Author: Alex from Mannheim (pd9e4a67e.dip.t-dialin.net)
Date: 10-02-2001 15:58
Hi,
this list should provide a short summary:
Atari 1040 ST (1 MB RAM, 68000 @ 8 MHz)
Atari Mega ST
Once the standard atari, nowadays the most important programs either need more than 1 MB RAM or are a little slow on this one.
No harddrive (though possible), only very few machines have up to 4 MB RAM.
You can't use standard IDE- or SCSI-drives but only Atari SH204, 205 or Megafile 20, 30 or 60. They are not so expensive, though.
Atari 1040 STE (up to 4 MB RAM, 68000 @ 8 MHz)
A little improved, digital sound, RAM-upgrades for 4 MB are available and cheap.
Atari Mega STE (up to 4 MB RAM, 68000 @ 16 MHz)
now this is something! uses the STE RAM, has internal scsi-controller with built-in harddrive.
Atari TT (up to very much RAM, 68030 @ 32 MHz)
Atari with the fastest CPU, has much better graphics and is still used by the NASA today (for some statistics or so).
Atari Falcon030 (up to 14 MB RAM, 68030 @16 MHZ, DSP56001 @ 32 MHz)
the best Atari; not as fast as the TT but the DSP makes things possible a TT can only dream of: MP3-Player, MPEG-Player, realtime-synthesizing of voices, 50 KHz 16-Bit stereo-Sound, harddisk-recording, it has an internal IDE-Bus with built-in Harddrive and external scsi-2-connection. Burning CDs? no problem. Normally comes with connector to VGA- and Atari-monitors.
Stacy and ST-Book are very rare laptops and they are too expensive to be used.
If I had to choose an Atari for a beginner, I Would advice to take an STE or a Mega-STE because they are quite cheap and offer the possibility to upgrade the RAM.
Bye, Alex
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