Apple Macintosh LC 580 vs Apple Macintosh LC III+

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Macintosh LC 580 compared with Macintosh LC III+

	AppleMacintosh LC 580	AppleMacintosh LC III+
Overview
Released
Released	1995	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68LC040 33 MHz (Macintosh LC 575)	68030 33 MHz (Macintosh LC III+)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	8 MB (better)	4 MB
Storage
Storage	500 MB	–
CPU
CPU	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	Motorola 68030 at 33 MHz with integrated memory management and 32-bit data path; optional socketed 68882, 0.5 KB first-level cache and no second-level cache. Apple Service Guide identifies the Performa 460, 466 and 467 as the 33 MHz LC III family; these aliases are not separate product records
GPU
GPU	Built-in video uses 1 MB DRAM soldered to the logic board, displaying 32,768 colours at 640 × 480	512 KB built-in VRAM, expandable to 768 KB with a 256 KB SIMM. A 512 KB VRAM SIMM may be fitted but only 256 KB is used. At 640 × 480 and 832 × 624, standard memory supports 8-bit colour; upgraded VRAM supports 16-bit colour
Memory type
Memory type	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	4 MB soldered RAM plus one 72-pin SIMM socket, maximum 36 MB. Apple specifies 80 ns minimum memory speed and SIMM capacities 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 MB. 1 MB ROM
Storage type
Storage type	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	Apple LC III+ support lists 80–160 MB internal SCSI hard disks and an automatic-inject 1.44 MB floppy drive. Exact original RAM/drive configuration pairing is unresolved, so structured storage capacity is omitted. Apple July 1994 Service Guide gives conflicting 80 MB and 180 MB values for Performa 460 in different tables; those are not silently assigned to this model. Performa 460-series bundles use a manual-insert SuperDrive
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	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	One LC III processor-direct expansion slot. Ethernet requires an expansion card; no built-in Ethernet
Display
Screen size
Screen size	14″	None built in
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	–
Panel
Panel	CRT	–
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	66.67 Hz	–
Display type
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
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
Ports
Ports	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Front ports
Front ports	Stereo headphone socket; front brightness and contrast controls	–
Back ports
Back ports	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	One ADB, DB-15 video, DB-25 SCSI, printer and modem serial ports, omnidirectional microphone input and speaker output. No external floppy connector
External displays
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	Separate monitor required. Apple specifies 512 × 384 and 640 × 400 at 16-bit colour, plus 640 × 480 and 832 × 624 with colour depth depending on VRAM capacity
Speakers
Speakers	Two integrated speakers; 8-bit stereo playback and mono recording at 11 or 22 kHz. Optional CD-ROM supports audio-CD playback	–
Microphones
Microphones	Integrated microphone for monaural sound input	–
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Supports Apple Desktop Bus keyboards and the ADB Mouse II. Maker photograph shows a keyboard and mouse; regional education bundles vary	Performa 460-series bundles include an ADB keyboard and mouse and may include a monitor and modem; the museum photo shows the Performa 460-labelled computer alone. Exact LC III+ supplied-accessory bundle is unpublished in the recovered support record
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	Compact
Weight
Weight	18.3 kg	–
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	343 × 419 × 455 mm	–
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	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	Apple LC III+ record publishes 8.8 lb and 2.9 inches high × 12.2 inches wide × 15.3 inches deep. Unpublished metric measurements are omitted
Power supply
Power supply	Automatically configured 100–240 V AC mains; service supply operating range 90–264 V rms, 50–60 Hz ±3 Hz	Apple LC III+ support lists 100–240 V, 47–63 Hz, 50 W maximum, 0.42 A and 171 BTU/hour. These are maker ratings, not measured consumption. 3.6 V lithium clock battery
Power use
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
In the box	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	Original System 7.1 with System Enabler 003 v1.1. Apple introduction date 18 October 1993 is not established as an actual first retail sale, so released is omitted