Atari Mega ST 2

The Atari Mega ST 2 repackaged the ST architecture as a professional desktop computer with 2MB of RAM, a separate keyboard and an internal 720KB floppy drive. A battery-backed clock, BLiTTER graphics accelerator and dedicated expansion bus made it better suited to publishing, graphics and office work than the keyboard-case models.

Introduced in 1987, the Mega ST 2 was commonly paired with Atari’s high-resolution monochrome monitor and could drive the SLM804 laser printer directly. It retained full ST software compatibility and the built-in MIDI interfaces that had already made Atari computers popular with musicians.

Notable Features

• 2MB of RAM in a desktop case with a separate keyboard.
• Included the BLiTTER graphics accelerator, battery-backed clock and Mega expansion bus.
• Could connect directly to Atari’s SLM804 laser printer.

Historical Significance

• Launched Atari’s professional Mega ST range in 1987 alongside the 4MB model.
• Became a cost-conscious desktop-publishing and music workstation.

Collector’s Notes

• Complete systems often include the detached Mega keyboard and SM124 monochrome monitor.
• Mega expansion hardware and original laser-printer interfaces are comparatively scarce.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Atari Mega ST 2
Manufacturer	Atari
Launched	Monday, June 1, 1987
Discontinued	1990
Launch Price	US$1,699 with monochrome monitor
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
Expansion	Mega expansion bus and detached keyboard
Storage	Internal double-sided 3.5-inch 720KB floppy; ACSI hard-disk support
Sound	Yamaha YM2149 three-channel programmable sound generator
Graphics	Atari Shifter with BLiTTER graphics accelerator
Colour Palette	512 colours
Display	320x200 in 16 colours, 640x200 in 4 colours, or 640x400 monochrome
ROM	TOS in ROM
RAM	2MB
CPU Speed	8 MHz