Mediator PCI Busboards

[DrDekker]

I'm going to be towerising my A1200 sometime in the near future and just wondering if there's anyone who has experience of either (or both) the Mediator 1200LT4 or Mediator 1200SX busboards?

What I'd ideally like to know is which is the better of the two (apart from the SX having two more PCI slots) and whether the Mediators are compatible with the M-Tech 1230 accelerator.

Also, do the Mediators come complete with through connector for an accelerator?

Cheers

Dekker  

[amigakit]

Both the Mediator 1200SX and Mediator 1200LT4 come with a pass through connector for the accelerator.  Both boards also come supplied with the latest Multimedia CD.

[Ianoakley]

There is no difference between the two boards apart from the extra slots as you say, just depends what you use. My Mediator Lt houses a graphics and sound card, network card and spider USB. A word of advice is that the graphics cards are difficult to purchase in PCI form so make that your priority before you purchase your Mediator.
In terms of towerising your Amiga the D Box and the mediator fit like a glove.
In answer to your last question yes an accelerator can still be used.
You will not be disappointed if you go ahead with this upgrdade.
 :-)

[DrDekker]

@Amigakit - thanks for clarifying the issue of the through connector.  I was a little unsure as the advert for the through connector states that one is included with the Mediators, but it's not stated in the adverts for the Mediators!

@Ianoakley - thanks for the advice and info.  I've got quite a bit of old PC 'tat' that may be suitable for use with a Mediator.

For the graphics side I've got an old Voodoo Banshee - possibly not the best of cards, but should still be workable.  I've also got two Voodoo 2000 cards that can be paired up to double the processing power - is it possible to use these in the Mediator?

What kind of performance should I expect from a Voodoo Banshee (16Mb)?  I realise that I won't be able to display games through the card, but will I be able to display hires workbench screens?  If so, this would be great as I could hook up the Amiga to my TFT via the VGA connector to display the 30KHz+ stuff and connect the Amiga's composite out to my PC's PVR2000 tv card and display the 15KHz stuff via the DVI connector (using Winfast TV).

On the audio side I've got the choice of a Creative soundblaster, a Sonic Vortex 2 and an Opti - based card.  Can any of these be used with the Mediator?

[amigakit]

Here is the full list of everything that works with the Mediator:

http://www.elbox.com/mdg.html

[humppa]

There is no difference between the two boards apart from the extra slots as you say, just depends what you use.

Not entirely true. The SX uses an ATX power connector while the LT4 uses an obsolete AT connector.
If you plan to use a modern (silent?) ATX PSU without adaptors, get the SX. There is even a tool that lets you power off the Amiga with a click from the Workbench.

[DrDekker]

@Amigakit - thanks for the link.  Great to see that there's plenty of PC kit that's supported.

@Humppa - Is the A1200 powered up via the Mediator or is a hacked Amiga power connector still required?

If it is that the A1200 does receive its juice through the Mediator, then this coupled with the two extra PCI slots does make the SX a much more attractive proposition than I first thought (despite its £50 extra cost over the LT4).

[amigakit]

Yes the Amiga is powered up by the Mediator through the pass through connector.

If you intend to add a Spider USB and TV/Radio card to your Mediator then the extra 2 slots are useful.

[Ianoakley]

Sorry forgot the SX had an ATX connection. Obviously it depends what type of power supply your tower has. If ATX and you go for the LT version you will need an ATX > AT convertor which is £16.99.

I initially used that convertor so I could put an ATX power supply in my Power Tower but eventually settled on the D BOX so made use of it by purchasing the Mediator Lt.

[whiteb]

amigakit wrote:
Yes the Amiga is powered up by the Mediator through the pass through connector.

If you intend to add a Spider USB and TV/Radio card to your Mediator then the extra 2 slots are useful.

MUCH cheaper at http://www.vesalia.de/

[nadoom]

i have a realtek network card 10mbps pci if some one wants it pm me! its free

[doctorq]

MUCH cheaper at www.vesalia.de

Ehh, have you actually tried calculating this? The Mediator LT4 and Mediator SX costs the same in both stores, the Spider USB is £5 extra at amigakit.com.