#Amiga 4000/030!!
59 messages in this thread
AMIGA 4000/030 SHIPPING SOON!!
Talked to Commodore yesterday…the Amiga 4000/030 mailers are going out
now. Press release was dated last week (why haven't we seen it?)
25mhz 68030, 2mb Chip Ram, 2mb Fast Ram, etc. MSRP around $2300. Street
price around $1800-$1900.
Todd,
Is that a 25mhz '030, or a 25mhz EC030? And, is there an '881/'882 to go along
with the 'xx030?
I also think that CBM needs to shave a few bucks off that price, considering
what the overall micro-market looks like these days. I think that a MSRP of
$2000, and a street price of $1400-1600 sounds more realistic.
Jonathan
It's an EC030. There's a socket on the daughterboard for an 881/882.
Denny,
You mean that they are not including the FPU at that price? Even more
disgusting, and coupled with the EC030, makes me feel it is even more
overpriced. In that config, it should have a street price of no more than
$1300, perhaps less. Has CBM priced any Macs lately?
An EC030… is that the one without an MMU? What's Commodore trying to pull
here?
Yep, that has no MMU. The EC030 chips are significantly cheaper, and
Commodore seems to be into a "nickel and dime them to make more profits"
mode lately. (Witness the lack of AmigaDOS and ARexx manuals with the
A1200 so they can sell them separately…)
The thinking is probably that those who would need an MMU are likely to
spend the extra buckage on an A4000/040 anyway.
I guess this shows us what Commodore's intentions are regarding any kind
of O.S. level virtual memory support. Might as well forget about it!
//
\X/ Amiga -Steve ——> On AutoPilot from Silicon Valley
"virtual memory… forget about it"
<ROFL>
ahh, someone caught it-
evil <g>
//
\X/ Amiga -Steve ——> On AutoPilot from Silicon Valley
I was reading a PeeCee magazine and looking through the ads and noticed
that their high-end machines had 256K processor caches, mid-range machines
had 128K processor caches, and the cheapy machines had a "virtual cache."
Hmmm… "Also includes virtual printer, virtual faxmodem, and virtual
girlfriend."
gee… virtually anything you could want.
Well, we can think of it as an opportunity for the current crop of a4000
users to sell the full-bore 040's we have to the crippled 030 owners when
(well, if) more advanced CPU modules arrive from CBM – assuming
compatibility, of course.
Or, we can just think of it as another overpriced, underpowered stumble
from the hallowed halls of CBM.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
I believe it is the EC030…I haven't seen the press release yet, but
Commodore says I should get it by Monday. The data was March 19 so I can't
really understand why it hasn't been seen by more people. The person I spoke
with at Commodore, an extremely reliable source since she probably wrote the
press release, said it was the EC030.
Todd,
I suspect the press release was written on the 17th. I'am willing to bet
that Commodore wanted to finish the quarter (March 31st) without the
effect of an announcement of a new machine.
Probably a good move on upper-managements part.
-mark=
Drivin' on Otto Pilot
With that price, they blew it. Again.
Damn.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Ben,
Remember Commodore's history. They ALWAYS release machines at a high
retail, make lots of money off the early adopters, and then drop the price
three or four months later. (If I'd waited two months to get my A1000 I
would have gotten a free monitor and not had to stare at a 1702 for two
years…)
Anyway, the machine will probably be $1500 on the street before long.
To me the annoying thing is the 2MB of Fast RAM. This means that if you
want to go over 4MB of Fast, you have to remove the 2MB that's there
because you can't mix SIMM sizes. Just STUPID. All to save them $30.
I am glad somebody else got stung by getting the 1000 early. Makes me
feel better.
Richard -> via the Amiga 1000 AutoPilot
My A1000, with 1080 monitor and extra 256K cost me $2K. But at least I was
able to pay for it with that neat white credit card that had the rainbow
Amiga checkmark on it, so it was worth it! <g>
You had one of those Amiga credit cards too? That's how I got first Amiga
too.
steve
That's just about what it cost me. $1200 for the 1000, $600 for thr 1080,
and about $200 for 256K. I didn't hear about the card when I bought it.
Richard -> via the Amiga 1000 AutoPilot
Don't feel bad…I've been burned on my A1000 (Oct 31, '85) and my A2000. They
dumped the price just 2 weeks after I bought the A2000! I passed on the A3000
and I'm about to march down to my local dealer to buy a 4000. I'm sure
Commodore will do something to make me sorry I waited for their Power-Up
deal…but I'm hoping I did it right this time!
Robert Fisher
Hmmm, I got my A1000 on Haloween '85 and I don't feel 'burned' at all.
IMHO the 1070 monitor which came with it was the best monitor C= ever had
until I got my 1950. I still use my 1000 (well my son's mine has a couple
blown 8520s) and the same 1070 monitor.
Vic,
And I still use my 1070 every day…and it's just as old as you
(whoops..I meant 'your'..darn CIS editor <grin>).
Don
1070? I got a 1080…It only took a month after I had already paid for
the whole system. Of course, I still have the monitor. The only
problems were some snap-crackle-pops for a year or two and some
misalignment of the color beams toward the outside of the monitor.
(And the occasional loss of an entire color.) All in all, not too bad
for 7 1/2 years of use.
My biggest beef is how the price on everything I buy goes down shortly
after I spend my money. I always seem to make my purchase just BEFORE
a round of massive price cuts! Oh, well. I pays the extra $$$$$ and I
gets the extra time to play with my stuff!
Robert
>>My biggest beef is how the price on everything I buy goes down
>>shortly after I spend my money.
Robert,
Can I talk you into buying a 600MB hard drive and a 15" NEC monitor?
🙂
Denny,
What kind of SIMM slot/SIMM arrangement does it come with standard? Does that
2 megs of Fast RAM fill all the SIMM sockets?
Jonathan
Jonathan,
There are two empty SIMM sockets. You can put in two more 1MB SIMMs to go
to 4MB of Fast, or you can remove the 2 1MB SIMMs and use 4MB SIMMs to
populate up to 16MB of Fast. You can't mix SIMM sizes.
Annoying, eh?
$1500 is about $500 too much, IMHO.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Denny,
I agree about the memory part. I think the 4000-030 should have included
6 meg like the 4000-040, and an FPU would have been nice, but I'm not too
upset about that.
But I look at it this way… at least Commodore is getting the machine
out! Atari STILL doesn't have the Falcon out. Sheesh.
Rob
Yep…
Bob Comer — Cruising the nets on AutoPilot
Hi Todd,
CBM UK launched the machine at their HQ today (or was it yesterday?)
Whatever, it's out now.
I edit a UK mag called Amiga Mart. CBM UK invited me over to an open
day they had planned. They said that they would be featuring plenty of human
interest events (Amiga in medicine, Amigas used by the disabled, etc). At the
moment, my editorial space is swamped with direct user-related material (news,
previews, reviews, stuff like that) so I decided to pass on this `filler'
material. Weeks passed. Then I get a call the day before the Open Day, "Oh, and
we're launching the A4000 030." Me…"WHAT!!! Why didn't you tell me that
before?!?" CBM…"We wanted to keep it as a surprise."
CBM knew all the time of the 030's launch, they just didn't tell
anyone. Great PR/Marketing, huh? This means that the story will run late in the
mag.
I give up.
Paul
That's too expensive. They need a machine in the $1000 – $1500 range. With
the 4000/040 priced the way it is, they won't sell the /030.
-Chris
I completely agree with you. The Amiga 4000/030 should be priced at an MSRP
of $1500 with a street price of $1200 at the most. They have to realize that
most people are comparing the price of Amiga with clones not true blue IBM or
Macs. IBM has been holding their prices down and Mac is too. Commodore needs
to get the hint…people aren't going to pay that kind of money unless they
NEED an Amiga, and Commodore isn't convincing many people at all that they NEED
an Amiga. They seem to be realizing that the largest part of the current Amiga
market are current Amiga owners looking for faster, better Amigas, not first
time computer buyers.
I haven't seen anyone mention this either. I just got an Amiga 1200 about
3 weeks ago and there is NO AMIGADOS MANUAL!!! You have to buy it for $25
bucks with the AREXX manual. I bent my CBM contact's ear on that one and said
I could possibly understand not distributing the AREXX manual with the
machines, but the AmigaDOS manual is essential. Sheeez! They said they are
relooking the issue, but I still have to pay for my AmigaDOS manual.
Everyone, please call Commodore or write them. Be nice, but mention your
problems with these policies and give them practicaly suggestions.
I have already chewed out CBM over the AmigaDOS/ARexx User's Guide
scandal. If you call corporate and bitch to Jim Reeder who is the head of
Customer Support or to Jim Dionne, President of Commodore, you will get
the manuals for free. I did and so did a friend of mine. It's worth a
shot anyway. The number is 215-431-9100.
/ /_
/_/onathan __/chmidt – On AutoPilot from CompuServe Land
Welllll… You have to pay for the manuals anyway you look at it, and
those manuals are not necessary to operate the machine. Most of the Amiga
users I know wouldn't know what to do with their DOS & ARexx manuals and
would just assume not have to pay for them.
Topics more worthy of ear-bending: A) SCSI support (especially in the
4000) B) Network support (there is none for the 1200) C) CD-ROM support
(you must still buy 3rd party drives and drivers.. unless you use the now
discontinued A500).
-Chris
I expect the A4000/030 to sell more A4000/040s. 🙂
-mark=
Drivin' on Otto Pilot
Me too, in fact it should be the meat&potatoes machine for the North
American continent I would think. Instead of treating it as such and
making it as competitive with mac/clones as possible they are treating it
more like dirty laundry.
Tom , Center of America in Okie city
Todd:
That price for the A4000/030 seems very high. In the UK this will be
priced at $999 (sterling) including the monitor. Compared to other
platforms this is a good deal. With the current exchange rate this #999
(sterling) should translate into about $1500 (USD) this goes against the
trend of all other electronic equipment which is always cheaper in the US
often by as much as 40%. Are you sure you have the correct price?
Greg.
Greg, are you sure YOU have the correct UK price? That's not what I've
heard thus far…
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Balck Belt Systems:
The price for the A4000/030 was told to me personally in a meeting with
the head of Commodore UK marketing, about ten days before the official
launch.
Greg.
Ok – that's your basic "unimpeachable source". I had a dealer tell me just
a couple of days ago that it was 1900 pounds; guess he was wrong.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Ben:
1900 pounds is the price of the A4000/040.
Greg
Yup, Greg has the correct price cos a dealer friend of mine verified it.
Good deal innit 😉
Pete
Ben:
I don't know if this is a good source or not, but my brother currently
stationed overseas says that a local CBM dealer quoted him something like
a thousand pounds for the 4000/030…
-Jonathan
That sounds in line with what the other people here are saying.
It's not too bad a price, really – as long as it comes with a hard drive
and so on.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
A4000/030 is said to have
120MB HD
4MB ram 2 chip, 2 fast
-Jonathan
That's not bad at all – not for 900#, it's not.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Now, the dilema is do I wait for the A4000T with all of it's features or
just get the A4000 now….
-Jonathan
Well, ask yourself this: How's your patience?
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
That's about rigiht, Jonathan. My friends who attended the Commodore
'launch' of the machine said it was to be priced at 999 pounds sterling.
That would be about $1600 or so here, according to current exchange rates,
I think. I haven't checked the rate lately.
—Betty
Betty,
Alas, 999 pounds is now only about $1475 or so. (Said the guy who's
writing a column for a Brit magazine and is going to get paid in pounds
for it. 🙁
…Denny
Hey – sounds like a wonderful time to go to England!
—Betty
Good time for a london vacation, yes indeed. I bought my 2000 in germany
when they were $2000 here and DM1800 there at a rate that made that $950.
Since I hear the price here is $1800. that difference might pay for a
plane ticket, or at least help a lot. I had no problem with PAL monitors
except the 220 volt conversions are a pain. No telling how easy that is on
the new 4000 model, anyone know? It was a jumper and a new wall plug for
the german 2000.
Tom
I don't know how difficult that might be. But I suspect Radio Shack sells
a converter for the purpose.
—Betty
No, no Betty, it wasn't difficult at all. The 2000 powersupply had a
jumper for 115 volt/ 220 volt internal and you had to put in a fuse double
the rating of the 220 fue. RS does indeed have the Euro/US plug adapter.
The only question is: is the powersupply for the 4000 set up that way?
I think that this new A4000 will sell well if it is brought in at that
price.
-Jonathan
'Twould be nice. We need lots more Amigas out there.
—Betty