Opinions on best 8 bit Atari hardware

[abraXXious]

Hey guys,

 

not sure if this is the right place for this topic (if not please feel free to move it), but I would like to hear some opinions/points of view on the best Atari 8 bit system with respects to all aspects.

 

These aspects may be, but not restricted to, build quality/keyboard quality, stock specifications, upgradability and ease of upgrading, reliability and compatibility.

 

The reason I am asking is that I want to set up one of my collected Atari systems to use along side my other set up retro systems and play around with some classic games and newer homebrew. However, I only want to set up one of my 8 bit Atari systems and Im not sure which. I have purchased an Sio2SD so this should take the place of a bulky disk drive.

 

The systems I am presently tossing up between are an Atari 800XL and an Atari 130XE, but I have Atari 400s, 800s, XEGSs too.

 

You opinions on the pros and cons of each system would be greatly appreciated and, with a bit of the luck, the thread should turn into a useful resource for others deciding how best to dip a toe in the pool of 8 bit Atari retro systems.

[atari8warez]

XL series have a better overall quality and if you plan to add internal mods in the future its motherboard is more forgiving in terms of soldering, 130XE has weak traces and vias that can be lifted or damaged if you're not very careful. XL factory keyboard is found to be better by most if not all Atari users, it has more tactile feedback. Having said that my main Atari is a 130XE with upgraded keycaps and I find it quite satisfactory. The upgrade is available for about $15 at Best Electronics. I personally wouldn't consider using an Atari 800 on a daily basis just because of the space it requires on my desk. A 600XL with at least 64K memory (upgraded) not only as good as a 800XL but it also occupies less desk space. I am sure other people will add more cons and pros to this list, but I hope this should be enough to start the thread going.

 

Also there is a lot of info in the forums on this subject, but it takes some work on your part to find and sort them out.

Good luck.

[enthusi]

Atari 2600

Seriously. Then, just C64, hehe.

[+David_P]

There is a PBI add-on for the 600xl that upgrades it to 256K RAM - even better than the 64K internal.