Apple Apple IIgs (1986) vs Apple Macintosh 512Ke

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Apple IIgs (1986) compared with Macintosh 512Ke

	AppleApple IIgs (1986)	AppleMacintosh 512Ke
Overview
Released
Released	1986	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	65C816 2.8 MHz (Apple IIgs)	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512Ke)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	256 KB or 512 KB	512 KB
CPU
CPU	65C816 at 2.8 MHz or 1.0 MHz, selectable by software or the user; 16-bit registers, an 8-bit data bus and a 24-bit address bus. This record covers the original 256 KB motherboard, not the later 1989 1MB/ROM 3 hardware.	Motorola MC68000, nominally 8 MHz with the exact 7.8336 MHz clock frequency published in the original owner guide and technical library; 32-bit internal architecture and 16-bit external data path. No PMMU, FPU, CPU cache or second processor.
GPU
GPU	Apple Video Graphics Controller; 320 × 200 with 16 colours per line, or 640 × 200 with four or more colours per line, selected from a 4,096-colour palette. Also supports earlier Apple II graphics and 40- or 80-column text.	–
Memory type
Memory type	256 KB of main RAM and 128 KB ROM on the original motherboard. The 512 KB configuration uses an additional 256 KB memory card, as supplied in Apple’s August 1988 bundle; it is not the later 1MB motherboard. Apple’s later original-model support specifications list expansion to 8 MB with suitable cards; older technical procedures describe earlier expansion limits.	Fixed 512 KB RAM and 128 KB ROM; no RAM slots or built-in memory expansion. The enhanced model has the larger ROM and double-sided floppy drive, without the Macintosh Plus’s expandable memory or SCSI connector.
Storage type
Storage type	No internal fixed storage. External Apple 3.5 Drive stores 800 KB per disk; Apple 5.25 Drive stores 143 KB per disk. Drives and disks are separate from the bare system unit.	One internal 800 KB double-sided 3.5-inch floppy drive, with optional external 400 KB or 800 KB drive. No fixed internal storage or internal CD-ROM. Apple Hard Disk 20 is an optional external device attached through the disk interface, not an internal or SCSI drive.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	Seven general-purpose internal slots and one dedicated memory-expansion slot. Slots share functions with built-in ports; the Control Panel selects the required slot or built-in interface.	None; no standard internal memory expansion. A separately included programmer’s switch can be fitted for reset and interrupt functions by application developers.
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	9″
Resolution
Resolution	–	512 × 342
Panel
Panel	–	CRT
Display type
Display type	–	Built-in 9-inch monochrome bit-mapped CRT, 512 × 342 pixels. Original owner guide and technical-library sheet agree; the current Apple table’s generic 512 × 384 entry is expressly corrected by its own screen-size note. Native refresh rate unpublished in these exact sources.
Connections
Ports
Ports	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Back ports
Back ports	Two 8-pin mini-DIN serial ports with AppleTalk support, DB-19 disk-drive port, DB-15 analogue RGB video, RCA composite video, 4-pin Apple Desktop Bus, DB-9 game port and 3.5 mm headphone output. Internal 7-pin sound-expansion connector; no built-in Ethernet, USB or Wi-Fi.	DB-9 mouse connector, RJ11 synchronous serial keyboard bus, two DB-9 RS-232/RS-422 serial connectors, external floppy DB-19 and sound output for amplifier/headphones. No ADB, USB, FireWire, Ethernet, external video or SCSI connector. Current Apple support warns that the serial ports do not support handshaking or synchronous modems.
External displays
External displays	Separate Apple RGB display or compatible composite monitor. Display resolution and colour limits depend on the selected graphics mode; no screen is built into the system unit.	–
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in mono speaker. Ensoniq synthesiser has 32 oscillators, 64 KB dedicated sound RAM and up to 15 simultaneous musical voices. BYTE found that the standard headphone connector also outputs mono; stereo requires additional hardware.	Built-in sound system; original maker guide specifies four-voice sound with 8-bit digital-to-analogue conversion at 22 kHz. No built-in microphone.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Separate Apple Desktop Bus keyboard and mouse; the 1988 maker bundle includes these with the main unit. External monitor and disk drives are not part of the bare main-unit measurements.	Original guide describes a separate 58-key detachable keyboard, mouse, System Tools disk, Guided Tour disk and audio cassette, plus a programmer’s switch. Maker cover shows an extended keyboard with numeric keypad; gallery photos can include optional external drives, keyboards, printers and other separately supplied equipment. These are labelled rather than treated as standard computer hardware.
Design and power
Type
Type	Compact	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	3.96 kg (better)	7.5 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	284 × 348 × 117 mm	246 × 276 × 346 mm
Operating system
Operating system	ProDOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Apple’s discontinued-model specifications give the main system unit as 284 mm wide × 348 mm deep × 117 mm high and 3.96 kg, excluding monitor, keyboard, mouse and external drives.	Main figures use later exact Apple technical-library metric values: 346 mm high × 246 mm wide × 276 mm deep and 7.5 kg main-unit weight. Original 1986 owner guide instead gives 344 mm height; current support retains 13.6H × 9.6W × 10.9D inches. These small maker rounding differences are retained explicitly. Keyboard and mouse excluded; original guide separately lists 1.2 kg keyboard and 0.2 kg mouse.
Power supply
Power supply	Published US supply: 107–132 V AC, 50–60 Hz. Typical 11 W and maximum 60 W electrical consumption; these figures do not establish the voltage of a UK-market supply.	Exact technical-library sheet specifies 105–125 V AC, 50–60 Hz and maximum 60 W for this documented voltage version; no universal-voltage claim. User-replaceable 4.5 V Eveready No. 523 or equivalent clock battery.
In the box
In the box	The original 1986 System Disk uses ProDOS 16 for 16-bit applications and ProDOS 8 for earlier 8-bit programs. Apple’s August 1988 bundle adds a 256 KB memory card and System Software 4.0 with GS/OS; that later bundle is not the original shipped software. DOS 3.3 and Pascal compatibility are documented; CP/M requires an appropriate coprocessor card. Contemporary October 1986 retail reporting establishes sale in 1986; the first on-sale month is unresolved.	Exact original guide is titled Macintosh 512K enhanced, the long name of Macintosh 512Ke. Current maker support lists introduction 14 April 1986 and discontinuation 1 September 1987; a distinct first retail-sale date has not been established, so released is omitted. The guide names Macintosh 512K enhanced System Tools; the current support table’s retrospective original-system-software entry is not adopted as a verified launch disk version. Photographs are original maker owner-guide images of this exact model, with scan colour casts and period screen contents retained.