Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!aunro!alberta!cpsc.ucalgary.ca!yogi.fhhosp.ab.ca!janus.mtroyal.ab.ca!ewilts From: ewilts@janus.mtroyal.ab.ca (Ed Wilts) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject: Re: Is the A3000 Really Worth Buying? An honest question. Message-ID: <1991May14.150548.8214@janus.mtroyal.ab.ca> Date: 14 May 91 21:05:48 GMT References: Organization: BC Systems Corporation, Victoria, B.C. Lines: 75 In article , jkh@MEEPMEEP.PCS.COM (Jordan K. Hubbard) writes: > > 1. The A3000 comes (typically) with a 25Mhz 68030, 2MB Agnus (+PAL/NTSC), > Enhanced Denise, 32 bit wide memory controller and built-in SCSI > interface, to quote some of its major features. > It provides several expansion slots, and has some internal room for 2 > additional drives. 2.0 and 1.3 are options. Amiga UX comes extra. Amiga UX is not available separately (yet). I'm not even sure if it has been announced as a separate product. 1.3 is available on Amiga 3000s sold today, but may not be when 2.0 gets burned into ROM. Two versions of the A3000 are available, one at 16 MHz, one at 25 MHz. Both 2 additional drive slots are 3.5". AmigaBasic is not included with the A3000... > 2. The A2000 comes with a 7Mhz 68000, 1MB Agnus (newer models) and normal > Denise. No special memory burst mode features, no clever 1.3/2.0 boot > options. Provides more slots than A3000 and is currently compatable More slots but more demand to put stuff into slots. The 3000 has on-board expansion for SCSI, memory (18 MB total), and the Flicker-Fixer. Basically, the A3000 is MORE expandable than the 2000 DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU USE YOUR EXPANSION SLOTS FOR. The 2000 has 1 extra 3.5" bay and 1 extra 5.25" bay; the A3000 has 2 extra 3.5" bays. The 2000 is a big winner for Bridgeboard slots. You may also consider the A3000T for expandibility. > with the video toaster and several other peripherals who's A3000 > compatability is currently in doubt (note: I'm not saying that things > will stay that way; they can't. But it's a current "feature" of the A2000 > that should be mentioned, to be fair). Amiga UX is not yet announced. It's a current "BUG" in the Toaster. They violated board layout specs. > Now if we look at the cost of a 68030 upgrade (which have become much more > aggressively priced, thanks to the A3000) + Enhanced Denise + 2.0 ROMS > (which will probably be installed on a switcher board with the original 1.3 > ROMS, by most folks) + SCSI Controller + Flicker fixer, you're probably > looking at another DM3000, at conservative estimate. This brings the total > price up to around DM5000 (again, rounding up conservatively). This is pretty > competitive, considering that the only feature you're really missing > out on is the special memory controller. This will be offset somewhat, for > some people, by a 68000 fallback mode for unruly programs and additional > expansion capabilities. Relative importance is hard to judge, but > I would think that it would be far easier to put up with a slower > memory bus than it would be to deal with an software failure rate of > as little as 10%, especially if one of the failing programs was > a former workhorse for you. You also haven't allowed for the limitation of chip ram in the 2000. The A3000 allows for up to 2MB of chip; the A2000 for 1. And, more important for many users, you have hardware support from a single vendor in your A3000 solution., To get a comparable A2000 upgraded system at competitive pricing (which seems to be a primary concern of yours), you're most likely looking at least 3 or 4 vendors. If you end up with a hardware problem, you're going to have fun... You also can't price out either the ECS upgrade, nor the 2.0 upgrade, since neither is available yet. On the other hand, you could wait a few months until both of those are standard in 2000-based systems. Note that all A3000 fast memory is 32-bit memory; on the A2000, you will have some 16-bit on-board memory,. As for software compatibility, I have found VERY FEW programs that don't work for me. My big "workhorse" was Dr.T's KCS, and the upgrade for that arrived last week. Commodore is to be commended on their efforts with 2.0. I've only booted 1.3 for testing since I got my Amiga A3000 with 2.02 in March. All my "production" work is under 2.0. > ! Jordan > > PCS Computer Systeme GmbH, Munich, Germany -- .../Ed Preferrred: Ed.Wilts@BSC.Galaxy.BCSystems.Gov.BC.CA Ed Wilts Alternate: EdWilts@BCSC02.BITNET (604) 389-3430 B.C. Systems Corp., 4000 Seymour Place, Victoria, B.C., Canada, V8X 4S8