Atari 520ST

Summary

After the Sinclair QL, Atari is the second company with a home computer based on the 16/32-bit Motorola 68000 processor. Based on the CPU’s data bus width, Atari calls the ST series (for Sixteen/Thirtytwo).

The 520ST came on the market in 1985; in Germany it cost 2998 DM. It has no internal floppy drive and the power supply is external. The operating system is TOS, the graphical GEM interface. Connected to a monochrome Atari SM124 monitor, the repeat frequency of 70 Hz gives a sharp resolution of 640 × 400 pixels.

The models 260ST and 520ST+ follow the 520ST. They can use a TV as a screen. The 520ST+ has with 1 MB of memory twice as much as its predecessor, but costs the same thing to introduce, which upsets buyers of the 520ST.

The computer was highly praised by the trade press and the first generation sold about half a million times in 3 years. Atari had a few months advantage over the Amiga.