Amiga 4000T

Released: November 1994 Original Price: $3,599

Gallery

Amiga 4000T tower
Amiga 4000T tower The powerful Amiga 4000T in its full tower configuration.
A4000T interior
A4000T interior The spacious interior of the A4000T showing expansion capabilities.
A4000T Workbench
A4000T Workbench Workbench 3.1 running on the A4000T's high-resolution display.

Amiga 4000T (A4000T)

“The A4000T was our ultimate expression of what an Amiga could be. It had everything: multiple drive bays, room for full-length cards, and enough expansion options to keep even the most demanding users happy. It was built like a tank and could handle anything you threw at it. In many ways, it was the Amiga we’d always wanted to build.” - Dave Haynie, Commodore Engineer

The Amiga 4000T (A4000T) was a high-end tower computer released by Escom in November 1994, after their acquisition of Commodore’s Amiga assets. As the tower version of the Amiga 4000, it was designed for professional users who required maximum expandability and performance. The A4000T featured a spacious tower case with multiple drive bays, a 68040 processor, and the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) chipset. It was one of the most powerful and expandable Amiga models ever produced, representing the pinnacle of Amiga technology before the platform’s decline in the mid-1990s.

The Ultimate Amiga Workstation

The A4000T was designed to be the most powerful and expandable Amiga ever made, targeting professional users in video production, 3D animation, and other demanding fields. Its tower design allowed for extensive internal expansion, making it a favorite among power users and professionals.

Key Features

  • Motorola 68040 CPU: 25 MHz (upgradeable)
  • AmigaOS 3.1: Latest operating system version
  • AGA Chipset: Advanced Graphics Architecture with 24-bit color
  • Zorro III Bus: 32-bit expansion architecture
  • Multiple Drive Bays: For storage and optical drives
  • SCSI-2 Interface: For fast storage devices
  • Tower Case: Spacious and expandable

Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications

CPU
Motorola 68040 @ 25 MHz (upgradeable to 68060)
Memory
4 MB Chip RAM (expandable to 18 MB), 4 MB Fast RAM (expandable to 256 MB), 1 MB ROM
Graphics
AGA (Advanced Graphics Architecture) - 1280×512, 256 colors from 16.8 million (HAM8: 262,144 colors)
Sound
Paula - 4× 8-bit PCM channels, 28 kHz stereo
Storage
200 MB SCSI-2 hard drive, 3.5" HD floppy drive (1.76 MB), CD-ROM drive
Ports
SCSI-2, SCSI-1, 2× RS-232, RS-422, Centronics, 2× mouse/joystick, audio in/out, video out, floppy, Ethernet
Operating System
AmigaOS 3.1 (Kickstart 3.1/Workbench 3.1)

Design and Features

Case Design

  • Form Factor: Full tower
  • **Dimensions”: 48 × 60 × 20 cm (19 × 23.6 × 7.9 in)
  • **Weight”: 20 kg (44 lb)
  • **Drive Bays”:
    • 2× 5.25" external
    • 1× 3.5" external
    • 3× 3.5" internal
  • **Expansion Slots”: 5× Zorro III, 1× video, 4× ISA

Expansion

  • **Zorro III Slots”: 5× 32-bit expansion slots
  • **Processor Slot”: For CPU upgrades
  • **Video Slot”: For graphics cards
  • **Memory Slots”: 8× 30-pin SIMM slots (up to 256 MB)
  • **Drive Bays”: For additional storage

Storage

  • **Hard Drive”: 200 MB SCSI-2 (upgradeable)
  • **Floppy Drive”: 3.5" HD (1.76 MB)
  • **CD-ROM Drive”: 2× speed (standard)
  • **Tape Backup”: Optional SCSI tape drive

The A4000T Experience

For Professionals

  • **Video Production”: Video Toaster 4000
  • **3D Rendering”: LightWave 3D
  • **Graphic Design”: High-end DTP and CAD
  • **Audio Production”: Professional audio work

For Enthusiasts

  • **Gaming”: With graphics cards
  • **Demoscene”: High-end demos
  • “Collecting”: Rare and valuable
  • “Upgrading”: Extensive options

Operating System

  • **Workbench 3.1”: Latest AmigaOS
  • **AROS”: Modern open-source alternative
  • **NetBSD”: Unix-like operating system

Technical Deep Dive

CPU and Memory

  • **68040 Processor”: With MMU and FPU
  • **Cache”: 4 KB data, 4 KB instruction
  • **Memory Bus”: 32-bit, 25 MHz
  • **Fast RAM”: Up to 256 MB
  • **Chip RAM”: 4 MB (upgradeable to 18 MB)
  • **ROM”: 1 MB (Kickstart 3.1)

Graphics System

  • **Chipset”: Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA)
  • **Resolutions”:
    • 320×200 to 1280×512 (interlaced)
    • 640×400 to 1280×512 (productivity)
  • **Colors”:
    • 256 from 16.8 million (8-bit)
    • 262,144 colors (HAM8)
    • 4,096 colors (Hires Lace)
  • **Copper”: Programmable video controller
  • **Blitter”: Fast graphics operations

Audio System

  • **Paula Chip”: 4× 8-bit PCM channels
  • **Sample Rate”: Up to 28 kHz
  • **Stereo Output”: 2× RCA phono
  • **Input”: Stereo audio in
  • **Filtering”: Programmable audio filters

The A4000T Legacy

Commercial Performance

  • **Release”: November 1994
  • **Discontinuation”: 1996
  • **Price”: $3,599 (without monitor)
  • **Manufacturer”: Escom (not Commodore)

Why It Was Special

  • **Professional Build”: Industrial quality
  • “Expandability”: Tower design
  • “Performance”: Top-tier Amiga
  • “Rarity”: Limited production

Collector’s Item

  • **Rarity”: Very rare
  • **Price Range”: $2,000-$10,000+
  • **Sought-After Items”:
    • Boxed systems
    • Original monitors
    • Accelerator cards
    • Video Toaster 4000

Notable Software

Professional

  • **LightWave 3D”: 3D rendering
  • **Video Toaster 4000”: Video production
  • **ImageFX”: Graphics
  • **Final Writer”: Word processing

Games

  • **Alien Breed 3D II”: FPS
  • **Gloom Deluxe”: 3D shooter
  • **Super Stardust”: Space shooter
  • **Worms”: Strategy

Demos

  • **State of the Art”: By Spaceballs
  • “Hardwired”: By Crionics & The Silents
  • “NovaCoder”: By Andromeda

Technical Notes for Enthusiasts

Common Issues

  • **Battery Leakage”: Damages motherboard
  • **Capacitors”: May need replacement
  • **SCSI Termination”: Can cause issues
  • **Power Supply”: Aging components

Restoration Tips

  • **Recap Motherboard”: Replace capacitors
  • **Clean Contacts”: On expansion cards
  • **Battery Removal”: Prevent leakage
  • **Case Restoration”: Clean and maintain

Modern Upgrades

  • **CPU Accelerators”: 68060 upgrades
  • **Graphics Cards”: Picasso IV
  • **Memory”: SIMM to DIMM adapters
  • **Storage”: SCSI to SD/CF adapters
  • **Networking”: Ethernet cards
  • **RTG”: ReTargetable Graphics

The A4000T Today

Emulation

  • **WinUAE”: Most accurate emulation
  • **FS-UAE”: Cross-platform
  • **Amiga Forever”: Commercial package

Community

  • **Forums”: Amiga.org, English Amiga Board
  • **User Groups”: Local meetups
  • **Preservation”: Hardware and software

Uses

  • **Retro Computing”: Classic experience
  • **Demoscene”: High-end productions
  • **Collecting”: Rare hardware
  • **Preservation”: System documentation

Did You Know?

  • The A4000T was developed after Commodore’s bankruptcy by Escom
  • It was the last Amiga model released before the platform’s decline
  • Some A4000Ts were used in professional video production
  • The tower design was based on the A3000T
  • Only a few thousand units were produced
  • Featured in computer magazines of the mid-1990s
  • Appears in documentaries about the Amiga
  • The subject of YouTube restoration videos
  • Mentioned in books about computer history