dilemma

[amazing]

ok i'm getting confused of what  to do now
i own a a2000 stock
i can buy a a1200 infinitiv with no cd orwhatever in it 1.2gig h/d(but cheap)
or i can buy a a4000/040 25mhz 18mb mem and5 giga hd

what is the best of the 2?

[amiga_3k]

If it's a base A2000 you own, both the 4000 and 1200 are a big step forward.

It's not the 'extras' you should worry about too much: CD-drives, harddisks and the other industry-standard parts can be picked up rather cheap, both used and new.

What matters is what you're planning to do. I'd suggest you take a piece of paper, write down whatever you like to use on the machine in the near future and then look at the availability and pricing of add-ons. Think about PCI-bus-boards, ZORRO expansions... the lot.

Keep in mind that the A4000 has been targeted to the serious user, but for the 1200 far more expansions seem to be available.

If the 1200 comes with a zorro-expansion board I'd go for that.

[AmiDude]

Go for the A4000/040.  :-D

[amazing]

well u have to convince me why i should buy the a4000?
i'm new with the newer types
i bought a new a500 when it came out but now i have a a2000 for cheap but has nothing in it
i'm browsing the net for expansions but i get confused by everything
i see that the a1200 has an extra port for sd cards
but how do i see if its an zorro board?
etc etc

[Akiko]

Well depends what you mainly want to use it for?

The A4000 is the best of the two machines.

Both Amiga's have AGA graphics capabilities but the 4000 has a faster processor and memory.

Also the 4000 has a standard Zorro busboard for graphics cards etc but can be expensive.

The 1200 doesn't have a Zorro busboard so you would need to acquire something like a mediator from elbox. www.elbox.com

[AmiDude]

@amazing

Choose between A1200 or A4000...
A big part depends on personal taste.
A4000 expansions are very expensive though.

[amazing]

ok
so if i purchase a a1200 mainboard and put it in a tower
put on the right psu
i have a basic a 1200?

and then i can expand it with mediatorboards?

thx again for the fast reply

[Tomas]

I would go for the a4000.. Since you can atleast expand it somewhat without moving it into a tower and replacing the cpu. The a1200 psu is too weak for basically any expansion and you also need to move it into a tower due to lack of space.

But if you dont have anything against this, then the a1200 might be a good choice as expansions are easy to come by.

[Akiko]

That  infinitiv tower case you mention should be compatible with the mediator 1200 busboard.

Also worth mentioning a basic 1200 only has a 020 14MHz processor, so you would also need to find atleast a 030 accelerator card to make it all work.

I think your best option is go for the 4000. It already has a decent enough processor and memory and ready for Zorro graphics cards and other expansions.

If you still want a mediator there is also a version available for the 4000D so you can still benefit from cheaper PCI graphics and sound cards etc.

http://www.elbox.com/products/mediator_pci_4000di.html

[amiga_3k]

@Akiko:

He could also go for the A1200, get a dirt-cheap A1200 accelerator board for it and start playing. When he arrives at a point where he wants more, he still can get the Mediator PCI expansion for the A1200.

@Amazing:
Keep in mind that certain Amiga ZORRO expansions are near impossible to get hold of these days. Most noteable are the GFX cards for ZORRO Amigas. I've seen on eBay that it seems easier to get hold of an Blizzard PPC accelerator and Blizzard Vision (both intended only for use with Amiga 1200s) then to get a Cyberstorm PPC with Cybervision or Picasso IV (intended for use in Big-box Amigas like A3000 and A4000). My feeling says that for the most Amiga users an A1200 with Blizzard PPC and BlizzardVision is enough to get a lot of fun with. If you're lucky (please, I need some extra backing on this from other Amiga.org members) the PCMCIA slot of the A1200 still functions with the Blizzard PPC enabling you to use a rather cheap ethernet solution.

With the A1200 in a tower, adding CD-Drive and HD-Drives bigger then 2.5" should be no problem.