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Apple Macintosh LC 580 vs Apple Macintosh XL

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh LC 580AppleMacintosh XL
Overview
Released19951985
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68LC040 33 MHz (Macintosh LC 575)68000 5 MHz (Macintosh XL)
CPU cores11
Memory8 MB512 KB or 1 MB
Storage500 MB10 MB
CPUOriginal 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 5755 MHz Motorola 68000 with a 16-bit, 5 MHz data path; no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor
GPUBuilt-in video uses 1 MB DRAM soldered to the logic board, displaying 32,768 colours at 640 × 480–
Memory type8 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 specificationsFactory 512 KB, expandable to 1 MB in Apple's January 1985 announcement; two Lisa memory-card slots using 512K boards. Current support lists a 0.5–2 MB range; configurations retain the original Apple memory options rather than later third-party upgrades. 16K ROM
Storage type500 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 bundleBuilt-in 10 MB hard disk and manually loaded 400K floppy drive; no internal CD drive. MacWorks versions differ in hard-disk access and startup support; the original revision cannot access a hard disk, while later revisions add hard-disk installation and direct startup
Expansion slotsOne 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 videoThree Lisa expansion slots
Display
Screen size14″12″
Resolution640 × 480720 × 364
PanelCRTCRT
Refresh rate66.67 Hz–
Display typeBuilt-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 separately12-inch monochrome CRT; Apple's model-specific note gives 720 × 364 pixels and overrides the generic resolution matrix. Original pixels are rectangular
Display features640 × 480 at 66.67 Hz in the exact timing table (66.7 Hz rounded elsewhere in the same manual); 16-bit colourOptional Macintosh XL Screen Kit modifies the screen to show Macintosh text and graphics with the correct proportions. Apple's current support note states 608 × 431 pixels with the kit. The kit requires updated MacWorks XL and a Macintosh-only hard disk, excluding a disk shared with Lisa 7/7 or Workshop
Connections
PortsHeadphone jack–
Front portsStereo headphone socket; front brightness and contrast controls–
Back portsOne 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 outputRCA video, printer and modem ports; no SCSI or Ethernet. Legacy ports are retained here because the comparison table does not represent their connector types
External displaysOptional 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–
SpeakersTwo integrated speakers; 8-bit stereo playback and mono recording at 11 or 22 kHz. Optional CD-ROM supports audio-CD playback–
MicrophonesIntegrated microphone for monaural sound input–
Keyboard and mouseSupports Apple Desktop Bus keyboards and the ADB Mouse II. Maker photograph shows a keyboard and mouse; regional education bundles vary–
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight18.3 kg–
Width × depth × height343 × 419 × 455 mm–
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailApple 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 valuesApple publishes 48 lb and 15.2 in height × 18.7 in width × 13.8 in depth; original units retained
Power supplyAutomatically configured 100–240 V AC mains; service supply operating range 90–264 V rms, 50–60 Hz ±3 HzUS specification maximum 150 W, 120 V AC, 50–60 Hz and 1.25 A; no backup battery listed
Power useService 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 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 precisionMacWorks provides the Macintosh software environment on Lisa hardware. Apple announced the Lisa 2/10 rename on 23 January 1985; the original 1985 Macintosh Office brochure offers the XL through authorised dealers. First-sale year retained because no exact first-sale day or month is established; Apple's support introduction date is not adopted as retail sale

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