Mac IIci

Overview Building on the success of the Mac IIcx, the IIci offered the 65% more power in the same compact case. A new feature was on-board video. The advantage was that users no longer needed to buy a video card; the drawback was that internal video used RAM from the motherboard, slowing the computer. Adding a video card was a popular way to increase performance (up to 30%!); another boost came from adding a level 2 (L2) cache. This proved so popular, Apple eventually made a 32KB cache standard. The IIci was the first Mac with "clean" ROMs, allowing 32-bit operation without MODE 32.

Details

• introduced September 1989 at $6,700; discontinued February 1993
• requires System 6.0.4 or later
• 25MH 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU
• 1MB RAM, expandable to 128MB using 4-SIMM banks of 80ns 30-pin memory
• ADB ports for keyboard and mouse
• DIN-8 serial ports on back of computer
• DB-25 SCSI connector on back of computer
• three Nubus slots
• PDS/cache slot
• upgrade path: Quadra 700

Accelerators & Upgrades

• Apple Quadra 700 motherboard (25MHz 68040)
• MicroMac Diimo/030 (50MHz 68030), 64KB cache, optional 50MHz 68882 FPU
• MicroMac Carrera (33MHz and 40MHz 68040), optional 128KB cache
• MicroMac 90MHz Carrera (45MHz 68040)
• Sonnet Technologies Presto 040 (40MHz 68040 or 68LC040), optional 128KB cache

Cautions

• Serial port limited to 57.6kbps; use of a 56k modem is not recommended.