Task: Purchase an Amiga 1200 32-Bit Computer
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Time: 30-60 minutes
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Introduction
I have previously posted about purchasing or building an Amiga 500 16-bit computer. I have had tons of fun with my Amiga 500s but have been yearning for an Amiga 1200 (a1200) that features better graphics and a faster 32-bit processor. The Amiga 1200 came out in October of 1992 following the Amiga 500 in 1987 and the Amiga 600 in March of 1992. The a1200 was the first Amiga to feature a 32-bit 68020 processor that could address much more memory. In fact, the a1200 came with a standard 2MB of RAM compared to 500KB found in the a500. Particularly popular with users and collectors, the a1200 featured the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) chipset that put a lot more colors on the screen with improved animation giving rise to some wonderful games with spectacular graphics. This makes the machine very desirable. It is appealing to me because it has a smaller footprint than the a4000, for example.
Unfortunately for collectors, there weren’t many a1200s made and they can be quite hard to find at a reasonable price. I saved and waited patiently for my first a1200 shown below booting Arkanoid from a Gotek floppy drive emulator.
Instructions
Finding an a1200 in good condition and at a reasonable price can be challenging. You can expect to pay around $700 to $1000 for one. Further, if you are in the U.S., many of them come from the UK or Europe which can add to the price with international shipping. I got mine from Retro Passion in the UK which sells recapped and refurbished units. I paid over $800 with shipping, etc. Steve at RP does nice work. However, you will need to be patient as it took over three months for mine to be completed and delivered.
Ami64 is another UK shop with a1200s for sale.
eBay is another option. However, at the time of this post, there were no good a1200s for sale.
Comments
I am thrilled to finally have an Amiga 1200. It was well worth the $800+ investment. My next step is to install a PiStorm as I did for the a500. Start saving now and be patient!
There are other options if you can’t drop this kind of money on an Amiga. There are also rumors of an FPGA-based a1200 coming out in 2026. The a1200 NG from AmigaKit that uses an Orange Pi for hardware emulation is also more affordable. Of course, there is always free software emulation.