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What Atari computer do you own

O

Olds-kool gamer

Experienced Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Messages
88
Location
Hertfordshire, UK
What Atari computers do you own (not consoles) and which is your favorite and why?

My collection:-
Atari 400 x 3pcs 1 MIB
Atari 400 (48k Ver) MIB
Atari 800 x 2pcs
Atari 600XL MIB
Atari 800XL x 5pcs 2 MIB
Atari 65XE x 5pcs 3 MIB
Atari XE GS x 3pcs 1 MB
Atari Portfolio
Atari 1050 x 2pcs 1 BNIB
Atari 1010 x 5pcs 1 MIB
Atari CX12 x 5pcs 3 MIB
Atari 520STFM x 2pcs 1 x MIB

My favorite has to be the original Atari 800 (circa 1980) with the Atari 400 coming a very close second. :)

It just looks so "retro" and for such an early computer, its capabilities were just amazing. The build quality is fantastic and it really feels like I’m using a piece of working history…
 
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I only got a boxed 800XL and a loose 130XE. Dunno which one I prefer over the other. The 130XE has more memory but a less tactile keyboard, cartridges in the rear instead of a top-loading one, and a slightly different geometry. The last part may be important when it comes to storing computers in drawers: one drawer may have the exact right dimensions to fit one machine but impossible to fit another one.

Since the 800XL is boxed (away), I suppose it means my favorite is the 130XE since it is the only one I have readily available. ;-)
 
I have both the Atari 400 and 800, both brand new, not mint, but as close.

Never been used, so they look very nice :D
 
I have a bunch of Commodore but only one Atari (1040stf). C64 stuff is on freecycle but I have yet to see anything Atari related.

Edit: I did get a 65XE a few weeks back, waiting on some parts to fix it (dead ram and who knows what else)
 
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carlsson said:
I only got a boxed 800XL and a loose 130XE. Dunno which one I prefer over the other. The 130XE has more memory but a less tactile keyboard, cartridges in the rear instead of a top-loading one, and a slightly different geometry. The last part may be important when it comes to storing computers in drawers: one drawer may have the exact right dimensions to fit one machine but impossible to fit another one.

Since the 800XL is boxed (away), I suppose it means my favorite is the 130XE since it is the only one I have readily available. ;-)
Click to expand...

I like the 130XE’s but I’m finding it very difficult to get hold of.:(
 
Atari gears

Atari gears

A couple of Mega STs and Mega STEs, a MegaFile 20, a 1040ST, and PS3000 (the oddball with floppy drive) Interestingly, no cable for the MegaFile :(
 
Olds-kool, I'll try to keep you in mind next time I spot something like this:
http://www.tradera.com/Atari-130XE-auktion_86195420

FYI, 100 SEK = £8.50 + postage, although this Atari was sold without power supply so untested. It was probably a minor bargain, but generally loose Ataris don't go higher in Sweden despite being rather uncommon to spot. If it had been a loose C64C or even better C128, bids would have been at least 50-100% higher.
 
carlsson said:
Olds-kool, I'll try to keep you in mind next time I spot something like this:
http://www.tradera.com/Atari-130XE-auktion_86195420

FYI, 100 SEK = £8.50 + postage, although this Atari was sold without power supply so untested. It was probably a minor bargain, but generally loose Ataris don't go higher in Sweden despite being rather uncommon to spot. If it had been a loose C64C or even better C128, bids would have been at least 50-100% higher.
Click to expand...

Hi carlsson,

Thanks for that.
That’s still a lot cheaper than they would go for here in the UK with or without a Power Supply.

I have some spare PSU’s so that wouldn’t be a problem.

What I’m unsure about is here in the UK we use PAL I so I know the video will be OK but I'm unsure about the sound. If anyone can shed any light on this I’d appreciate it.:)
 
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Atari Lives On

Atari Lives On

When I first started to collect 8-bit machines I knew I must have Atari represented in my collection. First I went after the machines I previously owned in the 80's and then branched out to machines I never had, like the TI99/4A, Apple II's, and Atari. On a tight 'collecting' budget I wanted an 800 but settled for a good deal on a 600XL with a bunch of extras. Next I bought an 800XL in such fine condition it still had the protective film on the buttons. I still have not been able to get a fine condition and working 800 in my self imposed price range. I also would like to round out my 8-bits with a nice 400 too. I'm really not interested in Atari's after the 800XL, mainly just because one cannot collect every model from every manufacturer - - or can one? The wife has recently put the clamps on my collecting for a while because she wants 'stuff' for the house. You know how women are. I can just as easily sit on the floor to play with a nice vintage computer, she prefer's a couch and chairs. So, I'm supposed to curtail my spending on important stuff while she stocks up on dumb things like furniture and appliances :rolleyes:

Here are my fine condition 600XL and 800XL Atari machines :)

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=176

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=177
 
Vint said:
When I first started to collect 8-bit machines I knew I must have Atari represented in my collection. First I went after the machines I previously owned in the 80's and then branched out to machines I never had, like the TI99/4A, Apple II's, and Atari. On a tight 'collecting' budget I wanted an 800 but settled for a good deal on a 600XL with a bunch of extras. Next I bought an 800XL in such fine condition it still had the protective film on the buttons. I still have not been able to get a fine condition and working 800 in my self imposed price range. I also would like to round out my 8-bits with a nice 400 too. I'm really not interested in Atari's after the 800XL, mainly just because one cannot collect every model from every manufacturer - - or can one? The wife has recently put the clamps on my collecting for a while because she wants 'stuff' for the house. You know how women are. I can just as easily sit on the floor to play with a nice vintage computer, she prefer's a couch and chairs. So, I'm supposed to curtail my spending on important stuff while she stocks up on dumb things like furniture and appliances :rolleyes:

Here are my fine condition 600XL and 800XL Atari machines :)

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=176

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=177
Click to expand...

Hi Vint,

I know where you’re coming from regarding the "better half"

Most of my stuff is in the attic.:(

I mean what’s more important paying the bills or getting that elusive retro find?

I don’t think it’s viable to collect every model from certain manufacturers, even if money was not too big an issue for me it’s a matter of space. Atari has over 30 models alone and Apple times that by 3.

If you can someday get hold of an Atari 800/400 you won’t regret it. They really have a tangible retro feel about them. They come up every so often here in the UK but they aren’t cheap and if they’re boxed the price shoots up still further.
 
Re: Falcon, here is a homemade tower project. It is said to be fully functional, just not completed. Dunno what it will end at; real Atari collectors won't be that interested even though the motherboard is a Falcon '030 one.

http://www.tradera.com/Atari-Falcon-030-auktion_89002576

As for sound from a PAL-B or PAL-G computer, I think modern TVs can handle any sound subcarrier. In particular as many even handle NTSC composite video!
 
600XL
800XL
Four different ST's of different flavors, the 520ST gets the most use of them. The 800XL for the 8-bitters.

Love them all the same, though.
 
130xe my first and favorite
800xl boxed but not new
xegs boxed with lightgun, keyboard, etc. (complete) purchased by me at a Chicago Atarifest (probably their last one in Chicago).
1200xl
600xl
800
520st
1040st
tt030 (functioning but someone ripped out the sim ram)
some spares (in storage) and not readily inventoried.

8bit drives:
1050
810
xf551
indus gt (with the carry case)
again some spares.

many magazines - mostly Antic and Analog (not complete but not missing many) a few others (odd bits mostly) including some local ug news letters.

plus odd bits and pieces - a patch, tote bag, coffee cup, t-shirt

I will probably be thinning out my collection/accumulation in the next year or so. Not sure what exactly I will keep to represent Atari but probably only 8bit kit.
 
Olds-kool gamer said:
Re: Atari Falcon…
You have now made me officially jealous.:rolleyes:

Of all the computers on my wish list that one is right up there…

They come up "very rarely" here in the UK and when they do the prices are very, very high.:(
Click to expand...

Not sure if it's something to be jelous of...the Falcon is a pretty useless machine if you as me.
An Amiga 1200 with the same specs is far more usefull and better built
 
My collection of Atari computers consist of the following:

Atari 400 PAL (CIB)
Atari 400 NTSC (CIB)
Atari 400 NTSC (CIB but with replacement keyboard)
Atari 800 PAL
Atari 800 NTSC (CIB)
Atari 1200XL (CIB)
Atari 600XL (CIB)
Atari 800XL PAL (CIB)
Atari 800XL NTSC (CIB)
Atari 65XE
Atari 130XE
Atari 520ST
Atari 520STFM
Atari 1040STFM
Atari 1040STE
Atari Mega ST2
Atari Mega ST4
Atari Falcon
Atari Falcon (in parts)
SWP ATR8000 (Not technically an Atarimachine but closely related)

I also have loads of diskdrives, tapedrives, printers and other......crap :)

Amigaz said:
Not sure if it's something to be jelous of...the Falcon is a pretty useless machine if you as me.
An Amiga 1200 with the same specs is far more usefull and better built
Click to expand...

Seeing your name I find it hard to believe that you are 100% unbiased ;) I think the Falcon is a great machine and much more fun to use than the Amiga 1200. On the other hand, who the heck have these machines for "useful" purposes? ;) :)
 
The big question is which applications take advantage of the DSP, so it does not remain a cool, geeky thing. Without it, the Falcon '030 would just be another 68030 computer at a rather hefty price for its time. Previously I have price matched it to the Amiga 4000 but perhaps a beefed up 1200 can also be a good comparison.

Tomas Berndtsson has made a web page about what the Motorola DSP56001 is and what it can be used for. He mentions sound and image processors like MPEG, 3D calculations and so on. While probably theoretically correct, I'd need to see practical examples and comparisons with what a CPU itself could do. I suppose it is a bit similar to the GPU's in graphics cards of today, very fast at performing particular operations.
 
Trooper said:
My collection of Atari computers consist of the following:

Atari 400 PAL (CIB)
Atari 400 NTSC (CIB)
Atari 400 NTSC (CIB but with replacement keyboard)
Atari 800 PAL
Atari 800 NTSC (CIB)
Atari 1200XL (CIB)
Atari 600XL (CIB)
Atari 800XL PAL (CIB)
Atari 800XL NTSC (CIB)
Atari 65XE
Atari 130XE
Atari 520ST
Atari 520STFM
Atari 1040STFM
Atari 1040STE
Atari Mega ST2
Atari Mega ST4
Atari Falcon
Atari Falcon (in parts)
SWP ATR8000 (Not technically an Atarimachine but closely related)

I also have loads of diskdrives, tapedrives, printers and other......crap :)



Seeing your name I find it hard to believe that you are 100% unbiased ;) I think the Falcon is a great machine and much more fun to use than the Amiga 1200. On the other hand, who the heck have these machines for "useful" purposes? ;) :)
Click to expand...

Actually I'm quite inbiased...not in any Amiga or Atari camp
A true Amigan wouldn't use old pc's from the era when the Amiga existed..it would be like sleeping with the enemy ;)

The thing I don't like with the Falcon is it's clumsy OS and pain in the ass upgrade path :eek:
 
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