Apple Macintosh 512Ke vs Apple Macintosh SE

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Macintosh 512Ke compared with Macintosh SE

	AppleMacintosh 512Ke	AppleMacintosh SE
Overview
Released
Released	–	1987
Performance
Processor
Processor	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512Ke)	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	512 KB	1 MB (better)
Storage
Storage	–	20 MB
CPU
CPU	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.	8 MHz 68000 with 16-bit data path; no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor
Memory type
Memory type	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.	1 MB standard, expandable to 4 MB using four 30-pin SIMM slots; 256K or 1 MB modules installed in pairs, minimum 150 ns; two-chip 1 MB SIMMs unsupported. 256K ROM; standard capacity confirmed by Apple's original product-line appendix
Storage type
Storage type	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.	Two 800K removable floppy drives or one 800K drive plus a 20 MB SCSI hard drive in Apple's original advertisement. Apple support lists an internal range from none to 40 MB; no factory RAM/storage pair inferred for its upper limit. Capacities retained in original units
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	None; no standard internal memory expansion. A separately included programmer’s switch can be fitted for reset and interrupt functions by application developers.	One SE processor-direct slot (PDS)
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9″	9″
Resolution
Resolution	512 × 342	512 × 342
Panel
Panel	CRT	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 Native refresh rate unpublished in these exact sources.	One-bit monochrome CRT; 9-inch diagonal confirmed in Apple's original SE/30 owner manual, Macintosh product-line appendix. Maker's explicit 512 × 342 note corrects generic 512 × 384 table
Connections
Ports
Ports	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Back ports
Back ports	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.	Two ADB ports, DB-25 SCSI, DB-19 external floppy, printer and modem serial ports, speaker/headphone output; no Ethernet or external video
Speakers
Speakers	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	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.	Original Apple advertisement offers a choice of two keyboards
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	7.5 kg	–
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	246 × 276 × 346 mm	–
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	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.	Maker 17 lb; 13.6 in height × 9.69 in width × 10.9 in depth, retained in original units
Power supply
Power 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.	Maximum 100 W, 90–270 V, 47–63 Hz, 0.83 A; backup-battery specification unpublished
In the box
In the box	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.	Original system software 2.0 package; maker introduced 2 March 1987, discontinued 1 August 1989. Original Apple advertisement confirms retail offering by April 1987, without establishing earliest sale month; released year only