Amiga 1200

"A1200 -The AGA Graphics Powerhouse"

Released in October 1992, the Amiga 1200 was a powerful multimedia computer. Priced at £399 in the UK and $599 in the US, it offered 24-bit AGA graphics, a 32-bit architecture, and the new AmigaOS 3.0/3.1 to the mainstream. It was one of the most advanced home computers of its time and remains a favorite among retro computing enthusiasts.

Despite Commodore's financial struggles, the A1200 saw strong sales, particularly in Germany and the UK, with around 95,000 units sold in Germany alone before the company declared bankruptcy in 1994. In 1995, German firm Escom relaunched the system with minor changes, including a PC-compatible floppy drive and AmigaOS 3.1, before discontinuing it in 1996.

A1200 AT A GLANCE

• CPU: Motorola 68EC020 @ 14.28 MHz (32-bit architecture)
• Graphics: AGA chipset with 24-bit color (16.8 million colors)
• Sound: 4-channel 8-bit PCM stereo @ up to 57 kHz
• RAM: 2 MB Chip RAM, expandable with up to 256 MB Fast RAM
• ROM: 512 KB Kickstart
• OS: AmigaOS 3.0 or 3.1
• Compatibility: Backward compatible with OCS and ECS software
• Expandability: Exceptionally upgradeable both internally and externally

Graphics

Powered by Commodore’s Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA), the A1200 shared its graphics capabilities with the high-end Amiga 4000 and CD32 console.

• Features: Improved hardware sprites, smooth scrolling, and advanced bitplane support over previous chipsets (OCS/ECS)
• Color depth: 24-bit (16.8 million colors), up to 256 on-screen
• HAM-8 mode: Up to 262,144 simultaneous colors

Resolutions:

• • PAL: 320×256 to 1280×512, up to 1504×576 (overscan)
  • NTSC: 320×200 to 1280×400, up to 1504×484 (overscan)
  • VGA: 640×480 supported

Sound Capabilities

The A1200 retained the beloved Amiga audio hardware, delivering high-quality stereo sound:

• 2 stereo channels (4 × 8-bit PCM)
• 28 kHz DMA sampling rate, and up to 57 kHz
• The hardware channels have independent volumes (65 levels)
• Software controllable low-pass audio filter

I/O Ports

• 2 × Mouse/Gamepad 9-pin ports
• RGB monitor output
• Mono video out
• Audio out Left & Right (2 × RCA)
• Standard 25-pin RS-232 serial port
• Centronics parallel port (25-pin)
• External disk drive
• Internal 44-pin ATA interface (for 2.5" internal hard disk)
• Trap-door expansion slot (underneath)
• PCMCIA Type II slot (on the left)

A1200 Monitors

• Commodore monitors (1084, 1942, etc.)
• Other RGB monitors (Philips CM 8833, etc.)
• 15 kHz VGA monitors with an RGB to VGA adapter (monitors such as BenQ) 
• TVs via SCART cable (RGB to SCART cable)
• Modern VGA/HDMI monitors via video upscaling hardware

A1200 Expansions & Upgrades

The A1200 is famous for its upgrade potential. Popular mods and expansions include:

• Internal storage: SD/CF hard drives via 44-pin ATA
• RAM: Add 8MB Fast RAM, math co-processors (MC68881/MC68882)
• Accelerators: 68030/040/060 CPU cards (up to 256 MB memory)
• High-end: Vampire 1200 V2 (FPGA-based CPU + HDMI + SD support)
• Graphics upgrades: Indivision AGA MK3 flicker fixer for clean VGA output
• Drives: Internal Gotek floppy emulator
• Networking & transfers: PCMCIA Ethernet, flash drives for file sharing

With WHDLoad and a simple 8MB RAM upgrade, you can run thousands of classic Amiga games and software titles directly from hard drive -no floppy disks required.

■ Amiga 1200

G.P. for Binaryvalue.com (c)