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Fr0st
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Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:45 pm Post subject: Newbie with stupid questions... |
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Hi Guys, two quick questions if anyone has the time:
I recently acquired an Amiga A500, and an A500+ . The A500+ is in working condition, the A500 is trashed.
I have my A500+ all hooked up, have a half dozen games, but only one will load for me. The disks all look in immaculate condition.
I was thinking of taking the drive from the trashed A500 and putting it in the A500+ , I haven't opened either of them up yet to see if they're compatible, can anyone advise if they will be?
Also, is there any point in taking the ram from the trashed A500 and adding this to the A500+ ? Will it 'expand' the ram?
Sorry for probably stupid questions, just looking to get my A500+ firing on all cylinders!
Thanks guys, Fr0st.  |
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lifeschool
Grandmaster of Amiga
Joined: 10 May 2009
Age: 37
Posts: 2244
Location: Accrington, Lancs
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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| You should be able to remove the old disk drive from the A500 and install it into the A500+ no problem, assuming the drive is any good that is. As for the ram, the internal ram on the motherboard won't make any difference and is best avoided, but if you have any ram in the trapdoor expension of the A500, you should be able to move it across to the A500+ and that should work. |
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Fr0st
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Joined: 06 Mar 2012
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the speedy reply!!
Yes I just want to see if it makes any difference to the games loading up, I have the good A500+ at home all hooked up.
The trashed A500 is here in work with me, I have opened up the trapdoor and there is a ram board inside alright, but is it just what comes with the machine originally? Or is it usually that there is nothing inside there when you buy an A500 new and this was added?
Thanks again! |
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CTOJAH
Amiga Junkie
Joined: 07 Jun 2008
Age: 43
Posts: 390
Location: Macedonia,Veles
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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It was added. Usually it is 1/2 Meg Fast RAM and is enough for 99 % of all games for A500.
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☭ Some people says : Amiga has no future ! ☭ |
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Fr0st
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Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Ah thanks very much guys, I have it out now and will throw it into my working A500+ and see if it makes any difference, although it doesn't sound good, if as you say 99% of games should work regardless.
The only game working for me is Treasure Island Dizzy, Last Ninja 2 Loads but then crashes, the rest just give an error, and one just a blank screen.
And I will be shocked if I have to change the drive and the spare one works, the trashed A500 is as I say, Trashed!! 
I do have an external disk drive too, could try that also, but the space this thing is taking up will be getting out of hand, with the A520 Modulator already hanging out of the back of it... |
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OLDGAMER
Amiga Enthusiast
Joined: 18 Apr 2009
Age: 37
Posts: 547
Location: Woop Woop Western Australia
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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What i would do and its only my opinion if you only want to play games is to try and find a working A500 and use the A500+ as parts
The kickstart 2 in the A500+ has a problem running most A500 games that were programed to run on 1.3 kickstart if you find a working A500 then you will have 100% of all A500 games to play and enjoy the only thing you cant use is games for a A1200 as its a newer AGA chip set and wont work at all
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A500 1 Mb K1.3 HxC Slim
A500 512k K1.2
A600 1mb K2.0
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lifeschool
Grandmaster of Amiga
Joined: 10 May 2009
Age: 37
Posts: 2244
Location: Accrington, Lancs
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Fr0st wrote: | | although it doesn't sound good, if as you say 99% of games should work regardless. |
Ah, you may have slightly misinterpreted the response made by CTOJAH. The trapdoor expansion memory will increase your total ram to 1Meg - which, as CTOJAH said - is more than enough for 99% of games to work at their best. More than 1Meg is often overkill as only very high end AGA games and adventures will require any more memory than that. The expansion will NOT interfere with the loading of games, and will even enhance some games like Lemmings with extra sounds and music.
BUT as you say, high percentage of OCS games will work regardless of expansion ram; as most were designed to run on the Amigas stock half meg internal (chip) ram, and so adding an expansion won't make the slightest difference to those games which don't need it. Only a handful of OCS/ECS games make used of expansion ram, so yeah, perhaps 99% WILL STILL WORK regardless, making this 'upgrade' rather less useful.
The mistake 99% of newbies make is they assume adding 'fast' ram will somehow speed up their games or workbench, or even loading times. IT WONT. In fact if the game makes use of extra ram it may take even longer to load given that it will have to load in the extra features from the disks. Only a new processor will speed up your amiga or loading times, and CPU upgrades for the 500/+ are getting rather rare and expensive.
Lastly, as OLDGAMER (who's same age as me - so not old) said, sometimes many older games don't like the kickstart 2 inside an A500+ - and for those games you'd have to find a software solution like relokick; which will use the half meg expansion to mirror the 1.3 kickstart into ram - and so in this case that extra half meg ram could come in handy.
Sorry this is getting rather technical. Basically if you have a machine which works - stick with it, or get an A1200; as fixing the old 500 could be quite costly. |
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CTOJAH
Amiga Junkie
Joined: 07 Jun 2008
Age: 43
Posts: 390
Location: Macedonia,Veles
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| OLDGAMER wrote: | What i would do and its only my opinion if you only want to play games is to try and find a working A500 and use the A500+ as parts
The kickstart 2 in the A500+ has a problem running most A500 games that were programed to run on 1.3 kickstart if you find a working A500 then you will have 100% of all A500 games to play and enjoy the only thing you cant use is games for a A1200 as its a newer AGA chip set and wont work at all |
This is NOT only Your opinion - This is truth !
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☭ Some people says : Amiga has no future ! ☭ |
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