Atari Falcon030

The Falcon030 was the last computer ever released by Atari.  The system was an attempt to combine multimedia, with the "Power without the Price" slogan used by Atari for so many years.

The system featured a 16MHz  Motorola 68030 processor, along with a Motorola 56001 Digital Signal Processor.   Sound, which had always been a weak point on the older ST's, had been upgraded to 16-bit stereo.   This system also featured Multi-TOS, which previously had only been available on the TT.

The Falcon also featured a significant upgrade in the video features. The Falcon had Super VGA graphics, and a true color 16-bit mode with 640 x 480 resolution and up to 65,536 on-screen colors. It would accept external video sync for genlock, which would allow you to use the system for video editing & special effects.

This system also marked Atari's first (and last) implementation of IDE hard drives.  A 2.5 inch internal hard drive was an option on this system.  The system also had an external SCSI II port for external drive expansion.

The main complaint about this system is the case.  Atari users had been asking for a two-piece desktop case for years.  Only the MEGA ST, MEGA STe, and the TT were offered in this configuration.  The Falcon030 could have had more appeal if it had a detached keyboard.  There was a model on the drawing board with the detached keyboard, but it was scrapped.

The main market for this system was Europe, although it was quite popular with musicians.

Atari Falcon030:

CPU: Motorola MC68030 32-bit (16-bit CPU bus) running at 16Mhz.

FPU: Optional Motorola MC68882.

DSP: Motorola DSP56001 running at 32Mhz.

TOS Version: 4.01 in ROM, 4.02 in ROM or 4.04 in ROM. Some models had TOS in ERPROM.

RAM: 1Mb, 4Mb or 14.3Mb, expandable up to 14.3Mb.

Graphics: Large number of video modes for both RGB/TV and VGA monitors. VGA modes include 640x480x16, 640x480x256, 320x240x65k, 320x480x65k. Palette of 262,144 colors. TV modulator. Blitter chip.

Sound: 16-bit stereo, up to 50kHz sampling rate.

Disk Drives: Internal 1.44Mb floppy drive. Optional internal 2.5" IDE hard drive.

Ports: Cartridge (ROM) port, MIDI In and Out/Thru, SCSI2 port, internal IDE port, parallel (printer) port, serial (modem) port running at 230kbps, LAN port, microphone port, headphone port, DSP port, mouse, joystick and analog joystick ports and a processor direct slot.

Case: One piece standard-style

Release Date: 1993