The DayStar Turbo 601 provides full PowerPC 601 performance and compatibility – it even provides faster performance for 680×0-based applications. The Turbo 601 was available in 66 MHz and 100 MHz versions for the Mac IIci, Mac IIsi, and Mac IIvi/IIvx/Performa 600.
Category Archives: Mac II
This index covers the entire Macs II series, from the 68020-based Mac II of 1987 through the last 68030-based Mac II models. Models are listed by MacBench score, which approximates real world performance. Speedometer score is CPU rating relative to Classic (1.0 on Speedometer 3) and Quadra 605 (1.0 on Speedometer 4). model MacBench (v. SE) […]
Models are sorted by processor speed, then date of introduction. Note that the Performa 600 and Mac IIvx were crippled with a 16 MHz data bus (half of CPU speed), earning them the Road Apple label. Model II IIx IIcx IIvi IIsi IIci Performa 600 IIvx IIfx Introduced 3/87 9/88 3/89 10/92 10/90 9/89 9/92 3/90 Price […]
The Mac IIvx was an okay computer, but a big “Huh?” for Mac IIci users. Where the LC and LC II had been compromised by using a 32-bit processor on a 16-bit data bus, the IIvx ran a 32 MHz CPU on a 16 MHz bus. This gave it slower performance than the IIci, which […]
The Mac IIvi is a slower version of the Mac IIvx, running a 16 MHz 68030 CPU on a 16 MHz bus. The IIvi was never sold in the United States. Unlike the IIvx, the IIvi cannot accept a level 2 (L2) cache, although it can accept an accelerator.
The IIsi shares some features with the SE/30, some with the LC series, and some with the Mac II series. Like the SE/30, it has a 68030 PDS (Processor Direct Slot) for expansion. Like the LC, it has no built-in NuBus slot, is quite short, and has a curved front. But with an adapter, the […]
Six months after moving from 16 MHz to 25 MHz with the IIci, Apple introduced the “wicked fast” 40 MHz IIfx. This was the Mac of choice for graphic designers, offering nearly three times the performance of the IIx – thanks to a lightning fast CPU, a new type of RAM, and special SCSI DMA […]
Building on the success of the Mac IIcx, the IIci offers 56% more power in the same compact case. A new feature was integrated video. The big advantage: Users no longer needed to buy a separate video card. The big disadvantage: The built-in video uses system memory (this is sometimes called “vampire video”).
Building on the success of the Mac IIx, the 1989 IIcx offered the same horsepower in a smaller case. This was made possible by eliminating 3 NuBus slots and using a smaller (90W) power supply.
Building on the success of the Mac II, the 1988 Mac IIx housed a 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU (floating point unit) in the same case. Breakthrough features included the DOS-compatible 1.4 MB SuperDrive (a.k.a. FDHD for floppy disk, high density) and virtual memory. Although advertised as a 32-bit computer, the Mac IIx ROMs were […]
Rolled out in March 1987 along with the compact Mac SE, the Mac II was the first modular Mac – a revolutionary change in the Macintosh line (so revolutionary that it had to be kept secret from Steve Jobs, who loved the simplicity of all-in-one designs). Options include two 800K floppy drives and a hard […]
