68000 Dash 30fx

Overview

Take Apple's "wicked fast" 40 MHz Macintosh IIfx, overclock it to 50 MHz, put it in a massive metal case, and you have the Dash 30fx (shown next to a Color Classic in this photo by Dave Thornton). In addition to a chipped IIfx motherboard, the Dash 30fx has accessible 5.25" drive bays, which makes it possible to add an internal SyQuest drive, CD-ROM, etc. as well as internal full-height 5.25" bays.

Dash 30fx and Color Classic According to Giles Littlefield (see article on Applefritter) the back of the computer has a removable dust filter and "neglecting to clean this out causes the PSU to overheat and blow!"

According to an article by Marc Schrier, the only drawback of overclocking the IIfx motherboard was that the Processor Direct Slot didn't work. (Or maybe it did, but with no 50 MHz cards, nothing could work in it.)

David Thornton, who provided the above photo, comments that the Dash 30fx weighed nearly 70 pounds and thinks it may have cost $40,000 when new. All of the ports are beneath the top panel for easy access. We have a separate page showing the top, front, and insides of the Dash 30fx.

Details

requires System 6.0.5 to 7.6.1
CPU: 50 MHz 68030
FPU: 68882 FPU
bus: 50 MHz
performance: est. 8.5, relative to SE
ROM: 512 KB
RAM: 4 MB, expandable to 128 MB using both 4-SIMM banks of 70ns or faster 64-pin memory; can use 1 MB, 4 MB, 8 MB, and 16 MB SIMMs (the IIfx was the only Mac to use 64-pin SIMMs)
* Due to overclocking, the Dash 30fx needs faster memory than the Mac IIfx, which needs 80ns or faster RAM.
video: requires video card - see our NuBus Video Card Guide for more information.
L2 cache: 32 KB
ADB: 2 ports for keyboard and mouse
serial: 2 DIN-8 RS-422 ports on back of computer
SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
six NuBus slots; 1 PDS slot (inline with a NuBus slot, not usable)
size (HxWxD): 5.5" x 18.7" x 14.5"
weight: about 70 lb.
PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
Gestalt ID: 13
addressing: 24-bit or 32-bit

Details

68000 dash 30fx Photo Album, Dave Thornton. The most expensive Mac ever was also the fastest of its era - the 55 MHz overclocked Mac IIfx sold by Dash for US$40,000!

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