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Description
The Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphics and audio compared to previous 8-bit systems. This includes the Atari ST – released earlier the same year – as well as the Macintosh and Acorn Archimedes. Based on the Motorola 68000 microprocessor, the Amiga differs from its contemporaries through the inclusion of custom hardware to accelerate graphics and sound, including sprites and a blitter, and a pre-emptive multitasking operating system called AmigaOS
Videos
LGR
LGR - Amiga 500 Computer System Review
LGR - Amiga 500 Computer System Review
LGR
Unboxing the Commodore Amiga 500 | #NewInBoxtober
Vintage Geek
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Commodore Amiga 500 System PC.
Setup and maintenance
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European availability offers better community support and supply, easing setup and maintenance challenges compared to North America.
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The A500's capacitors, though generally robust, are advised to be replaced due to age, with full cap sets being affordable and accessible.
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The PSU's Rifa 250V capacitors commonly fail; replacing with a Mean Well PT-65b transformer is a quick, cost-effective solution to avoid aging issues.
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Mods and upgrades
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It's recommended to mod the Amiga 500 with 8MB RAM, a hard drive, and Kickstart 3.1 ROMs for enhanced functionality and gaming experience.
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An external Gotek drive and df0/df1 switcher are recommended for playing games without expensive upgrades.
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It's suggested to replace the expansion card battery with a coin cell to prevent potential leakage damage.
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Comparisons
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MiSTer FPGA device offers superior performance and cost efficiency over original Amiga hardware, providing a broader range of hardware experiences.
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Software and compatibility
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AmigaOS is complex with a steep learning curve; familiarity with Linux or Unix command line can offer a head start.
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Use cases and applications
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Amiga Basic was limited; better alternatives like HiSoft Basic and AMOS/AMOS Pro are suggested for programming.
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Features and functionality
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A PiStorm upgrade, along with a SCART to HDMI upscaler, can significantly enhance the A500's gaming capabilities.
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5.0 out of 5
Based on 2 Reviews and 10 Ratings
417
Was this the greatest computer of the 80s?
Hey! Well back when this one came out around 1987, I had an Atari 520ST upgraded to 1 megabyte RAM and with drilled holes in the back for RCA outputs... But when the Amiga 500 came out, it literally outshined the Atari ST in many regards. So it did have RCA outputs by default, great! But did not have MIDI like the Atari, so what made it so interesting for a musician ?
For a computer that came out in 1987, it had a 4 channel stereo sample playback chip of decent quality! So that was a given with this computer. It's the computer that allowed the Tracker format to exist first! So MOD files came from the Amiga FIRST, then it spread out from there. Oh and the GIF image format, still used in 2021? Came from the Amiga also... What else did the Amiga do? Hmmm it could do MIDI with an add-on module, so that steals some thunder from the Atari ST. It also had some unique software too. It was able to multi-task in it's bare bones configuration, so that was kind of revolutionary back in the 80s!
Riiiggghhtt So the Amiga was a great computer. But what is amazing for this machine as we are in the age of crazy fast computing (ie. AMD Ryzen, and latest Android phones), it's that the Amiga is still kept updated with newer operating system versions, storage capabilities, and performance! Latest gadgetry for performance are the Viper accelerators, that turns any basic Amiga into a mid 90s range powerhouse (think Pentium MMX range of performance). It can slice and dice and it is a relevant piece of hardware in this modern age. As any hardware that is meant for creativity, it in it's limits that you can find it's power, and the Amiga does have limits but it does have plenty of resources and power for creativity no matter if it's audio or video (ie. read up on the Video Toaster series of extensions).
Beautiful slick all in one machine with boatloads of features.
26711
30+ years old, and it can still do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NjqNwHidpk
417
That and the Roland W-30 :P
26711
Yes! I'm sure Liam Howlett concurs. :)
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Another fact about the Amiga computers in general; every single guy I knew back in the 80s that had an Amiga also had a girlfriend, while Atari ST owners were just lonely geeks. XD And that is a true fact; noun, amiga (æˈmiːɡə; əˈmiːɡə) the female form of amigo.
85
Sensible Soccer! and...
OctaMED, I played around the samples from I've Got The Power by Snap used in some game. That kind of thing I thought was amazing! Like the crowd sounds from Sensi Soccer too
Artist usage
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At around 10:30 min Eric and Joel discuss about using the amiga 500!
"Right at the start, when I was about 13 or 14, I only had an Amiga 500 Plus running a bit of tracker software called OctaMED. "
Well, backthen I had just a 486 PC system. :)
It's so nice to see , how big DJ/Producer names , began to produce music.
At around 10:30 min Eric and Joel discuss about using the amiga 500!
Per "Rock This Town" publication, special issue 1991:
In 1991, the setup was as follows: [Rock This Town special issue 1991]
Sound studio: Analog Synths: Roland System 100/100M/101 (+Roland Midi interface MPU-101);YAMAHA CS-40M (in the Take One video); Oberheim Matrix 1000; Digital Synths: Yamaha DX-7 (2); Ensonic VFX; Roland DDR30; Yamaha tg77; Korg Wavestation; Sequencer: Atari 1040 (Sequ. Cubase 2.0); Samplers: AkaiS9000 (2); AkaiS1000 (8Mg + Hard Drive Mfile 44); AkaiS1000PB (4Mg); Emulator II; akai 1100, e-mu Procussion, roland s-10 for live use @ the mixing desk; Effects: Lexicon 480L; Yamaha SPX90 II (2); Roland SRV-2000; Roland SDE-3000; Alesis Midiverb II; Alesis Quadraverb; ART DRX; spx 1000 (x2); Eventide h3000 se; Mixing: Table TAC Scorpion 32/16; Recorder TASCAM MS16 tracks; Recorder DAT Luxman; Speakers Yamaha NS 10M pro ATC SCM50; QUAD ampli (for NS-10M); Diverse: compressor/limiter, noise gate, parametric eq. Live: Backline: Akai S9000; Roland DDR30; Simons & Roland Pads; Emulator II; TASCAM238 8
Graphic Studio: Commodore Amiga 2500 (6Mg + Hard Drive 40Mg); Commodore Amiga 500; Digitizer SNAPSHOT; Camera Sony CCD V-200E; Laserprint NEC Silentwriter LC890; Monitor NEC Multisync 2A.
"ED HANDLEY We started off with Amiga and using a program called Dr. Tease (sic), which is quite famous for the Amiga Commodore. "
"ED HANDLEY Yeah, we still use the Amiga for some stuff. It’s got a very crude, dirty little sampler on it, which still sounds better than most samplers."
Susumu Hirasawa utilizes the Amiga 500 System PC in his musical projects, as detailed in a report by Ikebe-gakki.
"My first real recordings and records I did when I was 16 as E de Cologne, produced on a Amiga 500, it was Hardcore Techno / Kindergarten Gabba and later on I released music on the so called Digital Hardcore label with our band EC8OR."
"The funny thing is that I made all my first records on a more or less gaming computer called Commodore Amiga, even the album released by the Beastie Boys on Grand Royal and many others for several years. With the Flex Busterman album I simply used the machine what it was originally built for.."
"When I started writing music I had a piece of manuscript paper and a piano. I didn't have any of the above, but I was able to scribble notes down which eventually were turned into music using an Amiga 500 and soundtracker."
Max Tundra used his Amiga 500 to compose and sequence the music on his first three albums.
Album Usage
The Commodore Amiga 500 System PC has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Commodore Amiga 500 System PC, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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