Crc_Error Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Just purchased a 65XE for $40 with original box, packaging, RF switchbox and RCA composite cable. Plugged it in and everything is working perfectly. I currently also have an 800XL with the UAV upgrade which I have done on it only. If one was to add all the super great hardware upgrades (U1MB, Sophia 2, Pokey Sound Upgrades, etc.) that are available out there for the A8's which machine between these two would you upgrade, the 800XL or the 65XE, and why? Is the 800XL and 65XE basically the same other than the 65XE not having the PBI on the back? My 65XE only has the cartridge slot on the back. Thank you so much for all the info. you guys have given me over the past few months as I have slowly gotten back into the vintage A8's. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Well, they're really similar, but not quite the same machine. The thing is, with the 800XL it's almost certainly partially socketed, and there's a decent chance that it may be fully socketed, making upgrades and mods much easier. The 65XE on the other hand will almost assuredly be completely unsocketed, making upgrades harder, though not impossible, depending on your soldering/desoldering skills. The other thing to consider when it comes to differences is that, regardless of the minor differences now, either machine would come out to be pretty much the exact same machine once you do an U1MB upgrade, so any difference now, are moot after the upgrade. Personally, I use my Ultimate Cart quite a bit, and I would hate to have to reach around behind the machine every time I wanted to do something with it. That's a pretty minor annoyance though. The Differences in the PBI are really inconsequential to me as there are so few devices that actually make use of it and, of those, there are none that I would use these days now that modern peripheral equivalents are available. Basically, it comes down to personal preference. Which machine do you like more and would like to be your daily driver; the machine you go to on a daily basis? If you can't answer that question, I think you need to use them both for a while, until you can answer that question. Once you know which machine you prefer, upgrade that one. No one can really tell you which one you prefer. Assuming you have the skills to upgrade either machine, only you can decide which you should upgrade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crc_Error Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 Thank you so much @bfollowell for your input. I will use my 65XE for a few weeks to try it out. One thing I have noticed from using my 65XE for just a couple hours so far is that the video output for some reason is really really good out to my 1702 monitor. I need to do an A/B comparison between my 800XL UAV and stock 65XE. Also the keys on the 65XE are really responsive and nice to work with, really soft. But you are right I prefer working the cartridge slot from on top of the computer rather from behind. I used to have a 130XE years ago and the 65XE is bringing back lots of memories. My soldering skills are really good so no issues with taking things apart, soldering, fixing and installing. Being a ham radio operator helps in that department too from building lots of projects. Thanks again 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Nice to see a person get back in to the old Atari, have fun with the installs and the goodness they bring.. Paul.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 10 hours ago, Crc_Error said: My soldering skills are really good you can make it into a 130XE if you can fit a second set of DRAMs and an EMMU ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellis Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 13 hours ago, Crc_Error said: Just purchased a 65XE for $40 with original box, packaging, RF switchbox and RCA composite cable. Plugged it in and everything is working perfectly. I currently also have an 800XL with the UAV upgrade which I have done on it only. If one was to add all the super great hardware upgrades (U1MB, Sophia 2, Pokey Sound Upgrades, etc.) that are available out there for the A8's which machine between these two would you upgrade, the 800XL or the 65XE, and why? Is the 800XL and 65XE basically the same other than the 65XE not having the PBI on the back? My 65XE only has the cartridge slot on the back. Thank you so much for all the info. you guys have given me over the past few months as I have slowly gotten back into the vintage A8's. 800XL because it has the PBI interface on the back. Most North American 65XEs do not have the necessary ECI port which would be required (plus an adapter) to connect PBI peripherals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 15 hours ago, Crc_Error said: Is the 800XL and 65XE basically the same other than the 65XE not having the PBI on the back? From a software standpoint they are virtually identical, although the XE's have Basic revision C, which fixes the crashes/hangs that Revision A (cart) and B (XL) had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbking67 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 well, assuming your device works fine and requires no repairs here's what I recommend: Upgrade the 800XL and enjoy the 65XE stock. The 65XE usually has pretty good video output, so you'll get more bang for the buck upgrading the 800xl. The xl has better build quality and the board will tolerate the repairs nicely. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crc_Error Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 I would like to thank all of you for your input. Great opinions and ideas this is what I love about our vintage Atari community. I will use my 65XE for the next couple of weeks as my daily computer then make a decision on which will be my after market hardware upgrade computer. Thanks again and don't stop replying. Stay safe my friends... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGHMW Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Man you got yourself a great deal with your 65XE, and yours even came with extras, I paid $200 for my base NOS 65XE out of Atari Mexico a few months back (here is the link if you guys remember from back then), enjoy it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 7 minutes ago, BIGHMW said: Man you got yourself a great deal with your 65XE, and yours even came with extras, I paid $200 for my base NOS 65XE out of Atari Mexico a few months back (here is the link if you guys remember from back then), enjoy it!!! You might want to ask a moderator to remove that image of your shipping label. It's generally not the best idea to go sharing your address and phone number, even when not in text format. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 I thought the very same thing when I saw the original post weeks ago. I guess some people just don't worry about things like that. To each their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 (edited) 16 hours ago, bfollowell said: I thought the very same thing when I saw the original post weeks ago. I guess some people just don't worry about things like that. To each their own. It doesn't cross many people's minds until it bites them in the ass. Me-- I've seen how personal information gets abused. I won't even post any of my code until I've scrubbed my name and other info from it first. Edited January 12, 2021 by zzip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crc_Error Posted January 15, 2021 Author Share Posted January 15, 2021 So far I like the compactness of the 65XE also the keyboard IMHO is very responsive and soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarland Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 If your 800XL has either the SCCO 'Stackpole' keyboard or the Mitsumi keyboard variants then you'll probably like the 65XE typing experience much more. Do you see an aluminum backing under the keycaps? To the left or right of the space bar there is a gap which shows this best. That's the SCCO Stackpole which is very common. I agree with bbking67 that the 800XL has better build quality and is a better machine to modify. Keep in mind that Sophia 2 does not do artifacting so those applications will not look good with it. The 65XE is more sleek and lighter. They are both great machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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