The A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II is the natural evolution of the very first accelerator available for the Amiga 1200 (our A1230 Turbo+). The Performance Series II A1230 Turbo+ is faster and more expandable to take the Amiga 1200 to the limit (and in some cases beyond standard A4000-040 performance!).
The A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II features a 50MHz 68030 (with MMU), up to 32MB of RAM Expansion capability, optional 68882 Math Coprocessor (FPU), Battery-Backed Real-Time Clock, and feature connector for modular expansion. The first module for this connector is a high-speed DMA SCSI board with the latest in active termination that prevents noise-induced data errors that can cause problems with normal passive termination.
Using advanced design techniques in Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) and Surface Mount Technology (SMT) made it possible to pack all of these features into a single board. Developing a custom VLSI ASIC chip requires engineering technology and financial resources which are typically not found in the Amiga market. We are very proud of the fact that we can bring this type of advanced technology to Amiga owners. GVP is now the world's largest developer of Amiga add-on products, shipping quality Amiga enhancement products since 1988.
| FEATURE | BENEFIT |
|---|---|
| 50MHz 68030 processor | Increased processor power means faster results, quicker renders, and snappier response. Spend less time waiting and more time being productive and efficient. The built-in Memory Management Unit (MMU) allows compatibility with products like GigaMem and AMAX-II. |
| Proven Acceleration | The A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II uses the same processor chip technology as the A530-Turbo and GForce030 Combo series accelerators. Power your A1200 faster than an Amiga 3000! |
| GVP's Exclusive Kickstart Remapping Technology | Allows Kickstart to be copied from ROM into onboard 32-bit RAM for faster performance. |
| Onboard 32-bit wide, 60ns, 0 wait state RAM expansion | Data can be stored and retrieved from the faster onboard RAM without having to communicate with the slower Amiga 1200 RAM. For proof, just run a DiskSpeed benchmark program on the RAM: drive with the A1200 SCSI/RAM+ installed and then with any other RAM expansion board for the Amiga 1200. |
| Supports a minimum of 0MB of RAM and can be expanded up to 32MB of RAM | The A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II board has two SIMM sockets that accept GVP's standard SIMM32-1MB, 4MB, and 16MB SIMM modules. While the A1230 Turbo+ will operate with 0MB of RAM, adding 32-bit FAST RAM will speed up almost every application immediately. With a maximum of 32MB of RAM large data files (i.e. photo-realistic pictures and digitized sound samples) can be kept in memory for faster manipulation and playback. |
| ReMapping Kickstart usually requires a processor with an MMU, like the non-EC 68030. GVP provides hardware to allow Kickstart to be remapped without the MMU, leaving it free for other uses like GigaMem. | |
| The stock Amiga 1200 ships with only ChipRAM, which the custom display chips use for the screen display. Programs must compete with the graphic chips for access to this RAM. By having onboard RAM in the A1230, the competition for RAM access is eliminated. | |
| Using two 16MB SIMMs | |
| FEATURE (cont'd) | BENEFIT
(cont'd)
| Extended Memory Support
| PCMCIA RAM cards use up 4MB of the available AutoConfig RAM space, leaving only 4MB of RAM expansion possible with other AutoConfig RAM expansion boards. The memory on the A1230 Turbo+ is
above the AutoConfig range so that it will NOT interfere with PCMCIA RAM expansion cards.
| FPU (Floating Point Unit) Math Coprocessor running at 50MHz
| Performance of floating-point intensive applications (i.e. Ray-Tracing, Rendering, Image Processing) increase dramatically when a dedicated FPU Math Coprocessor is added to the system. Units are available with factory installed FPUs.
| Motorola 68882 FPU
| Some competitors are still using the now obsolete Motorola 68881 FPU which is much
slower than the 68882. GVP uses the latest technology for the best performance.
| Battery-Backed Real-Time Clock
| Using the latest in battery-backed clock technology, the A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II invisibly adds a battery backed clock to the Amiga 1200. Never lose track of time again; the internal Amiga 1200 clock will always be updated to the correct date and time. The battery is even rated for 10 years of life!
| Feature Expansion Connector
| This connector allows us continue to add more functionality to the A1230 Turbo+ even for customers who purchase today. The first module available for the A1230 Turbo+ is the A1291 SCSI Kit+ — a high-performance DMA SCSI interface for external SCSI devices.
| One-Year warranty.
| Buying a GVP product will give you peace of mind knowing that we will be around to service your current and future needs.
| Non-invasive installation
| The A1230 Turbo+ board plugs directly into the "trap-door" slot accessible on the bottom of the A1200; The Commodore warranty on the A1200 computer is not voided. Expansion modules slide into the rear access panel on the back of the A1200, so you never need to open the Amiga 1200!
| Using a full 32MB of RAM on the A1230 Turbo+, adding a 4MB PCMCIA RAM card, and including the 2MB of CHIP RAM gives the A1200 a maximum RAM expansion capability of 38MB!
| Uses a Motorola 68882 50MHz Math Coprocessor. The 68882 is twice as fast as the older, obsolete 68881 chip that is still being used on some competitors products. | |
|---|---|
Comparison chart
| Feature | A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II | ICD Viper1230 | Microbotics M1230XA | CSA Twelve Gauge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50MHz 68030 Processor (with MMU) |
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| 50MHz 68882 Math Coprocessor (FPU) Option |
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| Slow, Obsolete 68881 Math Coprocessor (FPU) Option |
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| Superfast 32-bit SIMM RAM |
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| Battery-Backed Real-Time Clock |
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| Feature Connector for Optional SCSI Interface |
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| Non-MMU Kickstart Hardware Remapping Technology |
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| AIBB CPU Rating (1.00 = A1200 alone) | 4.67 | n/a | 3.98 | n/a |
| AIBB FPU Rating (1.00 = A1200 alone) | 8.42 | n/a | 7.29 | n/a |
| DiskSpeed 4.2 RAM Read Speed Rating (1.00 = A1200 alone) | 4.08 | n/a | 2.83 | n/a |
| Diskspeed 4.2 RAM Write Speed Rating (1.00 = A1200 alone) | 4.01 | n/a | 2.70 | n/a |
Applications
The A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II is a vital addition to the Amiga 1200. It provides the three most important features missing from the stock Amiga 1200: speed, RAM expansion, and SCSI options that will last for years. Image and audio processing require a lot of horsepower, a lot of RAM, and a lot of storage space; the A1230 provides all three. GVP's own ImageFX and CineMorph virtually require the A1230-Turbo for speed, RAM Expansion, and SCSI storage.
The 68030 Processor speeds up almost every aspect of the Amiga 1200 including loading and saving programs, moving windows and screens, running applications, and more...
The 68882 Math Coprocessor provides number-crunching power not found in the A1200, giving a much needed boost to applications like:
ImageFX and other Image Processing packages -- performing filters, running hooks, scaling images, and creating morph animations all require lots of mathematical calculations that a 68882 math coprocessor was designed to handle.
DeskTop Publishing packages -- scaling fonts and images, generating PostScript, and other artistic manipulations will benefit from the power of a 68882 math coprocessor.
32-bit RAM Expansion increases the Amiga's ability to multitask and handle large jobs as easily as small jobs.
ImageFX and other Image Processing packages can load and manipulate larger images quickly and easily. Slow Virtual Memory schemes will not be needed.
Rendering and Ray-Tracing packages will have enough memory to work on a generating a complex scene, and the Amiga will still have enough memory to start other applications like a word-processor or a paint package.
Large stereo sound samples can be brought into memory and manipulated easily, with enough memory to load and mix multiple samples and create complex songs and melodies -- all in memory at once for fast access.
System Requirements
The A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II requires an Amiga 1200 computer and Kickstart/Workbench 3.0 or higher.
Recommended Additional Equipment
| A1230 Turbo+ Performance Series II Technical Specifications | |
|---|---|
| CPU Type | Mototola 68030 Processor |
| CPU Speed | 68030 at 50MHz |
| FPU Type |
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| FPU Speed |
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| RAM Type |
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| RAM Speed |
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| RAM Wait States |
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| RAM Capacity |
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| Battery Backed Clock |
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| Battery Life |
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| Feature Connector |
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