Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Rating Stand-alone Chess Computers

Author: George Bullock

Date: 10:33:47 05/10/99


Hello,

I'm thinking of purchasing one of the following Chess Computers:

-Saitek Cosmos
-Saitek Cougar
-Novag Sapphire II
-Novag Turqoise
-Novag Amber

I'd like some opinions on the pros and cons of these models.  Obviously, the
models I mention represent a wide variety of machines so I'll provide some other
possible helpful info:

-I'm an average player with a voracious appetite for study
-I'm tempted by the Sapphire II because that seems like hands down the most
powerful machine for the money.  I am worried about the upgrade cycle, as the
Sapphire II seems to be about 2 years old.
-The Cosmos is attractive because of the portability
-I'm interested in facing a wide variety of openings.  The ability to play
authentic openings is important to me.

A related question is: Given a powerful PC, does anybody bother with these
standalones?  It would seem that a good standalone offers convenience and the
ability to be looking at a real board, but would become less valuable if it
wasn't able to play a realistic opening and game or if the PC programs available
are significantly cheaper and more upgradable.

Thanks for your help,

George Bullock



This page took 0 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.