266 MHz iMac (Rev. C)

Steve Jobs announced this faster, more feature laden iMac at Macworld Expo 1999 in San Francisco. In addition to a 14% faster CPU and 50% larger hard drive, the 266 MHz iMac shipped in five different colors: tangerine, grape, lime, blueberry, and strawberry. There are rumors that some Bondi blue ones were built in January […]

Mac OS 8.5 Issues on Umax SuperMacs

There are plenty of sites offering installation and troubleshooting advice for Mac OS 8.5 – at least for the Power Mac user. Since neither Apple Computer nor Umax Corporation provides any support for Mac OS 8.5 on SuperMacs, this page exists to cover problems specifically noted by users of the Umax SuperMac series of Macintosh […]

Umax SuperMac J700 Benchmarks

The Umax SuperMac J700 was the first Power Mac clone that I benchmarked. My J700 shipped with a 180 MHz 604e CPU, and has 104 MB of memory and a Quantum Fireball 2110 hard drive installed. It shipped standard with an ixMicro Twin Turbo 128 video card, which I replaced with an ixMicro Ultimate Rez 3D […]

233 MHz iMac (Rev. B)

On October 17, 1998, Apple released Mac OS 8.5 and the first update to the popular Bondi iMac. CPU speed, base RAM, and most other specs were identical to the original iMac. In addition to coming with OS 8.5 installed, the Revision B iMac incorporates the faster Rage Pro graphics chip, has 6 MB VRAM, […]

Original iMac (Rev. A)

Hello (again). Do you remember the first Mac, the one that didn’t even have a model number? The amazing 8 MHz 68000 CPU, crystal clear 9″ b&w screen, huge 400 KB floppy drive, and radical mouse? Fast forward from 1984 to 1998. Using up-to-date technology, Apple created a worthy successor to the original Macintosh as […]

Beige Power Mac G3 All-in-One

The G3 All-in-One succeeded the Power Mac 5000 series for the education market. Key features include the G3 processor and a 15″ multiscan display (13.8″ viewable). The All-in-One was specifically designed for the education market, where less wires and parts to remove are a big plus.

Beige Power Mac G3 (1998)

Code named Gossamer, this faster version of the Beige G3 builds on Apple’s success with the 233 and 266 MHz Late 1997 models. In addition to a 300 MHz PowerPC 750 (a.k.a. G3) CPU, the 300 MHz model has the option of a 1 MB backside cache – twice as big as in the earlier models. […]

Power Mac 5500 (Power Mac One)

The Power Mac 5500 was the second PCI-bus Power Mac with an integrated monitor; it replaced the slower 5400. It shipped in 225, 250, and 275 MHz versions. Xemplar distributed a 225 MHz educational version in the UK as the Power Macintosh One. A black 275 MHz “Director’s Edition” was available in Australia. The 5500 was […]

Power Mac 7300

The Power Mac 7300 is pretty much the same computer as the 7600, except that it has a faster CPU and a special cover that makes it harder to dismantle the case (important in settings where users might steal memory, drives, etc.).

Umax SuperMac C500

The SuperMac C500 (known as the Apus 2000 series in Europe and Asia) was Umax’s entry level computer, perhaps the model that best met their corporate goal of making quality Mac OS computers at prices that could give PCs a run for their money. It may have been the least expensive Mac OS computer of its […]

Power Mac 5400 (Performa 5400)

The 5400 was the first PCI-bus Power Mac with an integrated monitor. It was available in black in the UK, the first black desktop Mac since Mac TV. This model was sold as the Power Mac 5400 in the education market and under the Performa 5400 name in the consumer market. Speeds ranged from 120 […]

Performa 5260

The Performa 5260 was the third PowerPC (PPC) Mac with an integrated monitor, sharing the design of its predecessors, the 5200 and 5300. Although the PPC 603e CPU was superior to the older 601, the computer architecture kept performance of this 100-120 MHz model comparable to an 80 MHz Power Mac 7100. To save money, Apple based the […]

Performa 5300CD

The Performa 5300 was the second PowerPC (PPC) Mac with an integrated multiscan 15″ monitor, sharing the design of its predecessor, the 5200. Although the PPC 603 CPU was superior to the older 601, the computer architecture kept performance of this 100-120 MHz model comparable to an 80 MHz Power Mac 7100.

Power Mac 7500

Apple introduced a brand new case design with the Power Mac 7200 and 7500, one with a slide-off cover, an extra internal drive bay (compared to the Power Mac 7100 they replaced), and a flip-up drive/power supply assembly, providing easy access to the motherboard.

Power Mac 6200 (Performa 6200)

The 75 MHz Power Macintosh 6200 (a.k.a. Performa 6200, 6205, 6210, 6214, 6216, 6218, 6220, and 6230!) was one of the first Macs to use the PowerPC 603 processor. Although the CPU was superior to the older 601, the computer architecture kept performance of the 6200 – and it’s built-in monitor twin, the 5200 – comparable to […]

Performa 5200

The 75 MHz Performa 5200 was the first PowerPC Mac with an integrated monitor. Although the PPC 603 CPU was superior to the older 601, this computer’s architecture kept performance of the 5200 – and it’s monitor-less twin, the 6200 – comparable to a 66 MHz Power Mac 6100.

Mac LC 580 (Performa 580)

The LC 580 (a.k.a. Performa 580 and 588) is essentially an LC 575 with a new logic board that supports an IDE hard drive (instead of the more expensive SCSI hard drive used in earlier 500 series Macs) and uses a less expensive monitor. It also has a video I/O slot that can accept the original […]

Mac LC 575 (Performa 575)

The LC 575 (a.k.a. Performa 575, 577, and 578) is essentially a Quadra 605 motherboard in an LC 520/550case. It normally shipped with 5 MB RAM and a CD-ROM drive, but there was an LC 575 in a 4 MB configuration without a CD-ROM drive – available only in the education market. Got a 500 Series […]

Mac TV

The first cable-ready Macintosh! No, not ready for a cable modem – ready for cable TV. More or less a black LC 520 (complete with a black mouse and black keyboard), Macintosh TV lets you watch 16-bit TV or use 8-bit computer graphics. (Assuming you were in the US, Canada, or some other country using […]

Quadra 605

What was the smallest desktop Mac prior to the Mac mini? Apple’s LC series, which measured just under 3″ tall, although it had as big a footprint as four Minis. And the Quadra 605 (also known as the LC 475 and Performa 475 or 476) was the most powerful model in this diminutive line. Apple […]

Mac LC III+

At 33 MHz, the LC III+ (also known as the Performa 460) was the fastest 68030-based computer in the LC series. The 460/LC III+ was essentially an LC III running the motherboard and CPU at 33 MHz instead of 25 MHz. In fact, with a small modification to the motherboard, the LC III can run […]

Mac LC 550 (Performa 550)

The LC 550 replaced the LC 520, increasing CPU speed from 25 MHz to 33 MHz. It was released at the same time as the 68LC040-based LC 575. The Performa/LC 550 uses the same motherboard as the relatively rare Colour Classic II. For those with original Color Classics, dropping in a 550 motherboard is the […]

Mac LC 520 (Performa 520)

Take an LC III and graft on a 14″ Trinitron monitor along with stereo speakers. That’s what Apple did to create the 520. With the all-in-one design, these were especially popular in schools. It even had a built-in microphone, just like the Color Classic. The Performa version was not sold in the US. The 520 […]

Mac LC III

“With double its predecessor’s speed and more than triple the RAM capacity, the LC III is a significant entry into the low end of Apple’s line.” MacUser, April 1993 The LC III (a.k.a. Performa 450 and code named Elsie III and Vail) is a significantly faster computer than the LC II. Running at 25 MHz […]

Mac Color Classic

The end of the Classic line in the North American market, the Color Classic (a.k.a. Performa 250) shared the motherboard design of the LC II – equally limited in RAM expansion, constricted by a 16-bit data bus, and able to use 16-bit PDS cards designed for the LC. The only significant difference is the presence […]

Mac IIvx

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 […]

Mac IIvi

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. In terms of performance, on some […]

Performa 600

The Performa 600 was an okay computer, but a big “Huh?” for Mac IIci users. Where the LC and LC IIhad been compromised by using a 32-bit processor on a 16-bit data bus, the Performa 600 ran a 32 MHz CPU on a 16 MHz bus. This gave it slower performance than the 25 MHz […]

Mac LC II

What was the smallest desktop Mac prior to the Mac mini? Apple’s LC series, which measured just under 3″ tall, although it had as big a footprint as four minis. The LC II (a.k.a. Performa 400-430 and code named Foster Farms) was a slightly less crippled version of the LC. Still running a 32-bit CPU […]

Quadra 900

October 1991 saw the introduction of Macs using Motorola’s high-octane 68040 CPU. The Quadra 900 was a full-fledged tower design, although it had only a single front accessible drive bay. The Quadra 700 and 900 were the first Macs with built-in ethernet, using Apple’s AAUIs connector.

Quadra 700

October 1991 saw the introduction of the firest Macs using Motorola’s high-octane 68040 CPU. The Quadra 700, built in the same chassis as the Mac IIci, was built as a minitower, although with no front accessible hard drive bays. The Quadra 700 and 900 were the first Macs with built-in ethernet, using Apple’s AAUI connector.

Mac Classic II

Introduced in October 1991, the Classic II (a.k.a. Performa 200) was both an upgraded Classic and a replacement for the venerable SE/30. Based on a modified LC motherboard, the Classic II shares a 16-bit data path and a RAM ceiling of 10 MB (the Classic II is slower than the SE/30, even though both use […]