What now seems like a lifetime ago, there was a gentleman called Jack Tramiel who ran a computer company called Commodore. Remember the Commodore PET? Remember the Commodore 64? That was Jack Tramiel’s legacy. He worked for that company for years, built it from the ground up, and then left to buy Atari.
When he acquired Atari, they had cute little computers as well as games. But what he came up with was something that should have made him as famous as Steve Jobs—though it didn’t. He created the Atari ST computer.
What Made the Atari ST Special?
The Atari ST was a 16-bit computer in an era dominated by 8-bit machines. It featured a graphical user interface much like Macintosh computers, but while Macs had small black-and-white screens with limited memory, the Atari ST boasted colored monitors, flashy graphics, and tons of programs.
Around the same time, Commodore launched their own 16-bit competitor: the Commodore Amiga. Now you had two rivals in the market, both gunning to defeat the Mac. Either one could have done it. In my opinion, the Atari was the better computer, but my good friend Fred Rogers—who I used to do radio with—was an Amiga guy. He loved it. A lot of musicians and video editors preferred the Amiga.
The Technical Showdown
The ST first hit store shelves in 1985, beating the Amiga by a couple of months. Both used the Motorola 68000 CPU, but their architectures differed significantly.
The Atari ST featured simpler architecture with fewer custom chips—easier to program but less specialized. It had sharp graphics, but most of the graphical work was done by the CPU. For sound, it included a basic three-voice Yamaha sound chip: good, but not groundbreaking.
The Amiga, on the other hand, featured a trio of custom chips providing powerful graphics and audio hardware acceleration. It delivered raw multimedia power with hardware-assisted graphics, better color depth, smoother animation, and advanced effects. It also had four independent audio channels with 8-bit PCM sampling—far beyond any other computer of its era.
For gaming and animation, the Amiga clearly dominated. For audio quality, the Amiga was king.
But the ST Had an Ace Up Its Sleeve
The Atari ST came with built-in MIDI ports—no add-ons needed. This turned it into the music production standard of the late 80s and early 90s, used in studios worldwide. The Amiga had no built-in MIDI and required third-party hardware, so musicians usually chose the ST instead.
Operating Systems and Applications
The Atari ST ran TOS (the operating system) with the GEM desktop interface—fast, simple, and business-like. The Amiga ran Amiga OS with multitasking, advanced graphical features, and a more modern design. TOS was snappy and efficient, but Amiga OS was far more advanced.
For desktop publishing, the ST excelled. I used a program called PageStream on my Atari ST, creating newsletters, brochures, business cards, and logos—I had all kinds of fun. The Amiga focused more on gaming, video, and production.
The results? The ST was ideal for business and music. The Amiga dominated graphics, video, and entertainment.
Who Won the War?
The ST became huge in Europe, especially Germany and the UK, and was a big hit with musicians globally. The Amiga gained strength worldwide, particularly with gamers and developers. Both sold well, but in different niches.
The ST was considerably cheaper—sometimes by hundreds of dollars. The Amiga justified its higher price with hardware acceleration, but the ST outsold the Amiga simply because of price. Plus, people like me preferred the ST.
The Final Verdict
Choose the Atari ST if you wanted:
- Professional music work
- Desktop publishing
- Affordable power
- A simpler system
Choose the Amiga if you wanted:
- The best games
- Unmatched sound and graphics
- Video production
- Creative possibilities
The End of an Era
In the end, both computers had their moment. By the early 90s, they were both done. Jack Tramiel died in his 80s, and Apple won out with the Macintosh and the Mac OS.
I still miss my Atari ST. I’ve been looking to pick up another one—I bid on one about a year or two ago on eBay, but the price went outrageous. Someday I’m going to be at a garage sale where there’s one sitting around for 20 bucks, and I’m going to buy the darn thing. I guess I’ll have to start going to garage sales.
Have a great thanksgiving.