bj@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Jackson) (02/21/91)
In article <1991Feb20.162708.18902@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> ajf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Allen J. Fisch) writes: >The A590 is available for $377 on ed >discount, but since it is slow, only 20MB, and not precisely cheap, it >didn't seem to be the right solution. I have heard, however, that an >Amiga with only 1 meg really limits its capabilities, so I'd like to >add another meg or two. But then it occurred to me that without a hard >drive, that extra memory won't be very useful - I'm limited to loading >things that fit on a floppy! THEN I saw that the A590 allows 2 meg >memory expansion, so maybe it is worth buying after all - an >unpopulated memory board costs at least $100 anyway. Does this sound >reasonable to all you experienced Amiga users, or am I missing >something? No, your not missing anything. A 2 meg ram A590 on a 1-meg A500 makes for a nice system. Yes, the stock 20 meg drive that comes in the thing is not any trailblazer but you can *easily* add most any SCSI drive to it at a later date (I've seen good condition Q40 Quantum drives going for as little as $200) and have a *fast* hard drive. >Does the A590 come with its own power supply? Yep. >Does the A500 work with a standard IBM monitor? No. >On the more speculative side, is there any reason to expect HD prices >to fall in the next few months? (Why are they so expensive anyway? >$599 for a 40 of 50 meg drive in the IBM world would be absurd.) Economy of scale mixed with a "what the market will put up with" factor. >If someone could answer any or all of these questions, I would GREATLY >appreciate it! Thanks. Not all, but some. >Allen Fisch (ajf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu) bj ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | Brian Jackson Software Engineer, Commodore-Amiga Inc. GEnie: B.J. | | bj@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com or ...{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!bj | | "We defy augury" | -----------------------------------------------------------------------
jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup) (02/21/91)
In article <19174@cbmvax.commodore.com> bj@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Jackson) writes: >>On the more speculative side, is there any reason to expect HD prices >>to fall in the next few months? (Why are they so expensive anyway? >>$599 for a 40 of 50 meg drive in the IBM world would be absurd.) > >Economy of scale mixed with a "what the market will put up with" factor. I'd say it's more due to the cost of a PS, case, metalwork, PCB, etc, etc. It also gives you more than the standard HD controllers on PC's: DMA, scsi, ram expansion. The casework/PS is a non-trivial cost as well. This is why we sell machines with bigger PS's and slots/drive bays - if you're going to expand it, the end cost will be cheaper. -- Randell Jesup, Keeper of AmigaDos, Commodore Engineering. {uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!jesup, jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com BIX: rjesup The compiler runs Like a swift-flowing river I wait in silence. (From "The Zen of Programming") ;-)
tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Todd L. Masco) (02/24/91)
ajf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Allen J. Fisch) writes: > Does the A500 work with a standard IBM monitor? Depends upon what you mean by a "standard IBM monitor." I had my A500 working with an ancient Zenith do-it-yourself monitor, just through a simple RCA jack -- nowhere close to ideal resolution, but it worked. So, don't give up on the idea of using an IBM monitor -- take yours to your local Amiga dealer with a patch cord, and see what you can do. -- Todd Masco | tm2b@andrew.cmu.edu | "Tax the churches. CMU Physics | tm2b@andrew.BITNet | Tax the businesses owned by the churches."