The Best Amiga Computer Is An A3000?

[Speelgoedmannetje]

amigadave wrote:

Like many others have written, all Amiga computers are great and the best Amiga is the one in your own home.

Which of the four? :-D

[TjLaZer]

The reason you don't see any installed in an A3000 on eBay is because the 1.76mb Floppy is such a highly sought item on its own it is always removed and kept, or sold separately. I have seen them go for insane prices on eBay (for more money than an A500 or A1000 that is complete sometimes). Specially the ones with the A3000 style button.

Yeah I realize that but AFAIK the A3000 did not come standard with a 1.76MB Floppy drive. (Not all came with it like the A4000) It was an extra dealer add on or upgrade from C=.  Is that not correct?  I think what this thread is about, is which Amiga was the best from C=.  Not which Amiga, once upgraded and hacked, is the best.  They can all be frankensteined to be great machines, but that is not the point.  I really do like the A3000 series.  I have a A3000D and A3000T.  Both are great.  But from my observations here are the major weak points:

1.  Memory--hard to find and replace Zip RAM.  What a PITA.
2.  Kickstart--hard to upgrade, the hardest of any Amiga. (Other than the 1000) (ROM tower, wrong silk screening on MB, Regular vs ROM tower ROMs, etc)
3.  Buggy chipset. (Buster 7, DMAC, Ramsey, etc)
4.  Crammed case (Heat issues, lack of space, some zorro cards did not fit right and needed to be hacked)
5.  Flakey Chinnon floppy drives (seems all the micro switches go bad, hard to replace mech)
6.  Lack of room for most CPU cards, the drive bay had to be hacked
7.  No IDE (yes that's right LOL)

Other than that it is a great machine!!    :lol:

[leirbag28]

@anybody

THe BEST Amiga to own IF you want to upgrade to the max........is the A4000  PERIOD!  it is THEE Amiga to own and next inline is the A1200.


Most Complete Multimedia: CD32 with SX32 Pro
Most compatible: A1200 w/ 68030 50mhz.
Most Hackable: A500.  
The coolest: A600
The Ugliest: A2000
Most Powerful: A4000
Most Stupidest: A1500
Originalest: A1000
Most able to save Commodore if done right: CDTV

@TjLaZer

I have TONS of what I believe to be ZIP ram chips lying around...........I have alot!   if anyone wants them for their A3000...........they are FREE!

I am not 100% sure they are ZIPS...........but I do know they fit into the GVP A500 harddrves.........Dont know if they are compatible or if they work.   I got them fro ancient PC computers.

[Zac67]

@leirbag

YOU'VE GOT ZIPS? I've been looking for them for years, but not willing to pay 30€+. The A3k needs (51)4400 or (slightly better) 514402.

@TjLaZer
I was selling Amigas until C='s demise (and a bit after) - all but the very first A3ks had HD drives - at least the 25 MHz models, never sold a 16 MHz. The only option you had was a 50 MB or a 105 MB Quantum - at least here in Germany.

[taunusand]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:

amigadave wrote:

Like many others have written, all Amiga computers are great and the best Amiga is the one in your own home.

Which of the four? :-D

I Agree  :-D
Why are we collecting?  :-?
BIG question  :-P

[A4000_Mad]

leirbag28 wrote:
THe BEST Amiga to own IF you want to upgrade to the max........is the A4000 PERIOD! it is THEE Amiga to own and next inline is the A1200.


Most Complete Multimedia: CD32 with SX32 Pro
Most compatible: A1200 w/ 68030 50mhz.
Most Hackable: A500.
The coolest: A600
The Ugliest: A2000
Most Powerful: A4000
Most Stupidest: A1500
Originalest: A1000
Most able to save Commodore if done right: CDTV

I own an Ugliest and a Stupidest :bigcry:

I notice that the A3000 isn't even in your list. If you had to add it and give it a label, what would it be?

[adolescent]

TjLaZer wrote:
Yeah I realize that but AFAIK the A3000 did not come standard with a 1.76MB Floppy drive.

Mine did.  Bought it that way brand new from Creative Computers here in Redondo Beach.  Standard 030/25MHz, 2MB RAM, 50MB Quantum, etc.

[McVenco]

leirbag28 wrote:

I have TONS of what I believe to be ZIP ram chips lying around...........I have alot!   if anyone wants them for their A3000...........they are FREE!

If they truly are ZIP chips that work in an A3000, I'll take 2 full sets to fill my A3000s!

[krize]

How to discuss something like this ?!? The A4000 is clearly the better one, AGA is needed for all new demos and all the good old games...

[McVenco]

krize wrote:

How to discuss something like this ?!? The A4000 is clearly the better one, AGA is needed for all new demos and all the good old games...

AGA needed for all the good old games? So you mean there are no good OCS/ECS games (or demos)? What bs... :roll:

Personally, all my favourite games and demos run perfectly on a 1MB A500.

[amiga92570]

Demos, if you want to watch demos go to Youtube.com.  :lol:

[Tomas]

It is indeed regarded by many as the best model. It does however lack the AGA chipset due to it being older than the a1200 and the a4000. It all depends on what you are going to use it for..

[Tomas]

Yes, but that's the only thing it is missing.

I thought it also lacked SCSI and instead had a slower IDE controller?

[leirbag28]

@A4000_Mad


THe A3000 I would say is the Most PC looking Amiga............it looks nothing like anything that would have came from Commodore.............looks like a PC Junior or some X86 clone.  Also I think the Software Kickstart was a bad idea. The one thing they did right was ad both RGB and VGA output simultaneously.........this means you can have a Genlock connected while viewing everything on a VGA monitor.

I also dont like the memory type...........THey should have been 72pin SIMMS



Bythe way.........can someone please post a picture here of what ZIP chips look like?   Cuz what I got are not actual chips...........they are memory modules that look like Mini SIMMS...............the same kind that goes into the A500 GVP Harddrive cards.

I have seen Zorro Cards that take these types of SIMMS
or DIPS or whatever they are called

[Zac67]

ZIPs look like this:

(sorry for the shameless relink)
The chip package stands on edge and the pins are aligned in a zig-zag fashion.

I think you mean SIPs - they're like 30 pin SIMMs, but with legs.

[leirbag28]

@Zac67

Yikes!  Thanks for the pic!  But what the heck possesed Commodore to come up with such trash for Memory??

I definitely dont have that...........what I got must be SIPS?