---
title: "Vampire V4, A600GS or MiSTer: Amiga Hardware Isn't a Simple Speed Race"
section: "retro"
tags: "retro"
description: "Why raw benchmark numbers are actively misleading when comparing modern Amiga hardware options."
layout: base.njk
parent: "/retro/"
---
<h1>Vampire V4, A600GS or MiSTer: Amiga Hardware Isn't a Simple Speed Race</h1>
<div class="detail-content">

<p>Trying to compare Amiga hardware options by benchmark numbers alone is a trap. A Dhrystone score from a real FPGA CPU implementation and an ARM chip's MIPS rating measure completely different things, and neither tells you much about which system will actually run your favourite demo correctly.</p>

<h2>The Contenders</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Vampire V4 Standalone</strong>, an FPGA-implemented 68080 CPU that's genuinely blisteringly fast (sub-second Workbench boots), but software compatibility suffers since the 68080 isn't a perfect 68060 clone. Best for games and demos, not for daily productivity.</li>
<li><strong>A600GS / A1200NG</strong>, ARM-based boards running Amiberry underneath, in either a complete mini-PC (A600GS) or a drop-in motherboard replacement with real floppy and CompactFlash support (A1200NG). Cheap, plug-and-play, but with occasional software compatibility quirks.</li>
<li><strong>MiSTer with the Minimig core</strong>, "loses" on paper to A600GS in raw MIPS numbers, but wins on emulation accuracy and software compatibility. Its D-Cache-on mode is faster still but introduces glitches, so it's best left off for stability.</li>
<li><strong>The real decision factor</strong>, not speed, but compatibility, stability, and how much you value hardware-accurate timing versus raw throughput.</li>
</ul>

<p class="redacted-note">Conclusion after digging through all three: if you already own a working MiSTer, there's no compelling reason to chase the newer ARM boards for "better" performance, the practical difference is marginal, and MiSTer's broader core library wins in the long run.</p>

<h2>How I Run My Amiga Today</h2>
<p>For now I'm not running original hardware, I reproduce my Amiga on the <a href="/retro/mist-mister-fpga/">MiSTer FPGA</a> using the Minimig core. My classic Amiga is mapped out there with Workbench and the tools I used back in the day, spread across different configurations and several Workbench versions, so I can revisit exactly how the machine felt across the years.</p>
<p>I'm still keen on the real thing, though. Retro Games Ltd. is working on an Amiga 1200 console, and I've been following everything public about it. There's a dedicated page on that: <a href="/retro/the-a1200/">The A1200: What We Know Before It Ships</a>.</p>
</div>