What's so great about the Atari ST? – by Paul Lefebvre
The Atari ST, especially the 520ST model, gained popularity in the mid-1980s for its affordability, advanced features, and superior performance, making it a strong competitor in the personal computing market.
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The Atari ST, particularly the 520ST model, was highly regarded in the mid-1980s for its advanced features and affordability, making it a strong competitor against other personal computers like the Amiga and Macintosh. Launched in 1985, the ST was praised for its powerful 68000 microprocessor, impressive graphics capabilities, and user-friendly GEM interface. Reviews highlighted its fast disk drive, superior screen resolution, and overall value, with many publications declaring it the best option for consumers seeking a capable machine without the high price tag associated with competitors. The ST's performance was noted to be superior in speed and graphics quality compared to the Macintosh, and it was recognized for its potential in both business and creative applications. The 1040ST model further solidified Atari's reputation by offering 1MB of RAM and a complete package for under $1000. Consumer feedback reflected a shift from other brands to the Atari ST, with users expressing satisfaction with its performance and features. The Atari ST's combination of power, price, and usability made it a significant player in the personal computing market during its time.
- The Atari ST was praised for its affordability and advanced features compared to competitors.
- It utilized a powerful 68000 microprocessor, offering superior speed and graphics.
- The ST's user-friendly GEM interface contributed to its popularity among non-technical users.
- Consumer feedback indicated a shift from other brands to the Atari ST for its value and performance.
- The 1040ST model was particularly noted for providing significant capabilities at a low price.
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2 commentsExtraordinary, Mr. Blair measured faster speed than physically possible :) And faster than IBM using same type of FDD controller chip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Digital_FD1771
DD drive = 250Kbit data rate = theoretical 50,000 bits (6,250 bytes) per 200 ms (300 rpm). But this is physical bits on media giving us that maximum theoretical 1MB capacity of DD floppy. Now the actual stored data require some overhead, sector headers, preambles, gaps. Standard space utilization is around ~74% resulting in 720KB floppies and Absolute maximum speed of a DD floppy drive driven by PC compatible FDD controller at around 23KB/s.
>HARD DISK ACCESS: The ST DMA port is capable of moving up to 1.33 million bytes of data per second -- this is so fast that there are currently no hard disks available that will transfer data at that rate! No other computer has a comparable port.
That figure is from Atari own documentation stating 1.25MB/s. Its also wrong, but this time in the other direction. Actual real world Atari ST ACSI port DMA speed is... drum roll, please... 2MB/s, very impressive!
https://forum.8bitchip.info/atari-hardware/atari-st(e)-dma-t...
For comparison build-in DMA speed of PC/XT 0.9 MB/s, PC/AT 1.6 MB/s. Bundled PC HDD maximum theoretical data rates PC/XT & PC/AT HDD ST-506 MFM 5 Mbit/s, ST-506 RLL 7.5 Mbit/s. Very expensive mostly high-end server/workstation PS/2 ESDI 10/15/20 Mbit/s.
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The Atari 520ST, released in July 1985, impressed with advanced features at a low price. Despite software limitations, it gained popularity quickly, leading to the later 1040ST release.
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