Editing Amiga 2000

{{Short description|Personal computer from Commodore, 1987}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox computer
| Photo = Amiga 2000 computer (filtered sharpened).jpg
| Name = Amiga 2000
| Type = [[Personal computer]]
| Released = {{Start date and age|1987|03}}
| price = USD 1,495 (1987)<br />USD {{Inflation|US|1495|1987|fmt=c|r=-2}} ({{CURRENTYEAR}} equivalent)<ref name="im87" />
| Discontinued = 1991
| Processor = {{nowrap|[[Motorola 68000]]}} {{nowrap|@ 7.16&nbsp;MHz ([[NTSC]])}} {{nowrap|7.09&nbsp;MHz ([[PAL]])}}
| Memory = 1 [[megabyte|MB]] {{nowrap|(9 [[megabyte|MB]] maximum)}}
| OS = [[AmigaOS|Amiga OS]] 1.2/1.3 or 2.0
| predecessor = [[Amiga 1000]]
| successor = [[Amiga 3000]]
| units sold = 124,500 units in Germany
}}

The '''Amiga 2000''' ('''A2000''') is a [[personal computer]] released by [[Commodore International|Commodore]] in March 1987.<ref name="a2000_date">{{citation | url=http://www.amiga.com/about/history/index.php?t=past&p=a500 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117020652/http://www.amiga.com/about/history/index.php?t=past&p=a500 | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 17, 2013 | title=The Amiga Legacy | publisher=Amiga, Inc. }}</ref><ref name="a2000_date2">{{citation | url=http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/a2000.html | title=Amiga history guide | publisher=Gareth Knight}}</ref><ref name="a2000_date3">{{citation | url=http://www.lemonamiga.com/help/models/amiga_2000.php | title=Amiga 2000 | publisher=Lemon Amiga}}</ref> It was introduced as a "big box" expandable variant of the [[Amiga 1000]] but quickly redesigned to share most of its electronic components with the contemporary [[Amiga 500]] for cost reduction. Expansion capabilities include two 3.5" [[drive bay]]s (one of which is used by the included [[floppy drive]]) and one 5.25" bay that could be used by a 5.25" floppy drive (for [[IBM PC]] compatibility), a [[hard drive]], or [[CD-ROM]] once they became available.

The Amiga 2000 is the first Amiga model that allows expansion cards to be added internally. [[SCSI host adapter]]s, [[memory card]]s, [[CPU card]]s, [[network card]]s, [[graphics card]]s, [[serial port]] cards, and [[PC compatibility]] cards were available, and multiple expansions can be used simultaneously without requiring an expansion cage like the Amiga 1000 does. Not only does the Amiga 2000 include five [[Zorro II]] card slots, the motherboard also has four [[ISA slot|PC ISA]] slots, two of which are inline with Zorro II slots for use with the A2088 bridgeboard, which adds [[IBM PC XT]] compatibility to the A2000.

The Amiga 2000 was the most versatile and expandable Amiga computer until the [[Amiga 3000]] was introduced three years later.

The machine is reported to have sold 124,500 units in Germany.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bergseth |first=M. |date=November 25, 2014 |title=AMIGA SOLD IN UNITS BY COMMODORE IN GERMANY REVEALED |url=https://distrita.com/amiga-sold-in-units-by-commodore-in-germany-revealed/ |website=Distrita - Where to Go |access-date=May 15, 2023 |archive-date=July 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713160208/https://distrita.com/amiga-sold-in-units-by-commodore-in-germany-revealed/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

==Features==
[[File:Commodore Amiga 2000 rev. 6.2 , case with lid removed.jpg|thumb|Inside of the Amiga 2000 (hardware revision 6.2). The third and fourth slots from the left are bridge slots, with Zorro II connectors inline with ISA connectors.]]
[[File:Amiga 2000 loading Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 from floppy disk.flac|thumb|Recording of an Amiga 2000 loading a game from disk]]

Aimed at the high-end market, the original Europe-only model adds a [[Amiga Zorro II|Zorro II]] backplane, implemented in programmable logic, to the custom Amiga chipset used in the [[Amiga 1000]]. Later improved models have redesigned hardware using the more highly integrated [[Amiga 500]] chipset, with the addition of a gate-array called "[[Amiga custom chips#Buster|Buster]]", which integrates the [[Amiga custom chips#Buster|Zorro subsystem]].<ref name="specs">{{cite web |url=http://www.bombjack.org/commodore/amiga/amiga-commodore/Amiga_A500_A2000_Technical_Reference_Manual_1987.pdf |last=Finkel |first=Steve |title=Commodore Amiga A500/A2000 Technical Reference Manual |publisher=Commodore-Amiga |date=1987 |access-date=August 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613032004/http://www.bombjack.org/commodore/amiga/amiga-commodore/Amiga_A500_A2000_Technical_Reference_Manual_1987.pdf |archive-date=June 13, 2012 }}</ref> This also enables hand-off of the system control to a coprocessor slot device, and implements the full video slot for add-on video devices.

Like the earlier Amiga 1000 and most [[IBM PC compatible]]s of the era (but unlike the [[Amiga 500]]), the A2000 comes in a desktop case with a separate keyboard. The case is taller than the A1000 to accommodate expansion cards, two 3.5" and one 5.25" [[drive bays]]. The A2000's case lacks the "keyboard garage" of the Amiga 1000 but has space for five Zorro II expansion slots, two 16-bit and two 8-bit [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA]] slots, a [[central processing unit|CPU]] upgrade slot and a video slot. Unlike the A1000, the A2000's motherboard includes a battery-backed real-time clock.<ref name="a2000_intro">{{cite web |url=http://www.bombjack.org/commodore/amiga/amiga-commodore/Amiga_2000_Introduction.pdf |title=Introduction to the Commodore Amiga 2000 |publisher=Commodore-Amiga |date=1987 |access-date=August 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613032141/http://www.bombjack.org/commodore/amiga/amiga-commodore/Amiga_2000_Introduction.pdf |archive-date=June 13, 2012 }}</ref>

The Amiga 2000 offers graphics capabilities exceeded among its contemporaries only by the [[Macintosh II]], which sold for about twice the price of a comparably-outfitted Amiga 2000 additionally equipped with the [[IBM PC Compatible]] bridgeboard and 5.25" floppy disk drive (which was important for real-world interoperability at this time).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/info-magazine-17/Info_Issue_17_1987_Nov_Dec#page/n61/mode/2up |title=Top of the line systems |magazine=Info Magazine |issue=17 |date=November 1987 |access-date=May 30, 2013 |page=62 }}</ref> Also like the A1000, the A2000 was sold only by specialty computer dealers. It was originally announced at a price of {{nowrap|1495 USD}}.<ref name="im87">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/info-magazine-14/Info_Issue_14_1987_Spring_Summer#page/n129/mode/2up|title=Amiga's 2 new machines |magazine=Info Magazine |issue=14 |pages=10–14,128–130 |date=May 1987 }}</ref>

==Variants==
The Amiga 2000 was designed with an [[open architecture]]. Commodore's engineers believed that the company would probably be unsuccessful in matching the rate of system obsolesce and replacement then common in the PC industry, with new models every year or so. Commodore's approach was to build a single system architecture that could span different models. Commodore was so successful at this that [[.info magazine|Info magazine]] judged that the A2000 would not become obsolete "until well after the turn of the century"<ref name="im87" /> at the earliest.

The final design was the result of an internal battle within Commodore, which pitted the USA division, who wanted to build a system more like the Amiga 3000 (and 1000), against the German division, which was fresh from the successful introduction of the first [[Commodore PC-compatible systems]] and planned to include this capability in the Amiga 2000 from the start.<ref>{{cite web|title=Commodore Amiga 2000 Teardown |date=March 7, 2011 |access-date=December 6, 2014 |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/commodore-amiga-2000-teardown/1/ }}</ref> The bottom-line practicality of the German design won out, and the final A2000 shipped with not only Zorro II slots, but a complement of PC standard (for the day) ISA slots.

This architecture was subject to major revisions. The original motherboard was based on the previous Amiga 1000 with the addition of expansion slots, and so suffered all the same limitations. This was soon replaced by the "B2000-CR" version designed by [[Dave Haynie]] and Terry Fisher (whose names are printed on the board), which was instead based on the Amiga 500's improved design. The practical differences are that the early 2000 motherboard only has 512 kilobytes of ram installed, cannot be upgraded with newer versions of the chipset, requires the original processor to be removed when installing a processor card, and cannot use a video slot mounted [[flicker fixer]].

The original Amiga 2000 shipped with just a single floppy drive for storage. This was followed up fairly early by the Amiga 2000/HD, which bundled an [[Amiga 2090]] hard drive controller and a SCSI-based hard drive. In 1988, Commodore shipped the Amiga 2500/20, which added the Amiga 2620 CPU card to the CPU slot, a 14.3&nbsp;MHz [[68020]], a [[68881]] FPU, and a [[68851]] MMU to the A2000, along with 2&nbsp;MB of 32-bit-wide memory. The A2000's original 68000 CPU remained installed on the motherboard of these machines and could be switched to by holding down the right mouse button when powering on the computer for better compatibility. In 1989 this model was replaced by the Amiga 2500/30, which added an Amiga 2630 CPU card: 25&nbsp;MHz [[68030]] and the [[68882]] FPU with up to 4&nbsp;MB of 32-bit memory. The A2630 card can also take a memory expansion daughter card, capable of supporting up to 64&nbsp;MB of additional memory. Commodore built an in-house prototype of this, but never released one.

===Amiga 1500 {{anchor|Amiga1500}}===
{{Infobox computer
| Photo = 
| Name = Amiga 1500
| Type = [[Personal computer]]
| Released = {{Start date and age|1990}}
| price = £999
| Discontinued = 
| Processor = {{nowrap|[[Motorola 68000]]}} {{nowrap|@ 7.16&nbsp;MHz ([[NTSC]])}} {{nowrap|7.09&nbsp;MHz ([[PAL]])}}
| Memory = 1 [[megabyte|MB]]
| OS = Kickstart 1.3 / AmigaOS 1.3
| predecessor = 
| successor = 
| units sold = 
}}

In 1990, Commodore UK sold a variant of the A2000, the A1500, for £999. The model designation was not officially sanctioned by Commodore International. The A1500 shipped with dual floppy drives, and 1&nbsp;MB of ChipRAM as standard. Initial units came with Kickstart 1.3 (and thus AmigaOS 1.3), though the Original Chipset onboard includes a later Agnus revision allowing the 1MB of ChipRAM. Early machines were bundled with a Commodore 1084SD1 monitor. Later machines came with the [[Enhanced Chip Set|ECS]] chipset and AmigaOS 2.04. The second floppy drive replaces the [[hard disk drive]]. The A1500 has no hard disk drive as standard and as the only significant difference the A1500s could be upgraded into A2000/HDs by addition of a hard disk controller (and associated drive).

There was also a replacement case kit for the [[Amiga 500]] made by [[Checkmate Digital]] and also called A1500.<ref>[http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=6 Checkmate Digital: Checkmate A1500] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314102344/http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=6 |date=March 14, 2013 }}</ref>

===Amiga 2500 {{anchor|amiga2500}}===
{{Infobox computer
| Photo = 
| Name = Amiga 2500
| Type = [[Personal computer]]
| Released = 
| price = 
| Discontinued = 
| Processor = {{nowrap|[[Motorola 68020]]}} {{nowrap|@ 14.3&nbsp;MHz}} <br>  {{nowrap|[[Motorola 68030]]}} {{nowrap|@ 25&nbsp;MHz}}
| Memory = 1 [[megabyte|MB]]
| OS = 
| predecessor = 
| successor = 
| units sold = 
}}

The '''Amiga 2500''', also known as the '''A2500''', similar to the A1500 is not a distinct model, but simply a marketing name for an Amiga 2000 with a different base configuration. The configuration of an A2500 included a 14.3&nbsp;MHz [[Motorola 68020]] or 25&nbsp;MHz [[Motorola 68030|68030]]-based accelerator card.<ref name="Amiga2000">{{cite web | title=Amiga 2000 | url=http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=63 | year=2005 | access-date=December 26, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305073601/http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=63 | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> 68020 versions were referred to as '''A2500/20''', and 68030 versions as '''A2500/30'''.<ref name="Amiga2500/30">{{cite web | title=Amiga 2500/30 |url=http://www.amiga4ever.nl/systems.php?id=25| year=2004 |access-date=December 26, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100130090654/http://www.amiga4ever.nl/systems.php?id=25| archive-date= January 30, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The accelerator cards used by the A2500 (the A2620 and A2630) were also available separately as upgrades for the A2000. The A2620 included a [[Motorola 68881]] FPU and [[Motorola 68851]] MMU, whereas the A2630 included a [[Motorola 68882]] FPU (and MMU built into the 68030).

Because the A2500 has a [[Motorola 68000]] on the motherboard that goes unused, the design is not very cost-effective. A project to replace it with a 68020 on-board began, intending to be a Zorro-II-based 68020 machine, but the project eventually became the Amiga 3000 when [[Dave Haynie]] sought to include his new Zorro-III bus.

The A2500 remained in production after the release of the A3000, primarily because the original [[Video Toaster]] will not fit in an unmodified A3000 case. Until the release of the [[Video Toaster|Video Toaster 4000]], the A2500 was the fastest computer available for use with the Toaster.

A further variant called the A2500UX was also available which was supplied with [[Amiga Unix]] and a tape drive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbookofamigahardware.com/bboah/product.aspx?id=20| title=A2500 - Commodore| website=Big Book of Amiga Hardware}}</ref>

==Technical information==
The majority of A2000 systems shipped with Commodore's [[Original Chip Set]] and 1&nbsp;[[megabyte|MB]] of RAM (512&nbsp;[[kilobyte|KB]] of [[Amiga Chip RAM|"chip" RAM]] and 512&nbsp;KB additional RAM) and either AmigaOS 1.2 or 1.3. Later revisions shipped with the improved [[Amiga Enhanced Chip Set|Enhanced Chip Set]], 1&nbsp;MB "chip" RAM and AmigaOS 2.0.<ref name="knight">{{cite web | url=http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/a2000.html | last=Knight | first=Gareth | title=Commodore Amiga 2000}}</ref>

The A2000 shipped with a [[Motorola 68000]] CPU, running at 7.16&nbsp;MHz ([[NTSC]]) or 7.09&nbsp;MHz ([[PAL]]). The CPU can be upgraded to a [[68010]] by direct replacement. Official and third-party expansion boards, which fit in the CPU expansion slot, feature [[68020]], [[68030]], [[Motorola 68040|68040]] or [[68060]] microprocessors. Such upgrades may also accommodate additional RAM, [[Floating-point unit|FPU]]s, [[Memory management unit|MMU]]s and even [[SCSI]] controllers.

Memory capacity varies according to the hardware revision. Certain revisions of the A2000 can be upgraded to accommodate 1&nbsp;MB of chip RAM by installing an 8372A [[MOS Technology Agnus|Agnus]] chip. Likewise, 2&nbsp;MB can be accommodated by fitting an 8372B Agnus chip and adding extra memory. There is a practical limit of 8&nbsp;MB of additional RAM without the use of a CPU expansion card, due to the 68000's 24-bit address bus.

The A2000 brought a new capability to the Amiga line, the Zorro II bus. This expansion bus allows installation of compatible hardware through the [[AutoConfig]] standard, such as, graphic, sound, and network cards and [[Parallel ATA]], [[SCSI]] and [[USB]] controllers.

The [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA]] slots can be activated by use of a bridgeboard, which connects the Zorro II and ISA buses. Such bridgeboards typically feature on-board [[IBM PC Compatible]] hardware, including [[Intel 80286]], [[80386]] or [[80486]] microprocessors allowing emulation of an entire IBM-PC system in hardware. The remaining ISA slots can then be used with industry standard hardware of the era, such as, network cards, graphics cards and hard drive controllers. In some A2000 models, the two 8-bit ISA slots can also be upgraded to 16-bit by fitting extension [[edge connector]]s.

The video slot presents clocks, all 12-bits of digital video, [[Genlock]] signals, and some control lines for use to add-on cards. This allows use of dedicated genlocks, display deinterlacers, and video-switching and effects systems such as NewTek's [[Video Toaster]].

===Specifications===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Attribute
! Specification<ref name="specs"/>
|-
|[[Central processing unit|Processor]]
|[[Motorola 68000]] at 7.16&nbsp;MHz ([[NTSC]]) or 7.09&nbsp;MHz ([[PAL]])
|-
|[[Random-access memory|RAM]]
|
1&nbsp;MB consisting of either:
* 512&nbsp;[[kilobyte|KB]] of [[Amiga Chip RAM|"chip" RAM]] and 512&nbsp;KB additional RAM{{ref label|mod_a|A|^}}{{ref label|mod_b|B|^}}
* 1&nbsp;[[megabyte|MB]] of "chip" RAM{{ref label|mod_c|C|^}}
Upgradeable to 2&nbsp;MB "chip" RAM (some models require hardware modification)<br/>
Upgradeable by further 8&nbsp;MB without CPU upgrade or up to 128&nbsp;MB with CPU upgrade
|-
|[[Read-only memory|ROM]]
|256 or 512&nbsp;KB [[Kickstart (Amiga)|Kickstart]] ROM
|-
|Chipset
|[[Original Chip Set]] (OCS){{ref label|mod_a|A|^}}{{ref label|mod_b|B|^}} or [[Amiga Enhanced Chip Set|Enhanced Chip Set]] (ECS){{ref label|mod_c|C|^}}
|-
|Video
|12-bit color palette (4096 colors)<br/>
Graphic modes with up to 32, 64 ([[Amiga Halfbrite mode|EHB]] mode) or 4096 ([[Hold-and-Modify|HAM]] mode) on-screen colors:
* 320×200 to 320×400[[interlaced|i]] (NTSC)
* 320×256 to 320×512i (PAL)
Graphic modes with up to 16 on-screen colors:
* 640×200 to 640×400i (NTSC)
* 640×256 to 640×512i (PAL)
ECS only graphic modes:
* 1280×200 to 1280×512i and 640×480[[progressive scan|p]]60 (VGA) with up to 4 on-screen colors
* 800×600i60 (Super72) with 2 on-screen colors
|-
|Audio
|4× 8-bit [[PCM]] channels (2 [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]] channels)<br/>
28&nbsp;kHz maximum [[Direct memory access|DMA]] [[sampling rate]] (56&nbsp;kHz in ECS-only modes)<br/>
70&nbsp;dB [[Signal-to-noise ratio|S/N ratio]]
|-
|Internal [[Computer Storage|storage]]
|3.5" [[SCSI]] [[hard disk drive]] (A2000HD only)
|-
|Removable storage
|3.5" [[Double density|DD]] [[floppy disk]] drive (880&nbsp;KB capacity)
|-
|Audio/video ports
|Analog RGB video out ([[D-subminiature|DB-23M]])<br/>
Monochrome composite video out ([[RCA connector|RCA]]){{ref label|mod_b|B|^}}{{ref label|mod_c|C|^}}<br/>
Audio out (2× RCA)<br/>
[[Genlock]] slot (internal){{ref label|mod_a|A|^}}<br/>
Video slot (internal){{ref label|mod_b|B|^}}{{ref label|mod_c|C|^}}
|-
|Input/output ports
|Keyboard port (5 pin [[DIN connector|DIN]])<br/>
2× Mouse/Gamepad ports ([[D-subminiature|DE9]])<br/>
[[RS-232]] [[serial port]] (DB-25M)<br/>
Centronics style [[parallel port]] (DB-25F)<br/>
[[Floppy disk]] drive port (DB-23F)
|-
|Expansion slots
|5× 100-pin 16-bit [[Amiga Zorro II|Zorro II]] slots ([[AutoConfig]])<br/>
2× 16-bit [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA]] slots (requires bridgeboard to activate)<br/>
2× 8-bit ISA slots (requires bridgeboard to activate)<br/>
1× 86-pin CPU/MMU expansion slot
|-
|[[Operating system]]
|[[AmigaOS]] 1.2/1.3 (Kickstart 1.2/1.3 and [[Amiga Workbench|Workbench]] 1.2/1.3) or<br/> AmigaOS 2.0 (Kickstart 2.04 and Workbench 2.04){{ref label|mod_c|C|^}}
|-
|Other
|2× front accessible 3.5" drive bays<br/>
1× front accessible 5.25" drive bay<br/>
Battery-backed [[real-time clock]]
|}

====Notes====
<ol type="A">
<li>{{note label|mod_a|A|^}} Model A (revision 3.0-4.0), 1986
<li>{{note label|mod_b|B|^}} Model B (revision 4.1-5.0), 1986
<li>{{note label|mod_c|C|^}} Model C (revision 6.0-6.5), 1991
</ol>

==See also==
{{Portal|Amiga}}
* [[List of Amiga models and variants]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Amiga 2000}}
* [https://archive.org/stream/info-magazine-14/Info_Issue_14_1987_Spring_Summer#page/n9/mode/2up Info magazine preview of the A2000 and A500]
* [http://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/commodore-amiga-2000-teardown/1/ Amiga 2000 teardown]

{{Amiga hardware}}
{{Commodore International}}

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[[Category:Amiga]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1987]]