Which leads to a better amiga experience?

[bd1308]

Hello. I've been following this forum for a while now. I've always loved the amiga -- a teacher at my high school used one back in the early 90s to produce a television news program for the high school which I was involved in. The amiga sat dormant, however i've always thought the video toaster/ flyer was the coolest piece of equipment ive seen. Two years ago, I bought an amiga 4000D with toaster card and flyer card, octopus cable and 3 9GB SCSI drives. I couldn't ever find enough room to set everything up, so it is currently in storage. I also bought a A1200 with a 68060 card. I played around with the unit, and loved AmigaOS 3.1. One day my box of amiga stuff ( i was cleaning up) got mistaken for trash and got thrown away. Lost the octopus cable, the 68060 acclerator, among other things.

However, I have some space, and was wondering if :
A) is it even worth setting up the 4000D with the flyer/toaster ?
B) Would the amiga experience be better on a 4000 or a hopped up 1200 (1200 with 68030)?
C) What would be required to get the 4000 online? ( the 1200 only needed a cheap PCMCIA card)

I appreciate your time and look forward to some responses.

By the way, I am 24. I'm apart of the next generation of amiga users And I collect and restore vintage macs and now amigas

[ElPolloDiabl]

You will probably find the stock A1200 better for disk based games. Otherwise stick with the 4000.

Many people have mentioned that everything is HD now, but that shouldn't stop
you adding effects to your home movies.

To get on the net you will need a TCP/IP program and a browser both should be available from Aminet.
I assume you will want an ethernet connection... someone else will help you there.

[persia]

"Worth" isn't really a question in a hobby.  Something is "worth" exactly how much interest you have in doing it.  f you like the idea of playing with a VT, by all means set it up.  Most of what you learn with video toaster is transferable to a modern video editor, should you find video editing something that you like to do.  

But I have to concur with the previous poster an a 1200 beefed up is the ultimate Amiga experience.

You might also want to play with UAE, which is most advanced in it's Windows implementation.  It does a better job at being an Amiga than any existing Amiga but some folks don't like it because want the old hardware feel.  Just remember it's your hobby and in spite of what you read here there's no right or wrong way to go about it.

[countzero]

C) What would be required to get the 4000 online? ( the 1200 only needed a cheap PCMCIA card)

A X-Surf or a Deneb (+ USB Ethernet dongle)

[bd1308]

I'm in the camp that believes a computing experience can only be fully realized on actual hardware.

I have the 4000, but getting that up and running I think will cost more than getting a 1200 up and running.

I'm hoping to catch a line on a good deal for a 1200 system. I got most of my mac stuff from a few people of the previous computing generation passing the torch to the new generation.

People my age have never seen an Amiga. Let alone own one.

[tone007]

No reason to say a 1200 is any better than a 4000, really, they'll both run the same games and software, but the 4000 starts off with a faster processor and is easier to expand.  If yours works, it's probably ready to run WHDload which is really all you need these days, while a basic 1200 would require some upgrading first to run it well.

I personally didn't see the point in owning both, one is as good as the other to me unless you're in a really cramped area that calls for a 1200-sized machine.

[Arkhan]

The only plus youll get from an A1200 vs. an A4000 is that getting a 1200 on the internets is cheaper with a wifi card.   I've spotted compatible cards for 10-20$ on ebay before.  Theyre just PCMCIA wifi cards.

4000's need a zorro card that costs a shitload more in comparison.

also like Tone said, the A1200 is a wedgeboard, so if you have no room for a clunkerthunk desktop or tower, that will be your better bet.

[save2600]

The A4000 may turn out to be problematic for you also in the long run. It's famous for having its capacitors fail (audio section and A3640 board) so be prepared for that costly scenario (trip to France or New Zealand if you aren't electronically inclined).

If you already have a working A4000 though, no sense in upgrading your A1200. Anyone that recommends that particular scenario is pretty goofy, drunk or high on something. lol

FWIW: Countzero, Fanscale & Tone's advice are very sound.

Since you have both, I'd make sure the battery is good/replaced/not leaking on the A4000. Sell your A1200 and purchase a Deneb card for your A4000. This makes the most economical sense IMO. A1200 is a money pit and you'll never be happy with it. Sorry sports fans, just my opinion. IF you hadn't of lost your 060 card, I'd speak differently - maybe. But I digress. Invest in your A4000, get her up and running and push her to her limits.

You already have a great Amiga foundation it sounds like!

Come to think of it, screw all my advice. Sell ME your A4000 for peanuts, since it's not really worth anything and go full bore with your A1200...  :lol:

[klx300r]

The A4000 may turn out to be problematic for you also in the long run. It's famous for having its capacitors fail (audio section and A3640 board) so be prepared for that costly scenario (trip to France or New Zealand if you aren't electronically inclined).

The A1200 audi caps are a must do job as well nowadays:(..do a quick search here and you'll see it's a very common problem though I must agree it's an easier job to repalce them on a 1200 then on a 4000

[save2600]

A1200 failing caps are as problematic as A4000's? I didn't think so, but not surprising. Oh and forgot to mention that Amigakit in the U.K. also has a cap replacing service now  

[Ami_GFX]

In an absolute sense, the A4000 is the best. But I would not dream of connecting my Amigas to the Internet, that is not what they were meant for as far as I am concerned. On the other hand a cheap wifi card would have it's advantages for you and I would advise you to keep both and if you get the space and the money for it, get and ECS A2000 or A3000 and you will have a fuller Amiga experience. Better is a bit more subjective. All I can say is that, as computers go, Amigas are fun and which one works best for you and gives you the most fun really depends on what you want to do with it.