RAM, Speed and Graphics Card Upgrades for 1040STE Computers…

[a***@gmail.com]

Hi. I had a question about upgrading my Atari 1040STE computer. I currently have 4 MB of RAM in it and a 16 MHz CPU (standard CPU, of course, for this type of Atari ST). I wanted to know how I could find a way to beef up the RAM, see how I could integrate a high-end graphics cards for it and find a way to improve the speed of the computer overall. I know the STE I have can address a RAM clock speed of 16 MHz, but was wondering how much RAM can really be installed in an 1040STE.

I also downloaded how to build the ET4000 graphics card off of the Atari ST Hardware Hacks website by Marcello "Vezz" Vezzelli, but I am wondering. Can an STE can be fitted with a more advanced card than that, as well as certain expansion slots (like PCI and AGP) to improve expandability? Is there something similar to a CT60 for the ST to upgrade the CPU? If not, can it ever be developed somehow? There must
be a way to integrate the technologies together. If not now, perhaps in the future.

Any advice is duly appreciated. Thanks.

[Guillaume Tello]

Post by a***@gmail.com
Hi. I had a question about upgrading my Atari 1040STE computer. I currently have 4 MB of RAM in it and a 16 MHz CPU (standard CPU, of course, for this type of Atari ST). I wanted to know how I could find a way to beef up the RAM, see how I could integrate a high-end graphics cards for it and find a way to improve the speed of the computer overall. I know the STE I have can address a RAM clock speed of 16 MHz, but was wondering how much RAM can really be installed in an 1040STE.

With the 24 bits of the address bus, it is 16MB max.
But some addresses are reserved for ROM and peripherials.
If you stop at $E0.0000 (start of ROM in the STE), then you have 14MB.

Post by a***@gmail.com
I also downloaded how to build the ET4000 graphics card off of the Atari ST Hardware Hacks website by Marcello "Vezz" Vezzelli, but I am wondering. Can an STE can be fitted with a more advanced card than that, as well as certain expansion slots (like PCI and AGP) to improve expandability? Is there something similar to a CT60 for the ST to upgrade the CPU? If not, can it ever be developed somehow? There must
be a way to integrate the technologies together. If not now, perhaps in the future.

The problem you'll have with every standard PC card is that the
encoding of the pixels is not the same as in the STE.
So, all off the low graphic routines of the VDI (particularly the
LineA) must be rewritten to fit the card specifications.

This is a tremendous work..! (put/get pixel, draw line, draw rectangle,
fill rectangle, fill polygon, write text, blitblock, etc...).

Else, there is a card for the ST that replaces the 68000 with a 68030,
the PAK/3. But hard to find...

Guillaume.

Post by a***@gmail.com
Any advice is duly appreciated. Thanks.

[Ronald J. Hall]

Post by a***@gmail.com
Hi. I had a question about upgrading my Atari 1040STE computer.

<snip>

Post by a***@gmail.com
Any advice is duly appreciated. Thanks.

Follow this thread here, some really great, creative minds are working
on various hardware upgrades:

http://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=18847

HTHs.