What started with childhood memories of an Atari ST and an Amiga 500 turned into a full-blown home retro-computing corner after 2020. Here's a snapshot of the whole setup, which machines are actually set up and running right now, and which are boxed and ready to use on demand.
The study holds the bulk of the serious gear. The MiSTer FPGA and the MiST FPGA are set up here, both connected to a NEC 1970NXp. The MiST runs the MiSTery Core as a backup for the Mega ST 4 "Low", with the entire SD card cloned from the UltraSatan. The Mega ST 4 "Low" machine is set up and running on a Dell SE2722HX 27 that handles 15kHz, serving as the demo- and game-machine.
The rest of the Atari hardware is stored here but not set up, mainly for lack of space:
The L365 was a genuinely premium 15-inch panel when it launched in 2001, and that quality still shows today. It was one of the brightest and most contrast-rich LCDs of its era, with 300 cd/m² brightness and a 450:1 contrast ratio, far ahead of most competitors, and it already offered gamma correction and precise colour temperature adjustment, features usually reserved for expensive CRT monitors. It also had a DVI-D digital input alongside VGA, which avoided the flicker of analogue LCDs and gave a pixel-sharp image.
For retro computing it's ideal. Its native 1024×768 at 4:3 matches the classic Atari/DOS desktop resolutions, and its high-quality scaling chip upscales lower resolutions like 640×480 or 800×600 far more cleanly than cheap monitors from the same era. And EIZO built it for round-the-clock industrial and office use, so after more than 20 years it still runs perfectly without noticeable backlight degradation. That's exactly what you want driving the ET4000 in the "High" machine.
The NEC MultiSync LCD1970NXp, released around 2005/2006, is a different machine class entirely and a clear step up from the EIZO L365. It's a larger 19-inch panel in 5:4 format with a higher 1280×1024 resolution, and its strength lies in a premium panel combined with unusual versatility for retro hardware.
Unlike cheap TN panels, it uses a high-quality panel with enormous viewing-angle stability, 176 degrees in both directions, so colours don't shift or darken when you view it from an angle or above. Its typical 800:1 contrast ratio, nearly double the EIZO's, delivers deep blacks and strong colours for its era.
What really makes it legendary among retro enthusiasts is its 15kHz support. Most LCD monitors only accept analogue VGA signals from 31kHz up, but the 1970NXp is one of the rare exceptions that handles genuine 15kHz. That lets you connect an Amiga 500/1200, Atari ST or old arcade boards directly over a VGA cable without a pricey upscaler and get a stable picture. It also has solid ergonomics, an ErgoDesign stand with a very smooth 110mm height adjustment and integrated cable management.
| Spec | EIZO FlexScan L365 (2001) | NEC MultiSync LCD1970NXp (2005) |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 15-inch (compact) | 19-inch (large) |
| Resolution | 1024×768 (4:3) | 1280×1024 (5:4) |
| Contrast | 450:1 | 800:1 |
| Viewing angle | Good for 2001 | Excellent (176°) |
| Special extra | Very sharp DOS scaler | 15kHz support for Amiga/arcade |
The EIZO is ideal if you want the typical, space-saving look of the first LCD generation for an original Windows 98 machine. The NEC is the technically more modern, larger and far more versatile all-rounder, especially valuable for home-computer enthusiasts who need 15kHz support for Amiga and similar systems. Both are excellent, just in different roles.
The Batocera box is the couch-friendly setup for casual sessions across dozens of systems, no FPGA timing precision required. The Raspberry Pi 400 (running Hatari and PiMiga) also lives here, connected to a small NEC 18-inch monitor as the flexible, high-resolution alternative to the original hardware. The A1200 console is on pre-order and will join this setup.
Outside the two rooms there's a small collection of handheld emulation devices for retro gaming away from a screen.
All machines share the same network infrastructure, with FTP access to the NAS for file transfers. Disk images and software archives are stored centrally and served to individual machines as needed. The MiSTer and MiST both use SD cards for storage, while the original hardware uses CompactFlash adapters or SCSI-to-IDE bridges depending on the machine. The Raspberry Pi 400 accesses the same NFS shares as the other Pis in the flat.
The A1200 console is on pre-order ahead of its 4 December 2026 launch. Retro computing, it turns out, is never really "done."