Apple Macintosh Classic vs Apple Macintosh SE FDHD

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Macintosh Classic compared with Macintosh SE FDHD

	AppleMacintosh Classic	AppleMacintosh SE FDHD
Overview
Released
Released	October 1990	1989
Performance
Processor
Processor	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh Classic)	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	1 MB or 2 MB	1 MB or 2 MB
Storage
Storage	40 MB	20 MB to 40 MB
CPU
CPU	8 MHz 68000 with 16-bit data path; no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor	MC68000 with 32-bit internal architecture at 7.83 MHz in the original exact FDHD brochure and service manual. Current Apple support rounds the clock to 8 MHz and specifies a 16-bit data path; the existing nominal 8 MHz SE chip record is reused. No FPU, PMMU, L1 or L2 cache, or second processor.
Memory type
Memory type	1 MB onboard, expandable to 4 MB using a memory expansion card and two paired 30-pin SIMMs; current support sheet specifies 120 ns modules and 256K or 1 MB sizes, excluding two-chip 1 MB modules. Older Apple technical library lists 150 ns and 32-pin; current support sheet controls. 512K ROM	Exact ordering configurations have 1 MB for dual-FDHD and 20 MB hard-disk systems, or 2 MB for the 40 MB hard-disk system; expandable to 4 MB. Four 30-pin SIMM sockets, 150 ns or faster, using 256 KB or 1 MB modules installed in pairs; two-chip 1 MB SIMMs are unsupported. No soldered system RAM. 256 KB ROM includes the FDHD drive routines, Hierarchical File System, QuickDraw, Macintosh Toolbox, AppleTalk, ADB and SCSI support. 256 bytes of parameter memory.
Storage type
Storage type	1.44 MB removable floppy; optional 40 MB internal SCSI hard disk. Original capacity units retained. Apple Australia October 1991 brochure explicitly offers 2 MB floppy-only and 2 MB/40 MB configurations; original 1 MB floppy-only base is identified by contemporary model descriptions	Original August 1989 maker brochure explicitly offers M0029LL/A with 1 MB RAM and two 1.4 MB FDHD floppy drives; M0028LL/A with 1 MB, one FDHD drive and 20 MB internal SCSI hard disk; M0031LL/A with 2 MB, one FDHD drive and 40 MB internal SCSI hard disk. Current support calls the FDHD capacity 1.44 MB. Drive reads and writes 400 KB and 800 KB Macintosh disks as well as high-density Macintosh disks, and exchanges MS-DOS, OS/2 and ProDOS-format disks with Apple File Exchange. Capacities are retained in their original units; fixed-storage headline is omitted for the floppy-only configuration. No CD-ROM included.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	No processor expansion slot; memory expansion card required beyond 1 MB	One SE-Bus processor-direct expansion slot with a 96-pin Euro-DIN connector and accessory access opening. Original exact brochure explicitly says SE/30 and NuBus cards are incompatible with this slot. Compatible optional accelerator, network, coprocessor and external-display adapter cards require their own software and hardware.
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 CRT, 512 × 342 pixels; original Apple technical library and Australia brochure corroborate the explicit support-sheet correction to its generic 512 × 384 table	Built-in 9-inch, one-bit monochrome CRT at 512 × 342. Exact brochure, service manual and current support's explicit note agree; the generic current support table's 512 × 384 row is not adopted. No refresh rate is published in the sources read.
Connections
Ports
Ports	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Back ports
Back ports	One ADB, DB-19 external floppy, DB-25 SCSI, printer and modem serial ports, and sound output; no built-in Ethernet or external video port	Two ADB ports; printer and modem RS-232/RS-422 serial ports with mini-DIN-8 connectors and up to 230.4 Kbaud in the original brochure; external DB-25 SCSI; DB-19 external floppy connector; sound output for an external amplifier or speaker. AppleTalk/LocalTalk networking uses the serial ports. No built-in Ethernet, USB, FireWire, microphone input or computer-monitor video connector.
External displays
External displays	–	No built-in external-video output. An optional compatible SE-Bus external-display adapter is required; its display modes and limits are not assigned to the standard machine.
Speakers
Speakers	Four-voice 8-bit sound at 22 kHz; built-in speaker and headphone output described in Apple technical library	Built-in sound with a four-voice generator, 8-bit digital-to-analogue conversion and 22 kHz sampling rate. One miniature sound-output port for an external amplifier; no stereo or measured loudness claim assigned.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard II and ADB mouse, according to original Apple technical library	Exact ordering brochure supplies the mouse, system software, HyperCard, Guided Tour disk, owner's guide, Getting Started guide and warranty statement. Apple Keyboard or Apple Extended Keyboard is packaged and sold separately, not assumed included. The primary is the original FDHD-labelled maker brochure photograph of the single-floppy/hard-disk housing.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	246 × 285 × 336 mm	244 × 276 × 345 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Apple technical library gives 33.6 cm height × 24.6 cm width × 28.5 cm depth; current support sheet gives 16 lb. Internal drive affects weight, so no single converted weight supplied	Exact original FDHD brochure and shared service manual give 34.5 × 24.4 × 27.6 cm (height × width × depth), also printed as 13.6 × 9.6 × 10.9 inches. Current exact support instead prints a 9.69-inch width; original maker metric values are used without converting the differently rounded inch values. Weight is 7.7–9.5 kg / 17–21 lb depending on fitted hard disk or second floppy drive; no one configuration-specific weight is established, so headline mass remains omitted.
Power supply
Power supply	Current support sheet specifies maximum 76 W, 120 V, 47–63 Hz and 0.63 A; 3.6 V lithium clock battery. Older Apple technical library states 100 W, retained as a source conflict	Exact original brochure and shared service specify 100 W maximum, regional 90–140 or 170–270 V AC, 47–63 Hz. Current support summarises 90–270 V and 0.83 A. Maximum input is not typical operating consumption. Brochure describes a CMOS clock/calendar with a seven-year lithium battery; no guessed battery chemistry capacity is added.
Noise
Noise	–	Original exact brochure rates the cross-flow fan at 10 CFM and 38 dB without acoustic distance or weighting; this is not a measured whole-computer noise figure.
In the box
In the box	Original system software 6.0.7. Apple introduction 15 October 1990 is not treated as exact first sale; October 1990 sale month comes from Wikipedia's historical model account, cross-checked against contemporary November and February retail coverage	System Tools 6.0.3 or later with Finder 6.1 or later, printer drivers, Apple File Exchange, HD SC Setup, Disk First Aid and Font D/A Mover; HyperCard included. Exact August 1989 current ordering brochure establishes sale in 1989, without proving first-sale month or day; Apple's introduction date is 1 August 1989. This is the FDHD hardware revision, distinct from the published original 1987 SE with 800 KB drives. Linked 1988 SE owner's guide covers the earlier 800 KB edition and must be read with the separately linked FDHD supplement; it is not specification evidence for this revision's drive capacity. No unsupported official predecessor link assigned.