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Apple Macintosh IIx vs Apple Macintosh LC 580

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh IIxAppleMacintosh LC 580
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 19881995
Performance
Processor68030 16 MHz (Macintosh IIx)Motorola 68LC040 33 MHz (Macintosh LC 575)
CPU cores11
Memory1 MB8 MB
Storage40 MB500 MB
CPUNominal 16 MHz 68030 with integrated paged memory management unit and 68882 floating-point coprocessor; 0.5 KB L1 cache, no L2 cache or second processorOriginal 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
GPUNo integrated video output; a separately sold NuBus video card is requiredBuilt-in video uses 1 MB DRAM soldered to the logic board, displaying 32,768 colours at 640 × 480
Memory typeEight 30-pin SIMM slots populated in groups of four, 120 ns or faster; Apple's support sheet certifies 1–32 MB with 256 KB, 1 MB or 4 MB modules. Larger third-party configurations are not represented as maker-supported; 256 KB ROM8 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 typeOne or two 1.44 MB high-density floppy drives; optional 40–80 MB internal SCSI hard drives. Factory configurations shown are the 1 MB floppy-only system and Low End Mac's separately priced 1 MB/40 MB system; no 80 MB/RAM pair inferred500 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 slotsSix NuBus slots, one occupied when a display video card is installedOne 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
ScreenNone built in14″
Resolution–640 × 480
Panel–CRT
Refresh rate–66.67 Hz
Display type–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–640 × 480 at 66.67 Hz in the exact timing table (66.7 Hz rounded elsewhere in the same manual); 16-bit colour
Connections
PortsHeadphone jackHeadphone jack
Front ports–Stereo headphone socket; front brightness and contrast controls
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 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 displaysRequires a NuBus video card; available resolutions and colour depths depend on the cardOptional 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
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker and stereo 8-bit sound outputTwo 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–Supports Apple Desktop Bus keyboards and the ADB Mouse II. Maker photograph shows a keyboard and mouse; regional education bundles vary
Design and power
TypeCompactAll-in-one
Weight10.9 kg18.3 kg
Width × depth × height475 × 366 × 140 mm343 × 419 × 455 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 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 supplyMaximum 230 W; 90–270 V AC, 48–62 Hz, 1.9 A; 3.6 V lithium clock battery and soft powerAutomatically 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 boxOriginal System Software 6.0.1. Apple introduced the IIx on 19 September 1988; an independent model chronology records September availability, without an exact first-sale dayOriginal 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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