kixs wrote:

I know about this floppy emulator, but it isn't quite convenient as HDD and WHD images. I have something similar on the Atari 800XL though.

Well, most everything you'll ever run on a stock A500 (better stick to stock models, specially for A500 demo watching, as more often than not, they're very sensitive to roms newer than KS13, memory expansions and non-OCS), you'll run directly from floppies. WB13, which's as far as you'd want to go because of hardware limitations and compatibility, doesn't even provide the tools to format a hard drive; it has to be done with third party software. That's how popular an A500+HDD rig was back in the day.

As touching native whdload support for A500's, it was dropped years ago, and even then it required extra memory.

I'd definitely have to favor FD emulation over anything else for this type of machine.

One thing to point out about buying any all in one amiga (i.e. not the 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 series), is the plastic is very, VERY cheap and did not age well. Every 500, and 600 I have bought over the past 5 years has ended up broken or warped in shipping with one exception. I managed to convince one seller to triple wrap the computer and double box it with wrapping over the first box, while shipping the PSU, mouse, and other parts in a second package. The keys are not just caps, they are whole units and when the snap off (and they do with very little effort) you will be replacing the whole switch. Commodore saved every penny they could on the all in one units (I assume that the 1200 is the same way, as I have never had one), and the plastic did not age well. It became very brittle over the last couple of decades.

Back in the 80's neither of my amiga's felt they way they do now. The plastic didn't creek and break with little pressure. It just flexed and that was it. So be aware of that when you buy an amiga all in one system and if you have it shipped, go the whole hog to have it extra protected and insured. I had four 500's and one 600 come in with cracked cases, and a handful of broken keys. All were well packed, but just not good enough. At least I have spare parts for my one working rig. \m/ 😄 \m/

Yes, the plastic was sufficiently sturdy for the amount of time it was designed to last, but these Amiga's are now well past their prime, no question about it.

I wonder, though, if the cases could be successfully sampled and reproduced with a 3D printer. That would make an interesting project.

The plastic on TRS-80 Model I's, you can still whack an elephant's skull open with that thing!

snorg wrote:

Well it sounds like an A1200 or A600 is what I want, A1200s seem near impossible to find, though. The A600 seems wicked hard to upgrade, though, based on what I've read. You have to mount a clip-on socket upside down on the existing cpu? That sounds like it wouldn't work very well.

There is little point in upgrading an OCS/ECS machine, since CPU upgrades weren't widely available during its heyday, and hardly anyone uses them.
So for OCS/ECS games/demos, the extra CPU speed does not add anything, and it just breaks compatibility.

If you want a fast CPU, you really should go for AGA, since CPU upgrades are more common there, and actually supported by some software. Most AGA demos are even aimed specifically at accelerated machines, where the 060@50 MHz is the 'gold standard'.

Lo Wang wrote:

The plastic on TRS-80 Model I's, you can still whack an elephant's skull open with that thing!

Tandy was one of the few budget computer companies back then to use a high quality, heavy impact plastic for it computers. Atari and Commodore were both guilty of cost cutting to a point that it compromised the overall quality and longevity of their computers. Oddly enough, the Mattel Auqarius is built like a brick shit house and its made from that cheap plastic that toy are made from (it is Mattel after all), but its so thick it aged very well.

By the way, is there any point at all in getting a PPC Amiga like the Amiga One? They often struck me as a bit pointless.

Yes and no. If you care about native (not "seamlessly emulated") backwards compatibility with 68k software, it's a 100% pointless, and even PPC accelerators for legacy models are of rather limited value.

Nevertheless AmigaOne is a beautiful system on it's own right, very capable and stable, and OS4's already a thousand times better than Aros can ever hope to be.

Jorpho wrote:

By the way, is there any point at all in getting a PPC Amiga like the Amiga One? They often struck me as a bit pointless.

They are no more compatible with a Commodore-made Amiga than a regular x86-based PC running UAE.
The CPU is not compatible with the 68k at all, and the chipset is not compatible with the Amiga chipset either.