Amstrad Mega PC
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| Amstrad Mega PC | |
| Manufacturer | Amstrad (licensed by Sega) |
|---|---|
| Type | Video game console / Personal computer |
| Generation | Fourth generation (16-bit era) |
| First available |  1993 1993 |
| CPU | 16-bit Intel 80386 |
| Media | Cartridge, Diskette |
| System storage | Hard Drive, Floppy Disk |
The Mega PC was manufactured and released by Amstrad in 1993 under licence from Sega, which was a similar, but unrelated system to the Sega TeraDrive. Essentially just a standard Amstrad PC with Sega Mega Drive hardware bundled inside, the system was wired to share the dual-sync monitor and speakers, with the Mega Drive on a separate circuit board.[1]
Initially released in PAL areas such as Europe and Australia in 1993,[2] its success was very shortlived due to its very high retail price of £999.99 (later reduced to £599), with the CPU also being outdated by the time of the system's release. It is slightly easier and cheaper to acquire an Amstrad Mega PC in Europe due to more units being manufactured, than it is to acquire a Sega TeraDrive elsewhere. In recent years, both systems have increasingly become relatively difficult to come by, as they are owned and often purchased by many as collector's items.
Contents |
[edit] Technical specifications
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel 80386 @ 25MHz Motorola 68000 @ 7.14MHz |
| Memory | 1MB SIMM RAM (expandable to 16MB) |
| Storage | 3.5" FDD, 40MB HDD |
| Video | SVGA Graphics with 256KB RAM |
| Operating System | MS DOS 5.0 with Amstrad Desktop |
| Dimensions | 325mm(w) x 78mm(h) x 292mm(d) |
| Power Usage | ~50W |
In general, the Mega PC was seen as a nicer build than that of Sega's TeraDrive, as the unit itself was more robust and accommodated for air circulation more efficiently than that of the TeraDrive.[3]
The machine shipped with 1MB of RAM, provided by 4× 256KB 30-pin SIMM sticks. This was expandable to 16MB by using 4× 4MB memory modules.[4]
Although it boasted a higher specification than the Sega TeraDrive (having more RAM and a faster processor), the specification of the CPU, similarly to Sega's TeraDrive, was a generation behind its time, with the newer Intel 80486 on the market and the first Pentium processors being released the same year as the Mega PC was. The system was unable to act as a Software Development Kit due to the inability to interact both the PC and the Mega Drive hardware. A cover on the front of the unit prevented the ability to play Mega Drive games while interacting with the PC side at the same time, therefore making it impossible for a Mega Drive game cartridge to be inserted while using the PC side of the machine.[5]
[edit] Input/Output
The machine's rear contained several I/O ports, which included: 2 COM ports, 25-pin LPT port, VGA port with combined signals for a standard VGA monitor and sound (Amstrad monitor only) and a speaker/headphone jack with an MIDI port for a joystick provided on an ISA card.
The motherboard included a 16 bit ISA slot with a riser card connected to it, providing a total of 2× 16 bit ISA slots. One of these was populated with an ISA card which provided connections for sound at the rear of the machine, and a connection for the Mega Drive cartridge at the front. The other slot was left free for expansion (such as a modem or Network Interface Card).[4]
Whereas the Sega TeraDrive included stereo RCA jacks and composite NTSC video output for connection to a TV, the Mega PC lacked this feature, and thus lacked the ability to connect to a television set.[5] This is more than likely because the Mega PC was designed to only allow 1 section of the unit to be used at any given time, so to provide the ability for a 2nd video output wouldn't have been worthwhile. Therefore, outputs from both the PC and Mega Drive units was available only through the SVGA connector to the supplied dual-sync (15 kHz/31 kHz) monitor.[1]
[edit] Compatibility
Although shipping with an Amstrad branded controller, the wiring was identical to that of Sega's controllers, thus could be used on either system.
[edit] Peripherals
Amstrad bundled several peripherals with its Mega PC; these included:
- Dual sync 15 kHz/31 kHz Amstrad branded 14" white monitor with internal speakers
- Standard Mega Drive white control pad with Amstrad branding
- Amstrad white joystick
- Standard Amstrad keyboard and mouse using PS/2 interface
[edit] Mega Plus
Amstrad later released a second system as the successor to the Mega PC, by the name of the Amstrad Mega Plus. This boasted a slightly higher specification with an upgraded processor to an Intel 80486 running at 33MHz, along with a RAM upgrade of 4× 1MB SIMM sticks to 4MB.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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