The Atari ST

The Atari ST: A Childhood Dream Deferred

The Atari ST—a name that always felt like forbidden fruit during my childhood. While the Commodore 64 grew in popularity, and I lamented seeing it on display at Sears, the Atari ST remained my elusive dream. I’d pour over magazines and review its specs. The ST also stood out with its impressive music capabilities, thanks to its Yamaha sound chip. The closest I came was when my mom nearly snagged one at a ridiculous discount—but it wasn’t meant to be. The Atari ST remained a distant figure in my gamer imagination.

Despite its brief reign, the ST was a story of innovation and adaptation. Launched in 1985 with the 520ST, it brought a bitmapped GUI and mouse support to home computing—revolutionary at the time. Later iterations like the 1040ST raised the bar, making it the first home computer with RAM priced below a dollar per kilobyte. Models like the Mega STE tried to keep the system alive, but by the early ’90s, the PC’s dominance was undeniable. Still, the ST earned its place, loved by musicians and developers alike. Who knows—maybe one day, we’ll see a mini version that brings back those nostalgic flames for a new generation of retro enthusiasts.

Interesting Facts:

Atari 520ST (1985)

CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 8 MHz
RAM: 512 KB
Graphics: 320×200 (16 colors) or 640×400 (monochrome)
Sound: Yamaha YM2149 sound chip (3 channels)
Ports: MIDI In/Out, joystick, mouse, RS-232, Centronics (printer)
Storage: External floppy drive (360 KB, later 720 KB)

Atari 1040ST (1986)

CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 8 MHz
RAM: 1 MB (first personal computer with 1MB of RAM at launch)
Graphics: Same as 520ST (320×200 @ 16 colors or 640×400 monochrome)
Sound: Same Yamaha YM2149
Ports: MIDI, joystick, mouse, printer, and floppy drive
Storage: Internal floppy drive (720 KB)

Atari Mega ST (1987)

CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 8 MHz
RAM: 2 MB or 4 MB (upgradable)
Graphics: Same as 520ST/1040ST
Sound: Yamaha YM2149 sound chip
Ports: Additional expansion ports for peripherals, standard MIDI
Storage: Internal floppy drive

Atari STE (1989)

CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 8 MHz
RAM: 512 KB to 4 MB (upgradable)
Graphics: Improved graphics (4096 colors palette, with 320×200 in 16 colors or 640×400 in monochrome)
Sound: Enhanced 8-bit stereo PCM sound with DMA (Direct Memory Access)
Ports: MIDI, additional joystick ports, enhanced audio ports
Storage: Internal floppy drive, external hard drive support

Atari Mega STE (1991)

CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 16 MHz
RAM: 2 MB or 4 MB (upgradable to 4 MB)
Graphics: Same as Atari STE
Sound: Same 8-bit stereo PCM sound with DMA
Ports: Similar to STE, with additional expansion ports for business use
Storage: Internal hard drive option, floppy drive (1.44 MB)

The Atari 1040ST: A Dad’s Childhood Curiosity and a Legacy of Innovation

As a kid, I was always fascinated by computers. I remember sneaking into my cousin’s room just to play around with his Atari 1040ST, constantly listening for the door, fearing I might get caught. I didn’t even know what I was doing when pressing all the buttons, but my curiosity about how PCs worked never waned. Although I never got one of my own those moments with the Atari 1040ST left a lasting impression on me. Click here to read more.

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