The Mac II was Apple’s first modular Macintosh. Using a 68020 CPU instead of the older 68000, it can address far more memory by using 32-bit addressing. Although it took System 7 to provide the 32-bit option and Mode32 to let the Mac II operate in 32-bit mode, this allowed users to use more than […]
Tag Archives: Mac II
Apple made the biggest change in Macintosh history with the introduction of the Macintosh II and SE in 1987.
2009 – Others have published their thoughts on the Best Mac Ever, the 10 Best Macs, and the 25 Best Macs, but I’m taking a different approach. I want to identify the 25 most important Macs ever, clones included. (In some cases, I’ll lump together two or more models that were introduced simultaneously.)
2000 – When last I wrote, I was in the process of testing out my refurbished Mac II. In my quest to revive the MacDead, I discovered that one needs to have the correct RAM for the machine. I now need to install four 1 MB SIMMs in Bank A to get the beast going.
2000 – Welcome back to the surreal. Over the past few weeks, I have been visiting the library and the local Radio Shack seeking out parts and information that would help revive my comatose 1988 vintage Mac II. According to the book Macintosh II Repair and Upgrades Secrets, there are two lithium cells that should be […]
2000 – Well, it finally happened. After years of dispensing advice on how to revive dead Macs, I finally had one go dead on me while doing email. The Mac in question is an old one – a Mac II that dates back to May 1988 (based on the date on the PRAM batteries). In […]
1999 – How did System 6 and its features work with 2-8 MB “high end” Macs like the Mac II?
The Mac II uses a 16 MHz 68020 CPU. The hard drive is an ancient 5.25″ 80 MB Apple-branded Quantum drive – the one that originally shipped with this machine in 1987 – formatted with Apple HD SC Setup 7.3.5.
1998: From the original Macintosh of 1984 through March 1987, there was one Mac case: a compact beige box with a 9″ screen. (For more details, see last week’s Still Useful After All These Years: The Mac Plus.)
This index covers the entire Macs II series, from the 68020-based Mac II of 1987 through the last 68030-based Mac II models. Models are listed by MacBench score, which approximates real world performance. Speedometer score is CPU rating relative to Classic (1.0 on Speedometer 3) and Quadra 605 (1.0 on Speedometer 4). model MacBench (v. SE) […]
