Mac IIx

Overview

Building on the success of the Mac II, the 1988 IIx housed a 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU (floating point unit) in the same case. Breakthrough featured included the DOS-compatible SuperDrive and virtual memory. Although advertised as a 32-bit computer, the Mac IIx ROMS were "dirty," containing some 24-bit code. Running in 32-bit mode requires MODE 32 from Connectix.

The IIx requires special PAL SIMMs when using 4MB or larger SIMMs.

Details

• introduced October 1988 at $7,800; discontinued October 1990
• requires System 6.0.0 or later
• 16MH 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU
• 1MB RAM, expandable to 128MB using 4-SIMM banks of 120ns 30-pin memory (requires MODE 32 to go past 8MB)
• ADB ports for keyboard and mouse
• DIN-8 serial ports on back of computer
• DB-25 SCSI connector on back of computer
• six Nubus slots
• upgrade path: IIfx

Accelerators & Upgrades

• Apple Macintosh IIfx motherboard (40MHz 68030)
• 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 Allegro IIx (33MHz 68030)

Cautions

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