The Macintosh Classic II (also sold as the Performa 200) is a

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

designed and manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from October 1991 to September 1993. The system has a compact, appliance design with an integrated 9" monitor, typical of the earliest of the

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

range. A carrying handle moulded into the case added a degree of portability at a time when laptops were still relatively uncommon. Like the preceding

Macintosh SE/30 The Macintosh SE/30 is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Inc., Apple Computer from January 1989 to October 1991. It is the fastest of the original black-and-white compact Macintosh series. The SE/30 has a black-and-w ...

, the Classic II was powered by a 16

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

Motorola 68030 The Motorola 68030 ("''sixty-eight-oh-thirty''") is a 32-bit microprocessor in the Motorola 68000 family. It was released in 1987. The 68030 was the successor to the Motorola 68020, and was followed by the Motorola 68040. In keeping with gener ...

CPU but experienced about 30% slower performance due to the limitations imposed by a cost-reduced

16-bit 16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors. A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two ...

data bus, versus the 32-bit bus used in the SE/30 design. The system had a base memory configuration of 2 MB, with a 10 MB upper limit and was supplied with either a 40 or 80 MB

hard disk A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating hard disk drive platter, pla ...

. While the Classic II was styled after the earlier

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

, architecturally it had more in common with the

Macintosh LC The Macintosh LC is a personal computer designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from October 1990 to March 1992. Overview The first in the Macintosh LC family, the LC was introduced with the Macintosh Classic (a repackaging ...

. The use of custom ICs, identical to those used in the LC, enabled the Classic II to have a lower component count than older Macs, which reduced manufacturing costs. Unlike the LC and the SE/30 before it, the Classic II lacked an internal

Processor Direct Slot A processor direct slot (PDS) is a slot incorporated into many older Macintosh models that allowed direct access to the signal pins of a CPU, similar to the functionality of a local bus in PCs. This would result in much higher speeds than having ...

, making it the second slotless desktop Macintosh after the Classic. The Classic II is one of three machines to be originally repackaged as a

Macintosh Performa The Macintosh Performa is a family of personal computers designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1992 to 1997. The Performa brand re-used models from Apple's Quadra, Centris, LC, Classic, and Power Macintosh familie ...

when the brand was first introduced in September 1992 to compete in the home user space. Called the "Performa 200", it was sold with the same specifications as the original Classic II but often supplied with bundled software. The exact packaged software varied by retailer but usually included the

At Ease At Ease was an alternative to the Macintosh desktop developed by Apple Computer in the early 1990s for the classic Mac OS. It provided a simple environment for new Macintosh users and young children to help them to work without supervision. At ...

desktop alternative, which aimed to provide a simpler user interface experience than the standard Macintosh Finder. The Performa 200 was initially offered at a retail price of about US$1,250. The Classic II is the last black-and-white

compact Macintosh A Compact Macintosh (or Compact Mac) is an all-in-one Apple Mac computer with a display integrated in the computer case, beginning with the original Macintosh 128K. Compact Macs include the original Macintosh through to the Color Classic sold ...

, and the last desktop Macintosh to include an external

floppy disk A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, a diskette, or a disk) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a ...

drive port. Apple discontinued support for the Classic II on January 1, 2001.

Models

* Macintosh Classic II: Sold in two configurations: **2/40: 2 MB RAM, 40 MB HDD. USD $1,899. **4/80: 4 MB RAM, 80 MB HDD. USD $2,399. * Macintosh Performa 200:

Hardware

Processor: 16 MHz (15.6672 MHz)

(32-bit internally, 16-bit bus), with an optional

Motorola 68882 The Motorola 68881 and Motorola 68882 are floating-point units (FPUs) used in some computer systems in conjunction with Motorola's 32-bit 68020 or 68030 microprocessors. These coprocessors are external chips, designed before floating point math ...

FPU RAM: 2 MB, expandable to 10 MB using two 100 ns 30-pin

SIMM A SIMM (single in-line memory module) is a type of memory module used in computers from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. It is a printed circuit board upon which multiple random-access memory Integrated circuit chips are attached to one or ...

s Display: 9" monochrome screen, 512 × 342

pixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...

s Audio: 8-bit mono 22 kHz Hard drive: 40 or 80 MB Floppy: 1.44 MB double-sided Addressing: 24-bit or 32-bit Battery: 3.6 V lithium Expansion: Connectors on the rear panel include an ADB port for keyboard and mouse, two

mini-DIN The mini-DIN connectors are a family of multi-pin electrical connectors used in a variety of applications. Mini-DIN is similar to the larger, older 13.2 mm diameter DIN connector. Design Mini-DIN connectors are in diameter and come in s ...

-8

RS-422 RS-422, also known as TIA/EIA-422, is a technical standard originated by the Electronic Industries Alliance, first issued in 1975, that specifies the electrical characteristics of a digital signaling circuit. It was meant to be the foundation ...

serial port A serial port is a serial communication Interface (computing), interface through which information transfers in or out sequentially one bit at a time. This is in contrast to a parallel port, which communicates multiple bits simultaneously in Pa ...

DB-25 The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smallest connectors used on computer systems. Description, ...

SCSI Small Computer System Interface (SCSI, ) is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices, best known for its use with storage devices such as hard disk drives. SCSI was introduced ...

DB-19 The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smallest connectors used on computer systems. Description, ...

External floppy drive, and two 3.5 mm minijack audio sockets for audio in and headphone out. The Classic II has a 50-pin internal expansion slot intended for either an FPU co-processor or additional

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

. The socket is unsuited for use as a general purpose expansion slot. Apple never produced an expansion card for this slot, although third-party FPUs were available including the FastMath Classic II by Applied Engineering and Sonnet offered a synchronous (16 MHz) and asynchronous (50 MHz)

68882 The Motorola 68881 and Motorola 68882 are floating-point units (FPUs) used in some computer systems in conjunction with Motorola's 32-bit 68020 or 68030 microprocessors. These coprocessors are external chips, designed before floating point math ...

FPU. Retro computing hobbyists have also subsequently produced open-source designs for this slot. Apple Macintosh Classic II Main Board

The main board from the Classic II (left) contains the logic for the system. High voltage components such as the PSU and

CRT CRT or Crt most commonly refers to: * Cathode-ray tube, a display * Critical race theory, an academic framework of analysis CRT may also refer to: Law * Charitable remainder trust, United States * Civil Resolution Tribunal, Canada * Columbia ...

driver circuitry were on a separate "analogue" board. The 68030 CPU can be seen on the right, which is next to the FPU/ROM expansion slot. Two ROM chips in sockets are below the CPU. The RAM is to the bottom left. This model contains 4MB, of which 2MB is soldered to the board and 2MB is in

sockets. Just above the RAM is the Apple "Eagle" chip which contains video interface circuitry and glue logic. Above that is an AMD manufactured SCSI controller and serial chip, close to an internal and external SCSI connector used to attach hard disks or other peripherals. There is a PRAM battery carrier to the left of the CPU (the battery is not present) with an internal floppy drive connector just above it with the floppy controller chip on the left. To the right of the floppy connector is an 8-bit microcontroller which manages the ADB bus.

Gallery

Timelines

References

External links

Classic II (Performa 200)Information pages
at Mac512.com {{Apple hardware before 1998 Classic II Classic II Classic II Computer-related introductions in 1991 Products and services discontinued in 1993