mehguy Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 (edited) i'm looking for a 16 bit microcomputer (more of a fan of games from this era) that's 50 dollars or under and is relatively easy to find. Oh, and it can't be a dos machine. I don't want to do importing and all that stuff, so that scratches the amiga right there.... Edited September 29, 2014 by mehguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 TI-99/4A is a great 16-bit computer and within your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Good luck. You're gonna need it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mehguy Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 TI-99/4A is a great 16-bit computer and within your budget. That's 16 bit? Are there any computers out there that a little bit like the amiga? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 My vote is for the Amiga. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Atari was the original Amiga... Wait for Lotharek to finish his 816 Rapidus accelerator and you have 16 bit computer with excellent connectivity. I can pull the CF card from my Atari and pop it in my Dell Precision 690 and Windows will read / write to it. Also SIO2PC makes it really easy to download files from the 'Net to the Atari. Much better and FASTER than that 99/4A You could also consider an Atari ST, but I really don't like the poorly built Tramiel era stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mehguy Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 Atari was the original Amiga... Wait for Lotharek to finish his 816 Rapidus accelerator and you have 16 bit computer with excellent connectivity. I can pull the CF card from my Atari and pop it in my Dell Precision 690 and Windows will read / write to it. Also SIO2PC makes it really easy to download files from the 'Net to the Atari. Much better and FASTER than that 99/4A You could also consider an Atari ST, but I really don't like the poorly built Tramiel era stuff. I was considering the ST but I really don't see any for sale all that much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyHW Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 IntelliVision with keyboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 http://youtu.be/PWeO5IkCssk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWiOVa1R4m0 http://youtu.be/xICmtimRX-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3eLSnjiWYY 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 (edited) As much as I personally dislike the amiga, you may find it quite entertaining in this day and age. If the scene back then was like it is today I'da stuck with it. I got disappointed with all the BS advertising. So much of it was "pre-rendered" and hype and not available, nor practical, in the stock A500 out of the box. Anyway, with the Amiga, be sure to avoid the base 500. You'll want something more substantial. I'm busy now, perhaps someone can pipe up and recommend a configuration. To do the things in the videos, you'll need hundreds of dollars of extra hardware (thousands back in the day). My next choices would be a 520 or 1040 and then after that, a Mac Classic or Color Classic. I'm not qualified to comment on the 520/1040 machines; as I have little experience with them. I like the mac because so much is done in software and it has excellent documentation. Compared to the Ataris and Amigas, the mac is downright simplistic in hardware. Perhaps you might want to try something in emulation before splurging on real hardware? Edited September 30, 2014 by Keatah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mehguy Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 I would buy an amiga if it was cheaper and all the games weren't pal region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I would buy an amiga if it was cheaper and all the games weren't pal region. "All" of the games are not PAL. In fact, most ALL of the games you're likely to find for sale in America are NTSC. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertB Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 mehguy wrote: > i'm looking for a 16 bit microcomputer (more of a fan of games from this era) that's 50 dollars or under and is relatively easy to find. If you are in the Sacramento, California on Oct. 25-26 for the annual Amiwest Show, the Sacramento Amiga Computer Club will have Amigas out of their storage and will have them for sale on their table. You could probably pick up an Amiga 500 for $30 or so. Truly, Robert Bernardo Fresno Commodore User Group http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarian1 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 i'm looking for a 16 bit microcomputer (more of a fan of games from this era) that's 50 dollars or under and is relatively easy to find. Oh, and it can't be a dos machine. I don't want to do importing and all that stuff, so that scratches the amiga right there.... It would help if you can tell us where you are located. Since Atari STs and Amigas were readily available in North America, western Europe and Australia, I assume you are not in any of these locations since you don't want to "import" stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 First up, get the definition right. TI isn't any more 16-bit than Jaguar was 64-bit. Using the bus width of one subsystem to put a plaform among company it doesn't rightly belong with is all that is doing. At the low end for gaming and the like, you can't go past Amiga 500 or 600. 600 has the advantage that you can more easily interface CF and HDDs to it internally or at minimal expense. If you shop around, under $50 is achievable but don't expect too many extras with it. I've got both Amiga and ST. If you don't mind spending more money then a Falcon would be great but good luck finding anything much under $300 - when you consider what the machine can actually do you are paying much more for rarity and collector value than material/capability value. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seob Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 A more unusual pick would be the acorn archimedes. Don't have one because i don't beleive they where available in my country. But from what i have seen on youtube it is a powerfull system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mehguy Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 (edited) It would help if you can tell us where you are located. Since Atari STs and Amigas were readily available in North America, western Europe and Australia, I assume you are not in any of these locations since you don't want to "import" stuff. I'm in canada. Is it common to find an amiga at fleamarkets and thrift stores? Edited September 30, 2014 by mehguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 First up, get the definition right. TI isn't any more 16-bit than Jaguar was 64-bit. Using the bus width of one subsystem to put a plaform among company it doesn't rightly belong with is all that is doing. Guess you missed the subtle sarcasm, so I'll spell it out for you. Guy has a better chance of finding a TI-99 system (which includes a 16-bit CPU) for $50 or less, than he does an Amiga or just about any other 16/32 based system within that budget. Save for, and how could we forget... the ][gs! And no mehguy, Amiga's are not easy to find out in the wild (flea markets and thrift stores). Wish they were! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I made a brief search on eBay.com for Amiga and Atari ST, limiting searches for US Only and checking number of hits in Computing + Video Games (i.e. ignoring Books, Clothing, Music etc). Of course the search includes both computers, games and peripherals but at the moment I got 1346 hits for Amiga in mentioned categories, and 691 hits for Atari ST. If those figures in any way represent the actual supply, you should be able to find two Amiga items for every Atari ST item, but perhaps the latter are cheaper? Not considering oddball European and Japanese computers that would be both hard to find, rather expensive and with limited game libraries, I think it boils down to either of the big four: Amiga, Atari ST, Mac or the PC that you already disqualified. I've never considered old Macs to be gaming oriented, but I suppose it depends on which kind of games you like to play. If it wasn't for the PAL/NTSC thing, I think a good old A500 or for that matter 520 or 1040STxx would get you far, and often within your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatta Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I really like the Apple IIgs. It's not the best 16-bit computer, but it has a lot going for it. The library is smaller than the ST or Amiga, but it has a lot of classics that are really well done. And it's almost fully compatible with the IIe, so you get two computers in one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I'd suggest a 1040STFm. The "M" means you can go right to a TV for display. It has the built in floppy. Games can be made on a Windows PC with built in floppy drive. That is all you need to get started. From there if you want to get more into it you can get an RGB monitor. Maybe replace the STFm with a STe. Then put 4mb and an ultrasatan hdd on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I'm in canada. Is it common to find an amiga at fleamarkets and thrift stores? In about 20 years of regularly visiting thrift shops in three provinces (and occasionally also South of the 49th Parallel), I have *never* seen an Amiga (or an Atari ST) in a thrift shop. Perhaps 10 years ago, I saw an incomplete system dumped outside of a Canadian Diabetes Society donation bin in South Edmonton. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 (edited) In my part of the United States I dont think I have ever seen an amiga or ST out in the wild, sure maybe at the store, when they were brand new but... Similar power and sofware library vote for me would be a Mac II or similar era (you will need a monitor) Edited October 1, 2014 by Osgeld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mehguy Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 (edited) Just to confirm, the amiga 600 is the same as the 500 but smaller? I think ive settled on the amiga. But what are some good games and where can i find amiga games? EDIT: Better question, how do i set thuis stuff up? can i just hook it up to my tv? Edited October 1, 2014 by mehguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertB Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 (edited) mehguy wrote: > Just to confirm, the amiga 600 is the same as the 500 but smaller? The A500 usually came with OS 1.3 and OCS (the Original Chip Set) for certain video resolutions. Most Amiga games work with OS 1.3, although some require 1 meg of memory rather than the A500's 1/2 meg of memory. The A600 usually came with OS 2.05 and ECS (the Enhanced Chip Set) for more video resolutions. Some OS 1.3 games won't work with OS 2.05, but the A600 does have 1 meg of memory standard. A500 expansions won't work with the A600 and vice versa. The A500 is easier to repair, because the A600 depends on the harder-to-repair surface mount parts. However, the A600 can have an IDE hard drive/CompactFlash drive added to it relatively easily, whereas the A500 generally relies on older SCSI hard drive add-on's. Both machines can be expanded to OS 3.1 -- less compatible with floppy disk games but easier to use with hard drives. > I think ive settled on the amiga. But what are some good games and where can i find amiga games? Heh, good games are a matter of opinion, and I will leave that up to others. For floppy disk games, a good Commodore or Amiga club would have them. Since you are up in Canada, contact the Toronto PET User Group -- http://tpug.ca If you upgrade to OS 3.1 with a hard drive and if you expand to a bit more memory -- 4 megs or more -- you can run WHDLoad and all the many games which have been converted to run under OS 3.1. For memory expansions, see http://kipper2k.com/amigaforsale/ who is up in Canada. Also, the A600 has a PCMCIA port, you can add a memory card through there. > Better question, how do i set thus stuff up? can i just hook it up to my tv? The A500 has a composite video connector which only outputs a black-and-white (grayscale) signal. To get a color signal, you would need a RGB-to-composite adapter, like the Amiga 520 t.v./video modulator. The A600 has a composite video connector which outputs color. If you want RGB to VGA, there are more expensive solutions out there. In a nutshell, Robert Bernardo Fresno Commodore User Group http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm Edited October 1, 2014 by RobertB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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