Editing Atari Falcon (section)

==Hardware==
[[Image:Atari Falcon 030 (общий вид) (crop tweak).jpg|thumb|right|Front-right view of the Falcon030]]

The heart of the system is the [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] [[Motorola 68030]] clocked at 16&nbsp;MHz.  It runs at about 4&nbsp;[[instructions per second|MIPS]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2014-10-01 |title=Atari Falcon 030 - Classic Computer Brochures |language=en-GB |work=Classic Computer Brochures |url=https://classic.technology/atari-falcon-030/ |access-date=2023-10-19}}</ref> while displaying video modes with the fewest colors. Despite its 32-bit CPU, the Falcon does not have 32-bit architecture throughout its design, as it has a 16-bit data bus and a 24-bit address bus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atari Falcon - Computer - Computing History |url=https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/33711/Atari-Falcon/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=www.computinghistory.org.uk}}</ref> This reduces the 68030's performance when not operating inside its tiny{{citation needed|reason=seems like loaded or biased language|date=May 2025}} [[CPU cache|cache]] and limits the maximum system memory to ≈14 MB.

The microprocessor is optionally supported by a [[Motorola 56001]] [[Digital signal processor|DSP]] clocked at 32&nbsp;MHz and performing 16 million [[instructions per second]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=alldatasheet.com |title=DSP56001 Datasheet(PDF) - Motorola, Inc |url=https://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/3030/MOTOROLA/DSP56001.html |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=www.alldatasheet.com |language=en}}</ref> Although it is oriented to sound processing (it is directly connected to the [[RAM]] and [[codec]] via an interconnection matrix), it is also capable of graphics processing (for example, calculation of [[fractal]]s, deformations, 3D projections, and [[JPEG]] decompression). It can even, jointly with the [[Motorola 68030|68030]], play [[MP3]] files in [[Real-time computing|real time]].

Another innovation (for its time) is the VIDEL video controller. The possibilities offered by the graphics processor are limited only by its frequency (25/32&nbsp;MHz core, adjustable to 50&nbsp;MHz with a hardware accelerator) and the slowness of the [[Random-access memory|RAM]], as the graphics memory is shared with system memory which can degrade performance significantly when using high resolutions or video modes requiring many [[bit plane]]s. The parameters are numerous; each timing of a video line (start, end, number of pixels, etc.) is adjustable, the image may be interlaced or not, and the vertical frequency can go down to 50&nbsp;Hz interlaced to display on a television. The number of colors is also adjustable when VIDEL operates in [[Planar (computer graphics)|bit plane]] mode. This mode is available for compatibility with the previous generation, but is quite complex to manage. There is also a ''true color'' 16-bit mode in which bits defining each pixel are grouped together to display 65,536 colors simultaneously,<ref name=":0" /> though CPU performance is degraded while displaying this mode.

In addition, Atari adopted the [[Integrated Drive Electronics|IDE]] bus in addition to the [[SCSI]] bus for connecting hard drives and [[CD-ROM]] drives.<ref name=":1" /> This allows for less expensive disk and CD-ROM devices, as [[SCSI]] interfaced devices remained relatively expensive. However, the [[Integrated Drive Electronics|IDE]] connector is internal and requires case modification to connect two hard disks or a single CD-ROM. The other drawback is that this early IDE port uses only [[programmed input/output|programmed I/O]] unlike a SCSI drive that can directly access the [[RAM]] ([[Direct memory access|DMA]]).