Apple Macintosh Color Classic vs Apple Macintosh LC 580
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacintosh Color Classic | AppleMacintosh LC 580 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 1993 | 1995 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | 68030 16 MHz (Macintosh Color Classic) | Motorola 68LC040 33 MHz (Macintosh LC 575) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Memory | 4 MB | 8 MB (better) |
| Storage | 40 MB to 160 MB | 500 MB (better) |
| CPU | 16 MHz Motorola 68030 with 16-bit data bus, integrated PMMU and 0.5K L1 cache; optional 68882 maths coprocessor, no supplied FPU, L2 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 | – | Built-in video uses 1 MB DRAM soldered to the logic board, displaying 32,768 colours at 640 × 480 |
| Memory type | 4 MB onboard, expandable to 10 MB using two paired 30-pin SIMMs, 100 ns minimum; 1, 2 or 4 MB modules. With two 4 MB SIMMs the lower 2 MB onboard cannot be addressed. 1 MB ROM | 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 | Original Apple Facts and Apple Direct describe 4 MB memory with 40, 80 or 160 MB internal SCSI disks, varying by country; original US ordering sheet explicitly identifies 4 MB/80 MB M1602LL/A. 1.44 MB removable SuperDrive floppy; optional external CD-ROM. Original capacity units retained | 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 | One LC-compatible 96-pin processor-direct slot and optional maths-coprocessor socket; slide-out logic board provides access to memory, VRAM and expansion | 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 | 8.2″ | 14″ |
| Resolution | 512 × 384 | 640 × 480 (better) |
| Panel | CRT | CRT |
| Refresh rate | 60.15 Hz | 66.67 Hz (better) |
| Display type | Sony Trinitron colour CRT; maker display-component sheet distinguishes 10-inch tube from 8.2-inch viewable area, retained as the main display size. 512 × 384 Macintosh mode, exact 60.15 Hz refresh and 24.48 kHz horizontal scan | 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 | 256K VRAM supplies 256 colours; optional additional 256K VRAM enables 32,768 colours. Apple IIe card provides 560 × 384 mode at the same 60.15 Hz; this optional-card mode is not native Macintosh resolution | 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 | Headphone jack | Headphone jack |
| Front ports | – | Stereo headphone socket; front brightness and contrast controls |
| Back ports | Two ADB, DB-25 SCSI, two RS-232/RS-422 serial ports, mono sound input and mono sound output. LocalTalk networking through serial port; Ethernet needs an optional expansion card, no built-in external video or floppy connector | 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 | – | 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 | Built-in speaker and omnidirectional electret microphone; mono 8-bit output at 22 kHz, sound input at 22 or 11 kHz | Two integrated speakers; 8-bit stereo playback and mono recording at 11 or 22 kHz. Optional CD-ROM supports audio-CD playback |
| Microphones | – | Integrated microphone for monaural sound input |
| Keyboard and mouse | ADB keyboard with numeric keypad and two-level tilt adjustment, Apple ADB Mouse II | 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 | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 10.2 kg (better) | 18.3 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 251 × 320 × 368 mm | 343 × 419 × 455 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | Main dimensions and 10.2 kg weight use original Apple Facts metric figures. Original technical library gives 22.5–23.2 lb (10.2–10.5 kg) depending on configuration and slightly different rounded centimetre dimensions | 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 | Maximum 100 W, automatic 90–240 V AC, 47–63 Hz, 0.83 A; 3.6 V lithium clock battery. Keyboard power control and display power-saving mode | Automatically configured 100–240 V AC mains; service supply operating range 90–264 V rms, 50–60 Hz ±3 Hz |
| 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 | Original system software 7.1 and System Enabler 401. Maker announcement 10 February 1993 is not treated as exact first sale; February sale month uses Wikipedia's historical sold-period account, with original March Apple Direct describing an available US configuration. Colour Classic is the regional spelling; no separate Performa 250 or Color Classic II generation added here | 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 |
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