New A4000 - which graphics and monitor solution?

[captainmoomoo]

Hi,

Having never even touched an A4000 in my life, I'm now the proud owner of an A4000D/040 which happens to be in pristine condition! I got it on ebay from this seller: Johan4771

I'm now trying to get the system into a usable state, starting with its video output. At the moment, I can't even fully test the system as I don't have the proper connectors/adapters for my TV/VGA monitor.

Eventually, I want to be able to use the system on a single LCD monitor, for both Workbench and games (via WHDLoad).

What would be the best solution for me to get this set up and running? Like, should I get mediator+pci graphics card, or a zorro graphics card. Pros and cons etc.

Towerising the Amiga is not an option for me, as I love the original case too much! Nor is having two displays on my desk.

[pan1k]

I've got an A4000 on the way. I bought a Cybervision64/3D card for it.. will work fine for most workbench screens, but wont work for native screenmodes, you will need to find a scandoubler...(good luck!) Games and certain older apps use native screenmodes, a TV should be able to handle that, but I don't think the A4K had composite out.....

[amigadave]

You need to find an external Scan Doubler/Flicker Fixer, or
a Zorro Graphics card that has the SD/FF built-in.  The best
is the Picasso IV, but make sure it has the SD/FF, as some
of them do not (apparently).  Other options do not allow the
Native screen to be displayed on your modern LCD screen.

Hope that helps, and congratulations on your A4000.
(make that congrats to both of you new A4000 owners)

[captainmoomoo]

What if I use the dblPal or VGAOnly screenmodes? Would I then be able to use my regular LCD monitor, and still be able to play games using WHDLoad? I.e. does WHDLoad make my games OS-friendly?

[amigadave]

No, WHDLoad does not make all games display the same resolution as Workbench. (AFAIK)

[Flashlab]

No WHDLoad won't be able to do that.

But another option would be to use a LCD TV which can also be used as VGA monitor. You have to switch manually between the two inputs but you only have one screen on your desk.

[arkpandora]

Note that in order to display PAL screen modes on a LCD monitor, in addition to a scan doubler or flicker-fixer you will need a LCD monitor that is able to display a 50 Hz horizontal refresh rate.  My LCD monitor for example can only display a 56-75 Hz range.

[McVenco]

captainmoomoo wrote:

I got it on ebay from this seller: Johan4771

Ugh, not him again. This is one of the people who buys Amiga stuff in Holland for next to nothing, and sells it for top money on Ebay.

He also almost never does it with auctions, only with Buy It Now. Or, sometimes he sells an item with a BIN of 250 euro, and a starting bid of 200 or something. Now that's just plain thievery.

People like this are one of the reasons why Amiga hardware is so darn expansive....

[iMacMiga]

Workbench graphics are pretty easy - you just need an RTG video card (I recommend a Cybervision 64 (or 64/3D), Picasso II or IV or a Spectrum. Various members of LAG have used all of these with Cybergraphx 4 and/or Picasso96 RTG packages and they work really well. Picasso96 is favoured for a Workbench driver for RTG as it's free to download donationware. Cybergraphx 4 is payware but it produces slightly better performance on some cards.

For native modes I recommend picking up an RGB -> XGA upscale box (NOT the cheap 40 quid Composite only ones - they really aren't a patch on the RGB ones). I use a CYP Presenter1 which cost around 100 GBP. It's a lot but a decent SD/FF will cost you as much at the moment, and a upscale unit takes SCART (some also take Component) rather than 23-pin Amiga so you can use it with any TV appliance or games console you have a SCART cable for. I've used a PS2 with mine happily.
If you want an internal solution you'll have to pay big bucks anyway, and they are hard to find. I was fortunate enough to get a Scandi SD only card for my 4000 that came with my CV64. Amiga SD/FFs don't all work with LCD screens as scandoubling only outputs 50Hz by 31.5KHz video signal. Some LCDs won't interpret that. Lukily my Samsung 17" LCD will. The external upscale unit I use works fine with anything as it remaps the video to 60Hz (hence why they cost a lot ).

McVenco: the guy has zero negative feedback from 129 transactions and the kit he is selling all looks in exemplary condition. You can't blame the guy for making a bit of  money out of a hobby can you? In any other line of work it's called 'business' I'll admit some of the prices are more than I'd pay but if the customers that use him were feeling ripped off I'm sure they'd have made that clear through the proper channels by now...?

[arkpandora]

People like this are one of the reasons why Amiga hardware is so darn expansive...

I think the only blameworthy Amiga owners nowadays are those who throw their Amiga in the bin.

[iMacMiga]

I think the only blameworthy Amiga owners nowadays are those who throw their Amiga in the bin.

Indeed. Amiga kit is getting rare and it's very readily sought after, and it's nice to see new folks still interested in getting hold of Classic gear. The prices are high because of demand and people willing to pay that for the kit. Don't get all uppity just because the platform is popular

[McVenco]

iMacMiga wrote:

You can't blame the guy for making a bit of  money out of a hobby can you?

I doubt if it's a 'hobby'. I've never seen him on any Amiga forum or whereever. He just buys Amiga gear, cleans it up a bit, and sells it for a lot more money... On the dutch ads site www.marktplaats.nl he (and others) keeps bidding on stuff, which then appears on Ebay a while later. If people want to buy Amiga stuff for their own use, fine. If people sell that stuff again after a while to get something else, fine as well. But when people buy Amiga stuff ONLY to make a profit out of it, that just annoys me to death.

and

[AmiDude]

@McVenco
Stop whining about it and pull yourself together.
In almost every thread you complain about that eBay
is so expensive. Don't bother us with it if you can't
afford to pay the prices they ask. Heck, they make money
out of everything, not just Amiga stuff...
Please get a grip on yourself...

[captainmoomoo]

Hi All,

Thanks for the valuable feedback.

OK, so if using the VGAOnly or dblPal drivers would not be an effective solution, it means I have to invest in a proper graphics card solution.

What would meet my requirements better: a Zorro graphics card, or a Mediator + PCI graphics card? Keeping in mind that I want to do both Workbench AND relive my childhood by playing old games through WHDLoad.

Would WHDLoad work with that solution?

About Johan on ebay: I paid €400 (about £285) including shipping and handling. For what came in the machine, perhaps it is a bit pricey. However, the machine looks like new, and I mean BRAND NEW. That was a very important decision making factor for me, as I have been previously put off by better specced, but "dirty looking" Amigas.

[Flashlab]

Mediator won't be able to display native Amiga displays so you'll need a different monitor/tv for that or use the solution I mentioned earlier. You could also use a monitor switcher but you need to switch between displays manually.

As for Zorro graphics cards only the PicassoIV and the Cybervision64/3D have a scandoubler option that will allow you to see the display on a VGA monitor. Some other cards (like Piccolo SD64) have a monitor passthrough and will switch automatically between native Amiga screens and graphics card screens but you need a seperate scandoubler for that to work on VGA monitors.

One of the best cards is the PicassoIV IMHO, but it's expensive.