Request a product

Apple Macintosh II vs Apple Macintosh IIsi

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh IIAppleMacintosh IIsi
Overview
ReleasedMay 1987October 1990
Performance
Processor68020 16 MHz (Macintosh II)68030 20 MHz (Macintosh IIsi)
CPU cores11
Memory1 MB1 MB
Storage40 MB–
CPUNominal 16 MHz 68020 with 68881 floating-point coprocessor and optional 68851 paged memory management unit; 0.25 KB L1 cache, no L2 cache or second processor20 MHz Motorola 68030 with integrated memory management and 0.5 KB L1 cache; 68882 floating-point coprocessor optional through an expansion adapter
GPUNo integrated video output; one NuBus video card is needed for a display. Apple offered colour or monochrome cards and monitors separatelyBuilt-in 8-bit colour video supports 512 × 384 and 640 × 480 using 64–320 KB of system RAM
Memory typeEight 30-pin SIMM slots in banks of four, 120 ns or faster; Apple lists 1–20 MB across revisions, using 256 KB, 1 MB or 4 MB modules. A 4 MB module cannot go in Bank A without the SuperDrive upgrade; 256 KB ROM1 MB soldered to the logic board plus four 30-pin SIMM slots in one matched bank; 100 ns memory and 1–17 MB total supported by Apple; 512 KB ROM
Storage typeOne or two 800 KB floppy drives; Apple lists 40–80 MB internal SCSI hard drives. The two configurations represent the independently documented 1 MB floppy-only and 1 MB/40 MB factory systems; no RAM and 80 MB drive pairing inferredInternal 1.44 MB floppy drive with SCSI hard-drive options of 40 or 80 MB; Apple does not document the paired RAM and drive configurations on its support sheet
Expansion slotsSix 32-bit NuBus slots, one occupied when a display video card is installedOne processor-direct slot can be used directly or with an optional NuBus adapter; no built-in NuBus slot or L2 cache
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
PortsHeadphone jackHeadphone jack
Back portsTwo Apple Desktop Bus ports, DB-25 SCSI, printer and modem serial ports and stereo sound output; no built-in Ethernet or video socketOne Apple Desktop Bus port, DB-15 video, DB-19 external floppy, DB-25 SCSI, printer and modem serial ports, sound output and microphone input; no built-in Ethernet
External displaysRequires a separately purchased NuBus video card; supported resolution and colour depth depend on that card, so no fixed display capability is assertedBuilt-in video supports an Apple colour display at 640 × 480 with 8-bit colour; a compatible expansion graphics card can extend display options
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker and stereo 8-bit sound outputInternal speaker, stereo 8-bit sound output and mono audio input
Design and power
TypeCompactCompact
Weight10.9 kg4.5 kg
Width × depth × height475 × 366 × 140 mm315 × 378 × 102 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailApple's reference dimensions are 5.5 × 18.7 × 14.4 inches and 24 lb; metric fields are rounded conversionsApple's 4 × 12.4 × 14.9 inch and 10 lb reference dimensions; metric fields are rounded conversions
Power supplyMaximum 230 W; 90–270 V AC, 48–62 Hz, 1.9 A; soft power and monitor power pass-throughMaximum 160 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; 3.6 V lithium clock battery and keyboard soft power
In the boxOriginal System Software 2.0. Apple introduced the Macintosh II on 2 March 1987; contemporary reporting expected May shipments, and Wikipedia cites an 8 May Wall Street Journal report of their startOriginal System Software 6.0.7. Apple lists 15 October 1990 as the introduction date; no separate first-sale day was found

More comparisons