Commodore Amiga 600
Released:March 1992
Price:US $500
CPU:Motorola 68000 @ 7.16MHz
RAM:1MB stock
Display:32 colors @ 320x200
4,096 colors in HAM mode
640x400 maximum resolution
Ports:parallel, serial, floppy, audio
RGB video, mouse/joystick
Expansion:trapdoor, PCMCIA slot
Storage:880K 3.5-inch floppy
optional internal 20MB/40MB HD
OS:AmigaDOS 2.05
"Workbench" GUI






The Amiga 600 was the smallest Amiga computer ever released, as well as the last system in the Amiga "16-bit" line.

This was the first Amiga to use "surface-mount technology", reducing manufacturing costs and improving reliability.

The inclusion of the now-familiar PCMCIA expansion slot, yet another first for the Amiga line, potentially allowed unlimited expansion opportunities.



Although the internal chipset had been updated from the OCS to ECS allowing for more memory and better graphics, the Amiga 600 had the same processor as the original Amiga 1000 from 1985 (seven years earlier) running at the same speed.

The advanced construction and new features of the Amiga 600 were not enough to make it a success. Intended as a new, low-cost Amiga for the masses, the slow and out-of-date architecture and relatively high price deemed it a failure in the marketplace.

Related Links

  • Review from 1992
  • The Amiga Lounge
  • Wikipedia Amiga 600 article
  • "The extreme Amiga 600 upgrading page"
  • Commodore Amiga Retro
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    History of the Amiga Computer

    • 1982: Hi-Toro Incorporated is formed by a group of midwest investors trying to cash in on the video game craze. The name was later changed to Amiga, Incorporated after being confused with the lawn-mower manufacturer, Toro.
    • 1983: Information is leaked about an incredible computer codenamed Lorraine featuring unheard of graphics and sound capabilities, multitasking, 80 column display, 5+ megs of RAM and MORE!
    • 1984: August - Commodore purchases Amiga Corporation.
    • 1985: July - Commodore unveils the new Amiga 1000 in New York, for US$1300.
    • 1986: Commodore releases Transformer software for the Amiga, which, along with the Commodore 1020 5 1/4-inch disk drive, provides limited MS-DOS compatibility.
    • 1987: January - Commodore announces the Amiga 500.
    • 1987: January - Commodore announces the Amiga 2000.
    • 1988: December - Commodore announces the A2286D Bridgeboard for the Amiga 2000. The A2286D contains an 8-MHz Intel 80286 and a 1.2MB 5 1/4-inch disk drive.
    • 1988: Commodore introduces the Amiga 2000HD.
    • 1988: Commodore introduces the Amiga 2500.
    • 1989: January - Commodore announces that 1 million Amiga computers have been sold.
    • 1989: November - Commodore announces the Amiga 2500/30. It is essentially an Amiga 2000 with a 2630 Accelerator Board (25-MHz 68030 and 68882 math coprocessor).
    • 1990: April - Commodore offers Amiga 1000 owners US$1000 to trade in their Amiga on a new Amiga 2000.
    • 1990: June - Commodore ships the Amiga A3000 computer.
    • 1990: September - NewTek ships the Video Toaster, a hardware/software real-time video effects tool for the Amiga 2000, for US$1600.
    • 1990: Commodore announces the Amiga 3000. Prices start at US$4100 with a monitor.
    • 1991: January - Commodore releases the CDTV package. It features a CD-ROM player integrated with a 7.16-MHz 68000-based Amiga 500. List price is US$1000.
    • 1991: Commodore unveils the Amiga 3000UX. Cost is US$5000, without a monitor.
    • 1992: March - Commodore introduces the Amiga 600 for a base price of $500.
    • 1992: September - Commodore introduces the Amiga 4000.
    • 1992: December - Commodore introduces the Amiga 1200.
    • 1994: Commodore International and Commodore Electronics (two of the many international components of Commodore Business Machines) file for voluntary liquidation.
    • 1995: April - At an auction in New York, ESCOM buys all rights, properties, and technologies of Commodore.
    • 1997: Gateway buys bankrupt Amiga.
      Source: Chronology of Events in the History of Microcomputers



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