Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    I believe that the plus is the 1 meg  version of the 500. I am not sure
    if it supports the 1 meg agnus or not though. I heard the tech at my
    dealers make reference to the 500 +, but my interest was not that high
    so I missed most of the info. i can always ask though.
    						bill

    It also has as standard WB 2.?? and new fonts
    
    Would be my prefered option
    
    Patrick

Yep Amiga 500 plus is Workbench Version 2, new chip set including new
agnus allowing 2 mb chip ram, 1 mb of memory INTERNALLY fitted.


AS long as Workbench v2 run's the software you want to use, go for it!


Greg

Alan- look me up, I'm also in the LEEDS office

    It's also incompatible with something like 40% of existing software
    running on normal A500's (or so I read)... so you make your choice
    based on whether you want to run what's been written or whether you
    want to run what's about to be written !!!

    in talking with the local tech I get the impression that it will only
    have the 1meg agnus. You have to think that if it comes with a two
    meg agnus that it would have 2 meg as a mimimum configuration. It will
    be interesting to see what comes out. I also wonder what the new 2000.s
    will have for chip memory.
    							bill

Bill,

UK rags have said that it HAS the 2mb agnus. Commodore are working on a
1mb upgrade for the 'hole' to give Ami 2mb chip ram.


Greg

Amiga Format magazine in the UK has talked about the 500 Plus. It does
indeed have 1 Mb memory, ECS chip set and fatter Agnus (I can't remember
whether it was 1 or 2Mb).

It has an expansion hole underneath - but the connector has changed from
the 500 so existing add-ons WON'T fit. In fact you couldn't add an A501
anyway as it already has that extra memory. They said to expect a whole
load of new add-ons to appear.

They also said that there are different messages about compatibility with
existing 500 software - and they published a list (very long). One point
they did make was that standard packages are likely to work but
'compilations' - ie special packages for special offers, multiple things on
one disk are more likely not to work. If you hear that package X works and
then somewhere else that it doesn't - the one that doesn't may well be a
'compilation' version.

Some software that needs fast RAM won't work - because all 1 Mb of the
included memory is chip RAM.

Nick


            

    Well I,m glad that CBM is going the distance with the 500. I worry
    about current addons not working though. I don't have a 500 but I 
    am concerned about the small third party people that have all their
    cash in exsisting products.
    								bill

    So, this young lad goes into the computer shop with his Mum.
    
    "Mum, I want an Amiga, ALL my friends have one."
    
    "ok, Johnny, lets ask the man what he has and we will get one for
    xmas."
    
    Sales assistant, " I couldn`t help overhearing madam, did he say all
    his friends had Amigas?"
    
    "Yes thats right"
    
    "Well then that means you wont want the A500 Plus then."
    
    "Oh, why not?"
    
    "Well, he will be borrowing his friends games wont he, and they wont
    work with the A500 Plus"
    
    At this point little Johnny looks glum and says, " well I dont want an
    Atari!" (Good Lad..ed)
    
    "Dont worry sonny," says the kind assistant, "we have the old model
    still in stock, only a few left tho`"
    
    "we`ll take one" says Mum.
    
    " I`ll just get one from the back" says the spotty assistant
    
    
    Has this poor unfortunate really been ripped off here, the price was
    the same for both models. My understanding was that only very few
    software titles wouldn`t work with the A500+. I`m sure I read Commodore
    saying that most of these titles were PD anyway!
    
    What is the real story here.
    
    By the way the story was real, it was overheard by a friend of mine, in
    a shop two days ago.
    
    Stuart

Well imagine the story from the other end

Shop Manager: look guys we will never sell all these old 500's unless
we come up with a cunning plan

shop assistant: I know let's tell all the punters that this new one
won't work with their friends disks, until we've cleared our stock

shop manager: GREAT IDEA!


On a serious note Amiga Shopper said that existing trapdoor expansions
will work on the a500+, giving you 1.5MB chip ram

    >saying that most of these titles were PD anyway!
    
    It's likely to be the other way round. A lot of commercial games are
    unlikely to work with the A500+.
    

    The 500+ is not the issue. If it comes with WB 2.0 a lot of stuff will
    break. I have several games that die under 2.0, and I am not a game
    person. So what little I have much is gone.
    								bill
    ps. I thought of a 500 with 1.3 for games. Cost was no problem,
    but space was. Also if johnny wants to SHARE his friends software
    he deserves 1.3

Let's clarify something here. It is not the A500+ that is the issue, but
the fact it come with 2.04 rather than 1.3.3.

Also, the A500 plus is supposed to work with the A501 to get a total of 
1.5meg. The A501+(?) will make it 2 meg and is much better. Also the
A500+ has battery backed up clock on the motherboard.

	-SES

    thanks for all the replys . it appears the amiga 500 is in very short
    supply anyway but the 500+ looked a better buy .
    
    regards 
      alan.

    just to be picky... can you plug a 1.3 ROM into a 500+ instead of the
    2.0 ROM?  Add in the A501 to give you fast memory, and that should
    give you the equivalent of the old 500, with 512K more chip memory.
    
    Dave

    I was told that if they use the ram sockets in the 500 then you can't
    see the adon memory.
    								bill

    Has anyone considered fully upgrading a 500 to 500+ i.e Kickstart 2.?
    full ECS. On board 1Mbyte ram would have to be the exception of course.
    								Paul
    

Re: .17

>    Has anyone considered fully upgrading a 500 to 500+...

If you are interested in a full upgrade to a 500+ including the full
amount of chip ram on the motherboard, that is probably possible.  Ask
a dealer about a motherboard swap.

It probably is cheaper to just upgrade to Kickstart 2.04 and the
ECS Denise.

    RE .18
    
    	Thanks Randy,
    		However I don't think motherboards are available in the
    UK. Its hard enough finding someone who sells the chips.
    
    						Paul
    

    
    
    	Have you thought of trying the Commordore National Repair Centre 
    Run by F.M.G on 0733 391234...
    
    
    I've just sent an A2000 motherboard (rev 4.0) for replacement and it 
    cost me �80.50...(they also give you a newer case as the B2000 has
    three phone sockets)
    
    
    
    	Steve G

    RE .17
    
    	February's issue of "Amiga Format" contains explicit information
    on upgrading one's A500 (even Rev3) and the availability of parts.
    
    
    				Paul.