[Coco] Is the 6309 worth it?

[Mike Pepe]

My take on this is probably a little different, being more of the 
enthusiast and less of the developer. So to answer your question- it 
really depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

I did 6309 upgrades on virtually all my CoCo 3's. I did this mainly 
because at the time they weren't too hard to come by, and I got a tube 
of 10 for around $100. I also did this because I had the tools and 
expertise to clip all the 6809 leads, solder-suck out all 40 holes, and 
  install a socket!

If you're interested in doing development, I'd say go for it. The new 
instructions and performance boost will be fun to play with.

If you're just interested in keeping a CoCo running, I'd say it's not 
worth it. NitrOS9 runs on either CPU. Yes, the 6309 is faster, but to me 
the CoCo is still painfully slow no matter which CPU is installed; I 
can't honestly see ever doing any "real" work with it anyway.

So without getting too wordy, I'd say if you're interested in 
development or in exercising the CoCo platform to see what can be done 
with it, and you're willing to drop about $100 for the 
chip/installation/shipping; go for it. Otherwise, I think it can be 
skipped. The amount of 6309-only software out there is pretty small.

Also the 6309 is not any more sensitive than the RAM chips in the CoCo 
to static damage. Very simple precautions and practices will guarantee 
safety from static. Safety from poor soldering, on the other hand, is a 
different issue entirely!

Also: Mark's price on the chips is reasonable, so if I didn't have all 
I'll likely ever need in my lifetime, I'd buy from him.

-Mike