Vampire V4, A600GS or MiSTer: Amiga Hardware Isn't a Simple Speed Race
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.
The Contenders
- Vampire V4 Standalone — 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.
- A600GS / A1200NG — 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.
- MiSTer with the Minimig core — "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.
- The real decision factor — not speed, but compatibility, stability, and how much you value hardware-accurate timing versus raw throughput.
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.