MACHINE REFERENCE

Commodore Amiga 500

Commodore Amiga 500 — released in 1987, bringing the Amiga’s custom chipset to a genuinely affordable all-in-one machine.

Why it matters

The 500’s custom Agnus, Denise and Paula chips gave it multitasking, colour depth and sound capability years ahead of contemporary PCs and the rival Atari ST. It became a genuine cultural fixture in European gaming and a serious tool for early video production thanks to the Video Toaster ecosystem on higher-end Amiga models.

Amiga Workbench operating system interface — Workbench brought a proper graphical, multitasking OS to a home computer years before it was standard.

What to check before you buy

Capacitor leakage from ageing electrolytics is extremely common — budget for a recap
Check keyboard membrane and mouse for wear; both are common weak points
Floppy drive belts perish — a Gotek conversion is a popular, reversible fix
RAM expansions (trapdoor or side-slot) affect resale value and software compatibility

Released

1987

CPU

Motorola 68000, 7.16 MHz

RAM

512 KB (commonly expanded to 1 MB)

Launch price

£499 (1987, UK)

Manufacturer

Commodore

Form factor

CPU

Motorola 68000, 7.16 MHz

Chipset

RAM

512 KB (commonly expanded to 1 MB)

ROM

Graphics

Up to 4096 colours (HAM mode), custom chipset

Audio

4-channel 8-bit PCM stereo

Storage

3.5″ floppy (880 KB)

Ports

PSU

Units sold

Successors

Capacitor leakage from ageing electrolytics is extremely common

budget for a recap
Check keyboard membrane and mouse for wear; both are common weak points
Floppy drive belts perish

a Gotek conversion is a popular, reversible fix
RAM expansions (trapdoor or side-slot) affect resale value and software compatibility