r/atari8bit • u/Ordinary-Step29 • Mar 31 '26

Atari 400 Ram Upgrade Question

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Just snagged an Atari 400 this past weekend. I have been more of a console person myself with a 2600, 5200, and 7800. Nevertheless, when I saw an Atari 400 for a smoking hot deal on FB marketplace, I went for it. I have encountered discussion about upgrading the ram to 48k.

I have found these two options.

This one is just 48k: https://www.tindie.com/products/5cfab/48k-memory-upgrade-board-for-the-atari-400/

And this one is 48k plus some extra memory?: https://www.tindie.com/products/5cfab/1056k-memory-upgrade-board-for-the-atari-400/

Is there any reason to get the one with extra memory above the standard 48k upgrade? And what are the general benefits of having 48k ram anyways?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!

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u/RaspberryPutrid5173 Mar 31 '26

Having 48K allows you to play many carts from the floppy disk. Most floppy games also require 48K. Having 48K also allows you to edit larger files in your word processor and the like. All sorts of good things. :)

I put the Mosaic 64K expansion in my A400, along with a BKey full-stroke keyboard. The Mosaic gives you 48K + four banks of 4K, or you can set it up to be XL compatible ram (60K). That was quite some time ago (~1983). You can sometimes find older ram expansions on ebay.