From: dedos3@wsinfo11.info.win.tue.nl (Wilco Boumans)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: What is so special about Amiga
Date: 31 Aug 92 12:40:10 GMT
Reply-To: dedos3@info.win.tue.nl
Organization: Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands

In article <BtuCoz.FAC@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> thwang@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Tommy Hwang) writes:
>
>From postnews Mon Aug 31 04:18:22 1992
>   
>   
>     Okay, I have sort of asked this question many times before, but
>that was when IBM prices were up in the $4,000 ranges.  Now that IBM
>prices are in the mid- 1,000 to 2,000; all of the original rules (or
>what ever) has changed.  Now, with Aiga finally coming out with the
>A4000 and A3000T with the 040 chip (Oct.), IBM clones already has
>the 486 out and the coming of the 586 this December.  Rumors has it
>that the A3000T with the 040 chip will be priced at around $6,000 
>while the 586 will be in the ranges of $5,000 or less.  So, with
>this major price difference, what advantages does Amiga has?

Well, first of all I think the concept of the Amiga is far superior to the
PC's.  With its special IO chips (and certainly with the new AA chipset) it
can outperform a PC with a faster CPU, because of the concurrency (blitter,
copper, special soundchips....). Not only games, but also graphic programs
benefit from that.

Second, the operating system is much more advanced than MeSsDOS (no EMS, XMS
640 KB memory maximum) and, because it was developed directly on the
hardware layer, is quicker than windows on a equally equiped DOS machine.

>  Video
>Toaster?  Well, IBM already has the Video Blaster and the Video Blaster
>pro is expected sometimes.  As far as I know, Amiga's audio boards
>do not come to par with the sound-blaster.  (the toaster is definitely
>better than the video blaster, but at the cost difference of over $1,500;
>I do not think that it could be THAT much better).

The STANDARD amiga audio suffices for the normal requirements one could have
for a normal computer to have.  When you want professional audio, there are
several (quite expensive) add-on boards supplying 12/16 bit quality.  In my
opinion, when you want professional audio, you are better of with a sampler
or synthesizer.

>     Any, I originally wanted to buy the Amiga (primarily due to the
>superior graphics and multimedia ability), but now with IBM prices going
>this low and Amiga prices keep rising (recent discount in June doesn't
>amount to much); what is it that keeps Amiga selling?
>   

The price/performance ratio of the amiga has become less, with the
price reduction in the PC market, but I still think that on some areas
(graphics, low-budget sound/music production) the amiga outperforms the PC.

With the introduction of the new A4000, with 24bit graphics, the amiga is
back, when its price is reasonable.

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Wilco Boumans           | Amiga, die ueber-computer
dedos3@info.win.tue.nl  | 
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         All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream
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