From: leo@zelator.in-berlin.de (Stefan Hartmann)
Subject: Falcon 030 <-> 386 40 Mhz
Organization: Puplic-Access-Xenix-System
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 21:38:50 GMT


Subject: Re: New specs of Atari Falcon (500 Pounds)

In <1992Aug13.173628.26085@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> jyoung@nyx.cs.du.edu (Jeff Young) writes:

>IF 500 Pound price == $500-$700 price in America, Atari Falcon will
>be greatest micro ever made!!  With PC and Mac emulators it will
>run most software in the world! 

>first models expected in UK September
>to be shown at London trade show - September 6.
>68030 @ 16 MHz
>DSP56001
>	8 channel 16 bit digital DMA, sampling up to 50KHz
>	4 channel stereo with recording and playback
>262,144 colour palette
>Max res 640x480 16 bit mode (65,536 colours on screen)
>SVGA modes up to 256 colours on screen
>Overscan mode (no black border)
>15bit overlay mode for video titling etc.
>MultiTOS
>1.44 MB Floppy
>IDE port for internal 2.5in 44MB hard drive
>RAM: 1,4 or 14 MB
>Optional 68882 
>Expansion slot for 386PC emulators or JPEG and MPEG data compressors
>Ports
>	SCSI II with DMA
>	stereo microphone
>	audio out
>	monitor
>	midi
>	hi speed LAN (no they don't say what)
>	Joystick & analog joystick
>	printer port ``more industry standard''
>working name was Sparrow
>50 machines worldwide many at top software houses in UK (I presume
>	others are in D :-) )
>Atari Germany ``at least one model above and below Falcon030 including
>	68040''

>rumours
>	price == 499 UK pounds
>	new case design next April

>Sounds good if its accurate but some of the statements get me a little worried.

>John


Hi,
I have personnaly seen such a Falcon 030 running and I'm not so exited
!
Okay, the DSP might be interesting for some applications, but the
other features are not so exiting.

He is not as fast as a compared 386-40 Mhz which you can buy nowadays
for the same price.

The Atari Falcon is running only a 68030 at slow 16 Mhz !

Seems they did get the last charge from Motorola very cheapo !

And all the video titling you can get today with a Genoa Genlock board
for the PC for about 400 US$ which comes with free video titler and
you are ready to go !

For the Atari you still also need a Genlock box, which will be also
not very cheap !(and a program !)


Also I have now a 24 bits graphics board at 640x480 which is still a
difference to 32K colors, which the Atari does only !
I would never like to go back to only Hicolor instead of True Color !

So Atarri, you should hurry and get the 68040 out, cause otherwise, who
will buy such a machine, when there is no software to support it ?

Today only the software counts. You can have a very good hardware, but
when there are no programs for this machine, nobody will buy it !

Same was true with the Archimedes from Arcon, Uk over here in Germany.

It had a better hardware than all the STs and Amigas, but it was not
supported well enough over here, so only a few were selled !

So I don't think that many people will buy the Falcon 030.

Also the Falcon 040 will have a hard time, when there is the new P5
Intel Chip coming out this chrismas. I gonna buy then a 586
motherboard !


Best regards Stefan Hartmann.
email to: leo@zelator.in-berlin.de

-- 
 
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*  Stefan Hartmann       This is how to contact me:         *
*  EMAIL: leo@zelator.in-berlin.de                          *
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