What's the best Tandy 1000 model to get for gaming?...

[ataridave]

I'm assuming that most games for the Tandy 1000 series of computers came out on 5.25" disks, not 3.5" disks. Part of the reason why I ask is that external Tandy drives (I don't know if they have to be that brand or not.) seem nearly impossible to find.

 

 

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[JamesD]

I like the HX and EX all in one models... but RAM expansions, IDE boards, etc... for the non-standard slot setup are impossible to find.
I wouldn't buy one unless it came with a RAM expansion already in it.

I favor the later pizza box models like the RL which comes with an 8086 clocked at something like 9MHz
Check the software to see if that will run what you want.
<edit>
And I think the RL uses 3.5" disks so you'll need to go with an older model.

Edited May 28, 2016 by JamesD

[ataridave]

What does the RAM expansion do, help the games run faster?

 

 

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[+chicgamer]

Some games required the RAM expansions to run, since the amount of memory available in the base computer wasn't enough to load the games.

 

My old Tandy 1000 EX only had 256K in the base unit, which we eventually upgraded to 640K. The extra RAM allowed me to play games like Rampage, which required the additional RAM.

[jhd]

Some Tandy machines allocate system RAM to the video card. I had a 1000 SL. It had 384K RAM, but a chunk of that was not available to DOS, so it was more like a 256K machine in reality.

 

Even some of the included Deskmate software required additional RAM for optimal performance.

[digress]

The tandy 1000tl and possibly the sl could get an additional 128kb of ram installed. Which brough it up to 768 kb . This 128kb could then be assigned for the video memory and allow you close to 640kb to play games or run applications. You could even reduce the video memory being used down to 16kb and have more room than a standard pc.

 

Some Tandy machines allocate system RAM to the video card. I had a 1000 SL. It had 384K RAM, but a chunk of that was not available to DOS, so it was more like a 256K machine in reality.

 

Even some of the included Deskmate software required additional RAM for optimal performance.

[jhd]

Yes, but the extra RAM should really have been standard.

 

I spent much time searching for a RAM expansion for my 1000 SL -- Radio Shack did not stock it (at least locally), and none of the independent computer stores sold the correct chips. This was back in the early-1990s, so ordering online was not an option.

[Turbo-Torch]

Adding the full 640K to any PC from the 80s would have jacked up the price hundreds of dollars. I was happy to buy a PC I could afford and expand it later on as needed. A $600 EX (and later an SL) worked for me as a high school student working 30 hours a week.

 

I was able to buy any upgrade I needed for any of my TRS-80/Tandy systems from either of my 2 local RS Computer Centers. They were around from the early 80s and well into the 90s. Yes, they were expensive but their sale prices were usually reasonable. Once the system was a few years old, they practically gave stuff away. I personally never had an issue buying anything I needed for a Tandy product. Furthermore, RS sold tech manuals and individual repair parts for all their equipment; a Model III power switch, contrast control, 48K keyboard emblem...no problem, and if it wasn't in stock, they'd have it in a few days.

 

Lastly, there was the Computer Shopper magazine. If someone doesn't know what that is, they simply weren't into computers back then.

If I needed to populate an expansion card to a full 768K, that's were I'd order my RAM for 1/10 the price of any local stores. Printers, monitors, sound cards, Hard Cards etc. all ordered from Computer Shopper ads. I loved that magazine; great tech articles and reviews along with sale ads for everything from the 70s to the latest technology...so big it would take a full month to go from cover to cover.

[digress]

Yes, but the extra RAM should really have been standard.

 

I spent much time searching for a RAM expansion for my 1000 SL -- Radio Shack did not stock it (at least locally), and none of the independent computer stores sold the correct chips. This was back in the early-1990s, so ordering online was not an option.

yes, it was frustrating when I found several games requiring 640kb off the shelf that would not run even though my system had 640 kb.

 

I eventually ordered away to the states for the chips around 1990 through one of the adds inside a compute magazine and got them.