Apple Macintosh LC 580 vs Apple Macintosh SE

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Macintosh LC 580 compared with Macintosh SE

	AppleMacintosh LC 580	AppleMacintosh SE
Overview
Released
Released	1995	1987
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68LC040 33 MHz (Macintosh LC 575)	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	8 MB (better)	1 MB
Storage
Storage	500 MB (better)	20 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	8 MHz 68000 with 16-bit data path; no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor
GPU
GPU	Built-in video uses 1 MB DRAM soldered to the logic board, displaying 32,768 colours at 640 × 480	–
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	1 MB standard, expandable to 4 MB using four 30-pin SIMM slots; 256K or 1 MB modules installed in pairs, minimum 150 ns; two-chip 1 MB SIMMs unsupported. 256K ROM; standard capacity confirmed by Apple's original product-line appendix
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	Two 800K removable floppy drives or one 800K drive plus a 20 MB SCSI hard drive in Apple's original advertisement. Apple support lists an internal range from none to 40 MB; no factory RAM/storage pair inferred for its upper limit. Capacities retained in original units
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 SE processor-direct slot (PDS)
Display
Screen size
Screen size	14″	9″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480 (better)	512 × 342
Panel
Panel	CRT	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	One-bit monochrome CRT; 9-inch diagonal confirmed in Apple's original SE/30 owner manual, Macintosh product-line appendix. Maker's explicit 512 × 342 note corrects generic 512 × 384 table
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	Two ADB ports, DB-25 SCSI, DB-19 external floppy, printer and modem serial ports, speaker/headphone output; no Ethernet or external video
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	–
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	Original Apple advertisement offers a choice of two keyboards
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
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	Maker 17 lb; 13.6 in height × 9.69 in width × 10.9 in depth, retained in original units
Power supply
Power supply	Automatically configured 100–240 V AC mains; service supply operating range 90–264 V rms, 50–60 Hz ±3 Hz	Maximum 100 W, 90–270 V, 47–63 Hz, 0.83 A; backup-battery specification unpublished
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 software 2.0 package; maker introduced 2 March 1987, discontinued 1 August 1989. Original Apple advertisement confirms retail offering by April 1987, without establishing earliest sale month; released year only