Amiga500 Upgrade CH:01 Overview, GVP HD8+ and 1MB Chip RAM

In our previous video, I reviewed a GoDrive using my Amiga A500. Whilst prepping that review I realised that the machine had not had any TLC since I had bought it some 2 years ago! It is high time that is rectified. In this short series, I will take it from a stock A500, to a machine that I would have been very proud to have owned back in 1998, by installing a hard drive in the form of a GVP HD8+ sidecar, as well as making mods to the logic board, allowing the A500 to have 1MB of Chip RAM. First, lets do an inspection and see what we have to work with...
• Help the channel to improve & grow by supporting us on Patreon: / membership
• Drop us a tip, & support us on Ko0-Fi: ko-fi.com/retronauttech
00:00 - Intro
03:19 - My A500 Overview
04:04 - Memory Expansion Cards
06:07 - Amiga Memory Types
10:04 - Better Storage?
12:52 - GVP A500-HD8+
22:54 - Conclusion
#retro #retrocomputer #amigas #amiga500 #amigarepair #amigaupgrade #computerrepair #upgrade #upgrades

Пікірлер: 11

  • @rrhalo
    @rrhalo4 ай бұрын

    GVP founders & owners were a group of former Commodore employees (remember names of Gerard Bucas and Jeff Boyer among the others, they left in 1988 to start GVP).

  • @RetronautTech

    @RetronautTech

    4 ай бұрын

    I recall their products being right on the nose. Nice designs, really sympathetic to the original products AND actually quite powerful. Guess the Turbo sidecar was the Apogee of all of that, with pretty much a whole Amiga2000 in the sidecar! Cool stuff, and its nice to finally have one of their products. I'd like to get an A2000 processor card, if they did one, BUT these days, these cards all sell for way to much $$$

  • @MotownBatman
    @MotownBatman5 ай бұрын

    Well done Sir, Really cool. Didnt have an Amiga myself. New sub, Detroit, Michigan, US

  • @ChrisThomas-lt8jd

    @ChrisThomas-lt8jd

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks, are you from a different gen, or a PC, or ST user?

  • @MotownBatman

    @MotownBatman

    4 ай бұрын

    @@ChrisThomas-lt8jd Im a GenX'er My first Video game was the Atari 7800, My First PC was a Packard Bell 80286 with MsDos 5. However we got them both in 1989, we we were P00r so my Dad was cheap; I'm the oldest of 5. That being said our stuff was usually the Older on the way out stuff. But my PC games were usually top tier over the 7800, I still play Commander Keen 1 (KEEN1.EXE) all the time.

  • @RetronautTech

    @RetronautTech

    4 ай бұрын

    Yep, I hear you. I managed to work my way along, by buying a couple of years after a machine was out, and THEN selling it on, usually before the end of its prime. That started with my Atari 2600, bought 3 years after launch, second hand. Had that for two years, then sold it on + money from a kids job and pocket money to get a Dragon 32 in late 82, and that was it. From there on, it was sell on, trade up. Nearly lost that all in 1991 when I was burgled and my Amiga 500 was stolen, luckily my grans advice to get insurance paid off, literally. Phew :)

  • @alanleverett
    @alanleverett5 ай бұрын

    The missing chips from the memory expansion are the memory chips , and a real time clock chip , hence the reason for the battery !

  • @RetronautTech

    @RetronautTech

    5 ай бұрын

    Yes, mind you, the sockets in it are badly corroded, and a couple of the chips had broken legs when removed. I suppose it will need NEW sockets first, allowing me to clean underneath, and then put it in the 500 and test it. One for another video I think :)

  • @crayzeape2230
    @crayzeape22305 ай бұрын

    For the best software compatibility, it's probably best to populate the four empty RAM positions on the motherboard for 1MB chip RAM, and keep the expansion board as slow RAM. I have my original A500 + GVP A530 ;)

  • @RetronautTech

    @RetronautTech

    5 ай бұрын

    More videos coming up in the series, where I explore this. For now, Im going to try the expansion board as the extra 512KB. Why do you say "better compatibility", do some older games require Slow ram, or rather balk at Fast RAM?

  • @crayzeape2230

    @crayzeape2230

    5 ай бұрын

    @@RetronautTech Yes, some older games required slow RAM.