Atari 2080STE

The Atari 2080STE was the planned 2MB middle model in Atari’s enhanced ST range. It would have combined the STE’s 4,096-colour palette, BLiTTER, hardware scrolling, stereo DMA sound and SIMM memory with twice the standard RAM of the 1040STE.

Atari released only the 520STE and 1040STE as regular retail models, relying on straightforward SIMM upgrades for larger configurations. The 2080STE name was therefore never used for an Atari production computer, although dealers later applied it informally to upgraded machines.

Notable Features

• Planned 2MB factory configuration using standard STE architecture.
• Would have included the 4,096-colour palette, stereo DMA audio, BLiTTER and hardware scrolling.

Historical Significance

• Listed as part of the intended STE range but never placed into Atari retail production.
• Easy SIMM expansion made separate factory memory model numbers less necessary.

Collector’s Notes

• Dealer-upgraded systems were sometimes advertised as 2080STE computers.
• Such machines should not be mistaken for a released Atari factory model.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Atari 2080STE
Manufacturer	Atari
Launched	Tuesday, August 1, 1989
Discontinued	Cancelled
Country	United States
CPU	Motorola MC68000 at 8 MHz
Units Sold
I/O	MIDI In/Out, RS-232 serial, Centronics parallel, ACSI, cartridge, monitor and joystick/mouse ports, stereo audio and RF television output
Controllers	Two standard joystick/mouse ports plus two enhanced controller ports
Storage	Internal double-sided 3.5-inch 720KB floppy; ACSI hard-disk support
Sound	YM2149 PSG plus two-channel 8-bit stereo DMA audio
Graphics	BLiTTER, hardware scrolling and enhanced palette
Colour Palette	4,096 colours
Display	320x200 in 16 colours, 640x200 in 4 colours, or 640x400 monochrome
ROM	256KB TOS ROM
RAM	2MB planned; SIMM sockets, expandable to 4MB
CPU Speed	8 MHz