All New C64: Is it worth it?

My Mom was the real computer geek until I bought my first $1000 solitaire machine. She actually used the C64 as a computation device. She was on it all the time doing newsletters for the library and going online with Q-Link. She was downloading games and music back in the late '80's early '90's.

Me? I was just playing video games. Some of which were actually better than what was on the NES. Plus Commodore games were a helluva lot cheaper than the NES carts.

When words comes by me that the C64 is making a comeback, memories came flooding back.

Then reality set in. First off one of the major selling points is playing all the old games. Whoopee. You can do that for free now. As buggy as the emulators are, I've managed to get most of the games I want to play. Then reading further it comes with some games. Probably a select few of ones nobody liked and you probably can't add in those downloaded roms.

Then there's the C64 OS. Which is a Linux distro. What we need, another version of Linux. (A friend of mine was complaining about all the variations of Windows. One word: Linux.) On top of that when you order your very own C64, it doesn't come with the C64 OS. It's not ready. Instead you get some weird version of Ubuntu.

Now the coop de gracie: an Atom Processor. You have got to be kidding me? No? You're not? Really? Atom? That has to go. So I look up the motherboard to see what other processors will fit into it. I can't find out. It appears that the CPU is soldered into the motherboard! If I get a new C64, I'm going to have to replace the Motherboard too?

You see, I want the All New C64 not just for the nostalgia or the nerd cred. I need a compact test bed with off the shelf parts. A laptop doesn't fit this because the drivers needed are proprietary. The ones that run the motherboard and video card. I'm currently using a Compaq that I rescued from the trash. I can't get XP drivers for it, and the Win 7 drivers I don't think are working. Vista? They work, weirdly enough.

I need to be able to throw Windows 7 Ultimate 64 on the C64. Can it handle it with an Atom Processor? I'm having enough trouble with an AMD 64 Athlon X2.

Looking at the price guide, I see you can purchase a barebones system for $250. It doesn't come with the motherboard and Atom I was just bitching about. It also doesn't apparently come with a power supply. I can get all that for an additional $350.

While I wouldn't mind buying the fine craftsmanship that went into building the case, this isn't 1982. We expect more for our dollar in today's terms. I just don't know if it is worth it.



(So, how much did I spend on Rosenkreuzstilette again?)