GAAE vs 68K

[Harrison]

At the moment I've got ClassicWB GAAE installed on my A600 with KS3.1/1.3 (rom switcher), with 2MB chip + 2MB Fast ram and a 6GB HDD.

What advantages, other than being WB3.1 rather than 2.1, would switching to 68K rather than GAAE give to the A600? Would it effect WHDGame compatibility? Or anything else?

What are the main software differences between the 2 packages? Does the 68K version contain everything the GAAE version had?

[Bloodwych]

It's a hard one this and it's down to user preference.

The 2.1 Workbench setup has a lot of character and suits an A600 better in my opinion, with the Amidock bar and addictive games that came from Paul the Green Amiga Alien which are exclusive to this version, but if you have a 3.1 ROM then it's a shame to not make use of it. You could try and setup some kind of double boot!

Obviously Workbench 3.1 does have better features and some more advanced software and setup. It should also run slightly faster in higher colour screenmodes (16) I think - not too sure on that one as I've never tested. All I know is Workbench 2.1 is SLOW in 16 colours, but not sure if that's down to the CPU and ECS chipset. For playing games and basic use, both Workbenches compare in a very similar fashion. Many of my Workbenches from the GAAE -> LITE have a very similar feel, setup and functionality for the common tasks.

However, Workbench 3.1 has a much wider choice of software available to it on Aminet, so you may be able to customize it further. As far as WHDLoad goes, it won't make a lot of difference which you run.

Last shout goes down to mem usage - I think it's higher in the Workbench 3.1 pack. Bottom line is WinUAE is the best tool to decide for yourself. ClassicWB GAAE was built ground up for an A600 - 68K was back engineered from the A1200 LITE version. Both work well.