphics and sound, RAM... I made some calcs and i can get an A1 system for 926 EUR, 200 EUR of difference if i got the pci cards for mediator on ebay... and exist more software for A1200 with PPC, i don't know very well, i didn't know the software available for OS4.

I tried other x86 OS's but i never found the ideal OS's, maybe is something psychological. And AROS is not an alternative now, maybe in the future AROS will be great, but at the moment isn't an option.

One question more, last workbench version that can run an A1200 with PPC is WB 3.9, the OS run on PPC or on the 68k processor? Exist WB replacements to run on PPC (MorphOS, WarpOS?

Thanks again, and sorry for all the questions, but i will spent a lot of money and i want be sure what i bought...

[balrogsoft]

The problem is not the config of WinUAE, is Windows and its processes or tasks, if i open task manager i see 47 processes and only with 100mb of ram free of 512 mb that i have, only internet explorer opened, you are playing a 2d game (not only UAE, other 2d games running with DirectX), and sometimes it have little stops on the scroll, and with all programs closed, like antivirus and other programs. But as i said this is not the most important thing. I tired of PC's for other reasons...

[balrogsoft]

Waccoon wrote:
It is possible to get smooth scrolling on a Windows platform, but most Windows programmers don't bother with VSync, unfortunately.  It never ceases to amaze me that Windows gamers will boast about 100+ frames per second, oblivious to the fact that if the framerate isn't in sync with the display, the game will look WORSE.

Yes, VSync must solve some problems on scroll, but i think the effect i described is not VSync related, because i know the effects of a game not synchronized with vertical raster, i saw some pc gamers that set VSync off to get more FPS, but i prefer get less FPS and better quality, 40 or 50 FPS is more than enough to play a game, GTA for PSP runs at 25-30 FPS and it look very nice (without mention the problem with screen refresh rate of PSP).

I saw PegasosII board, and it seems very interesting, i decided to wait for OS4 hardware, i don't need a new Amiga now, i can wait some months more, if on this time i don't see news about new hardware, maybe i will get a PegasosII board, it's the perfect alternative to OS4 hardware.

Thanks to all guys...

[balrogsoft]

Hi, i was searching an A1 motherboard when i found this:

G3S600 G3-se@600 Mhz, 128 Mb, 80 Gb, ATI Radeon 9200 64 Mb, SB Live Pci, Dvd Rom 16x, floppy, keyboard + mouse PS/2 for 900 EUR

And i found also this:

AmigaOne G3-SE G3 750CXe @ 600 Mhz - Formato ATX for 670 EUR
AmigaOne G4-xe G4 7451 @ 800 Formed Mhz for 840 EUR

I sent an email to the shop to confirm the stock, at the moment i didn't received the confirmation.

What do you think about these motherboard and the config? is enough for my needs?

Thanks again.

[balrogsoft]

Hi, the shop where i found the A1 motherboards don't response at the moment, and i ask about A1 stock on amigasuperbit, and i got an interesting information, they said that eyetech will not have new motherboards until may-june, they don't know what models will be available, but it seem that new A1 hardware will be produced on a few months, they said that this is the information that Amiga distributors can give to the clients. Interesting news, i hope that it will be true.