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- From: dcr3567@ultb.isc.rit.edu (D.C. Richardson)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
- Subject: 4000 review
- Message-ID: <1992Dec14.154814.14815@ultb.isc.rit.edu>
- Date: 14 Dec 92 15:48:14 GMT
- Sender: news@ultb.isc.rit.edu (USENET News System)
- Reply-To: dcr3567@ultb.rit.edu ()
- Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
- Lines: 169
- Originator: dcr3567@ultb
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-
- Amiga 4000 - The Review.
-
- Synopsis
- --------
-
- I recently sold my trusty 2000 and ventured into the world of AGA. The
- 4000 is a wonderful machine with very few drawbacks. If it came supplied
- with a quality micro-switch based mouse, I'd be blissed. ($3500 for a
- computer and you get a mouse that feels like an old Atari joystick??)
-
- My only question is that when I reboot, the hard drive appears to lose
- power for a second. It knocks out, slows down, and then recalibrates
- itself and spins back up. So many spin-ups and spin-downs certainly can't
- be healthy, are they?
-
- Da Machine
- ----------
-
- Although I was expecting Blaz.. sorry, BLAZEMONGER(tm) performance, the
- 4000 is not one to disappoint. Coming from a 22 mHz '030 2000, CPU speed
- isn't too much different. AIBB 5.0 cites it at 2-3x faster than a
- 3000/25, more for FPU operations. Numbers like 328x faster than a 500 for
- the beachball render made me smile a bit, I must say.
-
- The real power of the 4000 is in the streamlining of the entire system.
- It just feels faster. Granted, a DBLNTSC NO FLICKER 640x400x256 color
- workbench slows to an absolute crawl (comprable to a 14 mHz AT '286 with
- middling VGA card an Windows 3), but who needs a 256 color workbench??
- Running at 16 or 32 or even 64 colors is quite snappy. CPUBLIT might be
- helping, too.
-
- 3.0 is quite a step for AmigaOS. Coupled with AGA and the 68040, this
- machine really shines. Recovering from a month of Amiga withdrawl, I
- spent the last few days getting everything I can from Amiga.Physik. While
- downloading many megs to the hard drive (at 1600+ cps), I've been unpacking
- incoming things, running a MOD with DeliTracker, all on a Promoted 32
- color hires Workbench. This was with zero transmission errors... impossible
- on my 2000.
-
- This is the main reason I like.. heck, love this machine. They really
- did their homework on this one.
-
- Ports
- -----
-
- Most things are well laid out as far as connectors are concerned. The
- only real complaints are in the placement of the keyboard connector (why
- put it on the rear left when the cord goes to the right side of the
- keyboard?). A more serious complaint is in the placement of the mouse
- connectors: On the left side to the rear of the machine. In order to use
- a mouse, you must plug it in and route it around the back, past all the
- other connectors, and to the right. That is, unless they expected
- everyone to be left-handed.
-
- The Guts
- --------
-
- Using my X-Ray vision (wouldn't want to break that warrantee sticker),
- I picked apart the internals. I was quite pleased. 2 Simple screws to
- open the case, which is made of a heavy guage steel.
-
- Inside is a packed motherboard. 3 Simm slots open for fast memory. A
- 3-pin connector for a future DSP board, PAL/NTSC jumper, ZORRO III
- daughterboard, and '040 board. It appears to be less dense-packed and much
- easier to work with than my roommates 3000. Available is a read 3.5"
- bay, front 5.25" bay, and lower 3.5" bay. The only troublesome one appears
- to be the front 3.5" bay. In order to get at it, you'd probably have to
- remove the 5.25 and the 3.5" floppy first.
-
- The '040 processor card is fairly easy to get out. The '040 itself is
- NOT surface-mounted (YEA!), and has a HUGE heat sink on it. It's labeled
- 3640 board, so I'd assume it's compatible with the 3000 (looks like it is,
- same connector). The only interesting jumpers are one that says DO NOT
- REMOVE, and another labeled 1MAPROM ENable/DISable (j400). Anyone?
-
- The really interesting jumpers are on the motherboard, though.
- j213 - 2M/8M CHIPRAM (8 megs of chipram!?!?)
- cn404 - 3 pins (for DSP, as mentioned before)
- j975 - outlined bank of 6 jumpers.. no jumps though. Anyone?
- j850 - 68020 [Huh!?!]
- j151 - 160/200 ROMSPEED, jumpered to 200. I assume this is for the
- 33 mHz model when it arrives.. needs faster roms, 160 nS
- j100 - CLKS INT/EXT, jumpered to EXT (clock doubling processor,
- a la DX2?)
- j352 - EXT/INT DF0:, jumpered for DF0:
- EXPANSION - Cut-out near the serial connector at the rear of the
- computer.. looks like the perfect size for a SCSI
- connector.
-
- 1960 Monitor
- ------------
-
- This one was a compromise for me, as I didn't have $800 for a NEC 4FG or
- high end Sony, but I didn't want a single sync VGA. The picture is a bit
- sharper than my DiamondScan, but appears to be rounded at the edges more.
- By messing with the controls, such as hitting the WIDTH NOR, the picture
- improves, yet the cost is a squashed picture. I don't think there are many
- monitors which are sharper (Apples 14" Trinitron might be), but there are
- many with a higher "percieved quality". For $500, it's a great buy.
-
- Floppy Drive
- ------------
-
- The drive is much better in terms of percieved quality than my old
- gronkers. It's a standard 2 speed Amiga drive that sits in the lower
- right hand corner of the computer. It's quiet and has an internal dust
- flap.
-
- Pros: Much better than on the 2000, does great job
- Cons: Located about 1 to 1/2 inch too low when a keyboard is placed
- directly in front of the computer. When inserting disks, the keyboard
- gets in the way. NBD.
-
- The drive is advertised as a 2 speed drive - no lie there - old speed and
- painfully slow speed. In order to work with HD floppies, they 1/2 the
- speed. VERY painful when walking away from a PS/2, but I try and avoid
- floppies any way I can, anyway.
-
- Hard Drive
- ----------
-
- Well, it is an IDE. I'm sure they'll find a way to put SCSI in by
- January, because it's really aching for it. The plus is that I'll be able
- to get SCSI-II soon, which should be able to keep up with the ZORRO III
- bus. Everyone has been complaining about this one, but I find it fast and
- responsive, and haven't felt any CPU contention during the workout I've
- been giving it.
-
- Keyboard
- --------
-
- Enhanced version of the very nice 3000 keyboard. From what I can tell,
- it's a standard limited lifespan membrane type. The connector has been
- changed (yea!) to a small PS/2 mouse-type connector. It's great.
-
- Mouse
- -----
-
- How can I say this...? *** I HATE THE F***ING MOUSE *** ! ! ! Using this
- mouse just reassured me that a bunch of the old timers who designed the
- 2000 were ressurected for this one. Instead of using the WONDERFUL 3000
- mouse, they opted to use a nicely sculpted shell, with HORRIBLE insides.
- Besides roller squeek, which is bearable, THEY USED MEMBRANE BOTTONS!
- YIKK-O! This mouse, like my first 2000 mouse is PAINFUL to work with.
- It probably has the same short life also...
-
- PLUG -> Folks, do yourselves a favor. Contact DigiPrint and get a
- PLUG -> PC-BUS mouse adaptor and choose any mouse you like, PC's are
- PLUG -> great for that, at least. Order direct for $12.95, or Creative
- PLUG -> sells them for $13.95. Mine is on it's way.
-
- Keylock
- -------
-
- Unlike 99.9% of all PC's I've seen, the 4000's keylock actualy DOES some
- thing. This one locks out all keyboard (uncluding C-A-A reboots) and
- mouse movements. It doesn't lock out mouse buttons (Why?), so you have to
- be a little careful. It doesn't physically lock the case, which I always
- thought was a stupid idea anyway. Useless, but it shows thought.
-
-
- Daniel C. Richardson
- Mechanical Engineering Dept.
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- dcr3567@ultb.isc.rit.edu
-
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