Macintosh LC III

(aka Performa 450)

Overview

The LC III was a significantly faster computer than the LC II. Running at 25MHz on a 32-bit data bus, the LC offered nearly the same performance as the IIci. The primary difference was that the LC III used an extended version of the LC PDS slot -- most cards were designed for 16-bit access, so adding a video card or ethernet port made the computer run a bit less efficiently than the more expandable IIci.

Significantly faster than the LC II, the LC III also broke the 10MB RAM barrier, allowing expansion to 36MB. This was the first Mac to use 72-pin SIMMs.

Details

• introduced February 1993 at $1,350; discontinued February 1994
• requires System 7.1 (with Enabler 003) or later
• 25MH 68030 CPU
• 4MB RAM, expandable to 36MB using a single 80ns 72-pin SIMM
• 512KB VRAM, expandable to 768KB
• ADB ports for keyboard and mouse
• DIN-8 serial ports on back of computer
• DB-25 SCSI connector on back of computer
• enhanced LC PDS slot
• upgrade path: Quadra 605