Amiga models and variants
Encyclopedia
Development
The first Amiga computer was the "Lorraine" developed using the Sage IV system. It consisted of a stack of breadboardBreadboard
A breadboard is a construction base for prototyping of electronics. The term is commonly used to refer to solderless breadboard ....
ed circuit boards.
Commodore Amiga models
| Original Chipset Original Amiga chipset The Original Chip Set was a chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities... (OCS) |
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| Model | Timescale | CPU type | RAM (base) | OS Version | Additional Information |
| Amiga 1000 Amiga 1000 The A1000, or Commodore Amiga 1000, was Commodore's initial Amiga personal computer, introduced on July 23, 1985 at the Lincoln Center in New York City.... |
1985 - 1987 | 68000 | 256 kB Kilobyte The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information... |
1.0 - 1.3 | Later A1000s shipped with 512 kB base memory |
| Amiga 500 Amiga 500 The Amiga 500 - also known as the A500 - was the first “low-end” Commodore Amiga 16/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer. It was announced at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1987 - at the same time as the high-end Amiga 2000 - and competed directly against the Atari 520ST... |
1987 - 1991 | 68000 | 512 kB | 1.2 - 1.3 | First "low-end" Amiga, later A500s shipped with 1 MB memory |
| Amiga 2000 Amiga 2000 The Amiga 2000, or A2000, is a personal computer released by Commodore in 1986. It is the successor to the Amiga 1000.-Features:Aimed at the high-end market, the original Europe-only model adds a Zorro II backplane, implemented in programmable logic, to the custom Amiga chipset used in the Amiga 1000... |
1987 - 1992 | 68000 | 1 MB Mebibyte The mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major... |
1.2 - 2.04 | First desktop Amiga with internal expansion slots (Zorro II Zorro II Zorro II is the name of the general purpose expansion bus used by the Amiga 2000 computer. The bus is mainly a buffered extension of the Motorola 68000 bus, with support for bus mastering DMA. The expansion slots use a 100-pin connector and the card form factor is the same as the IBM PC... ) Hard-drive equipped versions were labeled "A2000HD" |
| Amiga 2500 Amiga 2500 The Amiga 2500, also known as the A2500, was not a distinct Amiga model, but simply a marketing name for a Commodore Amiga 2000 bundled with a Motorola 68020 or 68030-based accelerator card. The accelerator cards used by the A2500 were also available separately as upgrades for the A2000... |
1989 - 1990 | 68020, 68030 | 1 MB | 1.3 | A2000+'020/'030 card (not a distinct model) Hard-drive equipped versions were labeled "A2500HD" |
| Amiga 1500 Amiga 1500 The Commodore Amiga 1500, also known as the A1500, was a 16/32-bit home/personal computer released in 1990. It originally sold for £999. It was a variation of the Amiga 2000, and was released only in the United Kingdom. It differed from the A2000 by having two internal floppy drives instead of one,... |
1990 - 1991 | 68000 | 1 MB | 1.3 | UK only, variant of A2000 with 2 floppy drives. This version originated with CBM UK Marketing who found it necessary to distinguish the floppy-only version from the A2000 with the general public. |
| Amiga CDTV | 1991 - 1992 | 68000 | 1 MB | 1.3 | CD-ROM based multimedia machine |
| Enhanced Chipset Enhanced Chip Set The Enhanced Chip Set is the second generation of the Amiga computer's chipset, offering minor improvements over the original chipset design. ECS was introduced in 1990 with the launch of the Amiga 3000. Amigas produced from 1990 onwards featured a mix of OCS and ECS chips, such as later versions... (ECS) |
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| Model | Timescale | CPU type | RAM (base) | OS Version | Additional Information |
| Amiga 3000 Amiga 3000 The Commodore Amiga 3000, or A3000, was the third major release in the Amiga computer family. Released in June 1990, it features improved processing speed, improved rendering of graphics, and a new revision of the operating system... |
1990 - 1992 | 68030 | 1 MB Chip Chip RAM Chip RAM is a commonly used term for the integrated RAM used in Commodore's line of Amiga computers. Chip RAM is shared between the central processing unit and the Amiga's dedicated chipset... 1-4 MB Fast |
1.3 - 2.04 | First Zorro III Zorro III Released as the expansion bus of the Commodore Amiga 3000 in 1990, the Zorro III computer bus was used to attach peripheral devices to an Amiga motherboard. Designed by Commodore International lead engineer Dave Haynie, the 32-bit Zorro III replaced the 16-bit Zorro II bus used in the Amiga 2000... system. Initial machines had a 1.4 Beta ROM that looked for a "super" kickstart disk similar to the 1000. It could load kickstart versions 1.3, 2.0, and 2.04 this way or from specially named partitions on the hard disk. Developers could also "kick" in higher versions of the OS, up to 3.1 |
| Amiga 3000T Amiga 3000T The Amiga 3000T is the tower version of the Commodore Amiga 3000 computer. Although technically equivalent, it was housed in a large metal tower case repurposed from Commodore's PC compatible line.... |
1991 - 1992 | 68030 | 1-2 MB Chip Chip RAM Chip RAM is a commonly used term for the integrated RAM used in Commodore's line of Amiga computers. Chip RAM is shared between the central processing unit and the Amiga's dedicated chipset... 1-4 MB Fast |
2.04 | First "towerized" Amiga |
| Amiga 3000UX Amiga 3000UX The Commodore Amiga 3000UX is a model of the Amiga computer family that was released with Amiga Unix, a full port of AT&T Unix System V Release 4 , installed along with AmigaOS. The system was otherwise equivalent to the standard A3000, once the Right-Mouse-Button initiated a boot to Kickstart .At... |
1989 - 199? | 68030 | 2 MB Chip Chip RAM Chip RAM is a commonly used term for the integrated RAM used in Commodore's line of Amiga computers. Chip RAM is shared between the central processing unit and the Amiga's dedicated chipset... 4 MB Fast |
1.3 - 2.04 | UNIX based Amiga 3000 |
| Amiga 500+ Amiga 500+ The Commodore Amiga 500 Plus is an enhanced version of the original Amiga 500 computer. It was notable for introducing new versions of Kickstart and Workbench, and for some minor improvements in the custom chips, known as the Enhanced Chip Set .- Introduction :The A500+ was released in several... |
1991 - 1992 | 68000 | 1 MB | 2.04 | ECS based A500 with 1MB RAM base memory |
| Amiga 600 Amiga 600 The Amiga 600, also known as the A600 , is a home computer that was introduced at the CeBIT show in March 1992. The A600 was Commodore International's final model based on the Motorola 68000 CPU and the ECS chipset. It is essentially a redesign of the Amiga 500 Plus, with the option of an internal... |
1992 | 68000 | 1 MB | 2.05 | First Amiga using SMT, built-in IDE and PCMCIA support. There was also an A600HD version that had a built-in hard disk. |
| Advanced Graphics Architecture Advanced Graphics Architecture Advanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally.... (AGA) |
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| Model | Timescale | CPU type | RAM (base) | OS Version | Additional Information |
| Amiga 1200 Amiga 1200 The Amiga 1200, or A1200 , was Commodore International's third-generation Amiga computer, aimed at the home market... |
1992 - 1996 | 68EC020 | 2 MB | 3.0 - 3.1 | Entry-level AGA machine. Standard IDE controller and space for a 2.5" hard drive. A1200HD shipped with 20~209MB hard drives |
| Amiga 4000 Amiga 4000 The Commodore Amiga 4000, or A4000, is the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. There are two models, the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030.... |
1992 - 1994 | 68EC030, 68040 68040 68040 may refer to:* The Motorola 68040 computer processor chip* The Zip Code for the town of Malmo, Nebraska... |
2 MB Chip Chip RAM Chip RAM is a commonly used term for the integrated RAM used in Commodore's line of Amiga computers. Chip RAM is shared between the central processing unit and the Amiga's dedicated chipset... 2-4 MB Fast |
3.0 | First AGA machine |
| Amiga CD32 Amiga CD32 The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32" , was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year... |
1993 - 1994 | 68EC020 | 2 MB | 3.1 | 32-bit CD-ROM based console |
| Amiga 4000T Amiga 4000T The Amiga 4000T, also known as A4000T, was a tower version of the A4000 computer. Using the AGA chipset, it was originally released in small quantities in 1994 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68040 CPU, and re-released in greater numbers by Escom in 1995, after Commodore's demise, along with a new... |
1994 - 1996 | 68040, 68060 | 2 MB Chip Chip RAM Chip RAM is a commonly used term for the integrated RAM used in Commodore's line of Amiga computers. Chip RAM is shared between the central processing unit and the Amiga's dedicated chipset... 4 MB Fast |
3.1 | Towerized version of the A4000 |
PowerPCPowerPCPowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
-based Amiga models (post Commodore)
| Model (motherboard) | Timescale | CPU type | RAM (base) | OS Version | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AmigaOne AmigaOne AmigaOne is a series of computers intended to run AmigaOS 4 developed by Hyperion Entertainment. Earlier models were produced by Eyetech, and were based on the Teron series of PowerPC POP mainboards... SE (Teron CX) |
2002 - 2004 | PowerPC PowerPC PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM... G3 PowerPC G3 The PowerPC 7xx is a family of third generation 32-bit PowerPC microprocessors designed and manufactured by IBM and Motorola . This family is called the PowerPC G3 by its well-known customer Apple Computer... |
Varies | (pre)4.0 | ATX format motherboard |
| AmigaOne XE (Teron PX) | 2003 - 2004 | PowerPC G3 or G4 PowerPC G4 PowerPC G4 is a designation used by Apple Computer to describe a fourth generation of 32-bit PowerPC microprocessors. Apple has applied this name to various processor models from Freescale, a former part of Motorola.... |
Varies | (pre)4.0 | ATX format motherboard |
| MicroA1 - "C" and "I" (Teron Mini) | 2004 - 2005 | PowerPC G3 | 256 MB | (pre)4.0 | Mini-ITX format motherboard |
| AmigaOne 500 | Announced 2011 | AMCC 460ex SoC | 2 GB | 4.1 | Complete system |
| AmigaOne X1000 AmigaOne X1000 AmigaOne X1000 is a PowerPC based computer intended as a high-end platform for AmigaOS 4. It was announced by A-Eon Technology CVBA in partnership with Hyperion Entertainment and is expected in late 2011... |
Announced 2011 | PWRficient PWRficient PWRficient is the name of a series of microprocessors designed by P.A. Semi.PWRficient processors comply with the 64-bit Power Architecture, and are designed for high performance and extreme power efficiency... PA6T |
2 GB | 4.x | Complete system |
Video chipsets
| Chipset | Introduction year | Resolution non-interlaced | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Amiga chipset Original Amiga chipset The Original Chip Set was a chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities... (OCS) |
1985 | @ 4-bpp (PAL PAL PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system... ) |
|
| Enhanced Chip Set Enhanced Chip Set The Enhanced Chip Set is the second generation of the Amiga computer's chipset, offering minor improvements over the original chipset design. ECS was introduced in 1990 with the launch of the Amiga 3000. Amigas produced from 1990 onwards featured a mix of OCS and ECS chips, such as later versions... (ECS) |
1990 | @ 2-bpp | |
| Advanced Graphics Architecture Advanced Graphics Architecture Advanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally.... (AGA) |
1992 | @ 8-bpp | |
| AAA chipset AAA chipset The AAA chipset was intended to be the next-generation Amiga multimedia system designed by Commodore International. Initially began as a secret project, the first design discussions were started in 1988, and after many revisions and redesigns the first silicon versions were fabricated in 1992-1993... (AAA) |
(?) | @ 16-bpp | Actually fabricated, but not sold. |
| Amiga Ranger Chipset Amiga Ranger Chipset Amiga Ranger was a prototype computer that was supposed to be the second generation Amiga chipset prior to ECS. It was designed by the original Los Gatos Amiga team including Jay Miner. However Commodore International didn't release this chipset due to its high cost-History:After the release of... |
(?) | @ 7-bpp | |
| AA+ Chipset Commodore AA+ Chipset This was the last classic Amiga compatible chipset that Commodore announced in 1992. They planned to release it in 1994 for low end Amiga computers along with AAA.-History:... (AA+) |
(?) | @ 8-bpp | |
| Hombre chipset Hombre chipset The Hombre chipset was to be a chipset for use in game machine hardware. However, because of Commodore International's bankruptcy, the Hombre chipset was never released.-History:... |
(?) | @ 32-bpp |
Chipsets with introduction year in parenthesis were planned but never fabricated.
Unofficial Amiga compatible models
Some models were released by other companies which were not official Amigas, but were AmigaOS compatible.- The Draco: Released by MacroSystem in 1994. This was a high end machine which ran AmigaOSAmigaOSAmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
3.1, but did not include the Amiga chipset, instead using a graphics card. A second version was known as the Draco Vision. A newer model, the Draco Casablanca, was released in 1997. The machines featured a 680406804068040 may refer to:* The Motorola 68040 computer processor chip* The Zip Code for the town of Malmo, Nebraska...
or 68060 CPU. - The Access: Released by Index Information in 1998. This was an Amiga compatible similar to the A1200, but on a motherboard which could fit into a standard 5 1/4" drive bayDrive bayA drive bay is a standard-sized area for adding hardware to a computer. Most drive bays are fixed to the inside of a case, but some can be removed....
. It featured either a 68020 or 68030 CPU, with a redesigned AGA chipset, and ran AmigaOSAmigaOSAmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
3.1. - MinimigMinimigMinimig is an open source re-implementation of an Amiga 500 using a field-programmable gate array .Minimig started in secrecy around January 2005 as a proof of concept by Dutch electrical engineer Dennis van Weeren...
is an open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
re-implementation of an Amiga 500 using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). - Natami is an Amiga compatible motherboard developed by Thomas Hirsch and the NatAmi Team.
- The PegasosPegasosPegasos is a MicroATX motherboard powered by a PowerPC 750CXe or PowerPC 7447 microprocessor, featuring three PCI slots, one AGP slot, two Ethernet ports , USB, DDR, AC'97 sound, and FireWire...
and Pegasos II can run AmigaOS 4AmigaOS 4AmigaOS 4, , is a line of Amiga operating systems which runs on PowerPC microprocessors. It is mainly based on AmigaOS 3.1 source code, and partially on version 3.9 developed by Haage & Partner...
. - The Sam440ep can run AmigaOS 4AmigaOS 4AmigaOS 4, , is a line of Amiga operating systems which runs on PowerPC microprocessors. It is mainly based on AmigaOS 3.1 source code, and partially on version 3.9 developed by Haage & Partner...
.
Unreleased models
Prototypes:- A3500: Prototype of the Amiga 3000T, it was housed in a Commodore PC60-III tower case.
Due to management turmoil, some viable Amiga models under development were canceled prior to release:
- A3000+: Prototyped in 1991, it used the AGAAdvanced Graphics ArchitectureAdvanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally....
chipset and had an AT&T DSP3210 chip, high-fidelity audio, telephone line interface, and 2.5 Mbit/s RS-485 network port. - A1000+: Intermediate in price and features between the A1200 and A3000+, it would have been a detached keyboard system with expansion slots (two Zorro slots, video slot, CPU slot).
Unreleased models (after Commodore)
A number of new Amiga models were announced after the end of the Commodore model era. However, very few of them were ever produced beyond simple prototypes (if they even got that far). Some of these were announced by companies who later owned, or sought to own, the Amiga rights. Others were unofficial machines which would run AmigaOSAmigaOS
AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
, whilst others still were intended to run an operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
compatible with Amiga software. Some models that were never produced include:
- The Amiga WalkerAmiga WalkerThe Amiga Walker, sometimes incorrectly known as the Mind Walker, is a prototype of an Amiga computer developed and shown by Amiga Technologies in late 1995/early 1996. It was planned as a replacement for the A1200 with a faster CPU, better expansion capabilities and a built-in CD-ROM...
: Announced early 1996 by Amiga Technologies, this was supposed to be a new, compact Amiga computer. Its case design was very weird: The metallic grey case, about the size of a games console, was curved at the rear. Jokes were made comparing the shape to that of a vacuum cleanerVacuum cleanerA vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
. There were two more-or-less working prototypes of the Walker and it was never released into the mass market. - The A\box, pre\box and AMIRAGE K2: These were PowerPCPowerPCPowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
-based machines announced by the German company Phase5Phase5Phase5 Digital Products was a computer hardware manufacturer that made boards for the Amiga computer. Their best known products were accelerator boards which replaced the CPU with a faster model...
. The A\box, announced in 1996, was to feature a new custom graphics chipset named CaipirinhaCaipirinhaCaipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça , sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage . Both rum and cachaça are made from sugarcane-derived products...
, and a new Amiga-compatible operating system. This was replaced in 1998 by the announcement of the pre\box, which was to feature four PowerPC processors, and was to run AmigaOSAmigaOSAmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
3.1. Finally, in 1999 the AMIRAGE K2 was announced, based on the QNXQNXQNX is a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market. The product was originally developed by Canadian company, QNX Software Systems, which was later acquired by Canadian BlackBerry-producer Research In Motion.-Description:As a microkernel-based...
operating system. - The Amiga 40x0L models: QuikPak announced a range of machines while they were planning to purchase rights to the Amiga during late 1996 and early 1997. These were models with a 68030, 680406804068040 may refer to:* The Motorola 68040 computer processor chip* The Zip Code for the town of Malmo, Nebraska...
or 68060 processor, and included portable "luggable" versions. Some models were planned to be fitted with NewTekNewTekNewTek, Inc. is a San Antonio, Texas-based hardware and software company that produces live and post-production video tools and visual imaging software for personal computers...
's Video Toaster FlyerVideo ToasterThe NewTek Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of standard-definition and high-definition video in NTSC, PAL, and resolution independent formats on Commodore Amiga computers and subsequently on computers running the Windows operating system...
. QuikPak were a manufacturer for the Amiga 4000TAmiga 4000TThe Amiga 4000T, also known as A4000T, was a tower version of the A4000 computer. Using the AGA chipset, it was originally released in small quantities in 1994 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68040 CPU, and re-released in greater numbers by Escom in 1995, after Commodore's demise, along with a new...
. - The A5000Power A5000The Power A5000 was a planned Amiga clone computer, announced by DCE and Power Computing. It was one of the first Amiga clone computers announced after Gateway purchased the Amiga in 1997....
and A6000: These were new models announced by Power Computing in 1997. They originally featured a 68030 or 680406804068040 may refer to:* The Motorola 68040 computer processor chip* The Zip Code for the town of Malmo, Nebraska...
for the A5000, and a 68060 for the A6000. - The BoXeR: Designed by Mick Tinker at Access Innovations, and announced in 1997, the BoXeR was to be a new motherboard based on a Motorola 680406804068040 may refer to:* The Motorola 68040 computer processor chip* The Zip Code for the town of Malmo, Nebraska...
or 68060 processor. Amongst other improvements over the Commodore motherboards of the time, it incorporated the ageing AGA chipset into one chip. Sadly it never got far beyond the advanced prototyping stage. Tinker was also responsible for the Access, which was basically an Amiga 1200 that was re-jigged to fit into a full length 5.25" drive bay. - The Amiga Multimedia Convergence Computer: Announced by GatewayGateway, Inc.Gateway Computer Corporation, is a computer hardware company headquartered in Irvine, California, USA which develops, manufactures, supports, and markets a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories...
in 1999. This was to feature a new operating system known as Amiga OE.