Apple Macintosh 512K vs Apple Macintosh LC 580

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Macintosh 512K compared with Macintosh LC 580

	AppleMacintosh 512K	AppleMacintosh LC 580
Overview
Released
Released	September 1984	1995
Performance
Processor
Processor	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512K)	Motorola 68LC040 33 MHz (Macintosh LC 575)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	512 KB	8 MB (better)
Storage
Storage	–	500 MB
CPU
CPU	8 MHz 68000 with a 16-bit data path; no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor	Original Motorola 68LC040 at 33 MHz, without an integrated floating-point unit. Apple catalogue gives 66/33 MHz internal/bus clock; optional PowerPC upgrade is excluded from this configuration. Shared Service Source describes it as an updated LC 575
GPU
GPU	–	Built-in video uses 1 MB DRAM soldered to the logic board, displaying 32,768 colours at 640 × 480
Memory type
Memory type	Fixed 0.5 MB onboard RAM, 64K ROM; no RAM slots or built-in memory expansion	8 MB standard in the maker catalogue: 4 MB soldered plus one 4 MB SIMM, with a second socket free. Two 72-pin 80 ns SIMM sockets, expandable to 52 MB; the single-bank socket accepts only 1, 4 or 16 MB modules. 1 MB ROM in original service specifications
Storage type
Storage type	400K removable floppy drive with manual loading; no internal hard drive, hard-drive interface or internal CD drive	500 MB internal IDE hard disk in the catalogue configuration, plus manual-inject Apple SuperDrive floppy. Double-speed tray-loading internal CD-ROM is optional or included in some regional configurations; the separately marketed Performa 580CD has its own software and hardware bundle
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	None	One 114-pin LC processor-direct slot, one communications slot for optional Ethernet or fax modem, one video-input slot for optional capture hardware and an internal connector for optional external video
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9″	14″
Resolution
Resolution	512 × 342	640 × 480 (better)
Panel
Panel	CRT	CRT
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	66.67 Hz
Display type
Display type	Built-in monochrome CRT with one-bit bitmap; 9-inch diagonal confirmed in Apple's original SE/30 owner manual, Macintosh product-line appendix. Apple explicitly notes 512 × 342 pixels, correcting its generic table's 512 × 384	Built-in 14-inch diagonal shadow-mask colour CRT, 0.28 mm dot pitch. The exact service manual calls the viewable image 11.5 inches and gives a nominal 240 × 180 mm active raster; these maker descriptions are retained separately
Display features
Display features	–	640 × 480 at 66.67 Hz in the exact timing table (66.7 Hz rounded elsewhere in the same manual); 16-bit colour
Connections
Ports
Ports	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Front ports
Front ports	–	Stereo headphone socket; front brightness and contrast controls
Back ports
Back ports	External floppy DB-19, printer and modem serial ports and speaker/headphone output; no SCSI, Ethernet or external video. Serial ports do not support handshaking or synchronous modems	One ADB port; one DB-25 SCSI port supporting six external devices; two RS-232/RS-422 serial ports, with 9-pin mini-DIN modem and 8-pin mini-DIN printer connectors; mono sound input and stereo sound output
External displays
External displays	–	Optional external video connector supports mirroring on compatible 640 × 480 and 800 × 600 monitors, as listed in the shared service manual; no external video socket as standard
Speakers
Speakers	–	Two integrated speakers; 8-bit stereo playback and mono recording at 11 or 22 kHz. Optional CD-ROM supports audio-CD playback
Microphones
Microphones	–	Integrated microphone for monaural sound input
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	–	Supports Apple Desktop Bus keyboards and the ADB Mouse II. Maker photograph shows a keyboard and mouse; regional education bundles vary
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	–	18.3 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	–	343 × 419 × 455 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker 16.5 lb; 13.6 in height × 9.6 in width × 10.9 in depth, retained in original units	Apple catalogue: 455 × 343 × 419 mm (height × width × depth), 18.3 kg, varying with installed devices. Service Source rounds the same 17.9 × 13.5 × 16.5 inch case to 455 × 344 × 420 mm and 18.4 kg; headline follows the catalogue’s published metric values
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum 60 W, 105–125 V, 50–60 Hz, 0.5 A; 4.5 V alkaline	Automatically configured 100–240 V AC mains; service supply operating range 90–264 V rms, 50–60 Hz ±3 Hz
Power use
Power use	–	Service Source: 120 W maximum for all line and load conditions. Current support article describes a PowerPC-upgraded configuration and lists 60 W, so that figure is not transferred to the original model
In the box
In the box	Original system software 0.7; maker introduction 10 September 1984 and discontinuation 14 April 1986. Actual shipping month September 1984 comes from Macworld's historical timeline; no exact first-sale day adopted	Original 68LC040 model is offered in Apple’s April and October 1995 catalogues; the latter identifies US education-only sales and varying worldwide configurations. Current Apple support article describes an installed PowerPC 601 upgrade card. It records introduction on 3 April 1995, while contemporary Macworld says education shipping was planned for that day; exact actual first retail delivery is unconfirmed, so release retains supported year precision