Apple Macintosh PowerBook 190 vs Apple Macintosh PowerBook 520

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Macintosh PowerBook 190 compared with Macintosh PowerBook 520

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 190	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 520
Overview
Released
Released	August 1995	May 1994
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9.5″	9.5″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	640 × 480
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	9.5-inch backlit FSTN passive-matrix LCD, displaying 16 shades of grey at 640 × 480	9.5-inch backlit FSTN passive-matrix greyscale LCD with 16 shades of grey
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 190)	Motorola 68LC040 50 MHz (PowerBook 520)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	8 MB	12 MB (better)
Storage
Storage	500 MB (better)	240 MB
CPU
CPU	Motorola 68LC040 running internally at 66 MHz with a 33 MHz bus; no floating-point unit	Motorola 68LC040 running internally at 50 MHz with a 25 MHz bus; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit
Memory type
Memory type	8 MB in Apple's Japanese configuration, expandable to 40 MB with a third-party card	4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese configurations supplied 12 MB
Storage type
Storage type	500 MB internal IDE hard drive and removable 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy module; IDE expansion bay supports other modules	Internal SCSI hard drive and 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive; Apple lists 160–240 MB drives in its English support sheet and 240/320 MB Japanese configurations
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 5 hours	Up to 3.5 hours
Weight
Weight	2.7 kg (better)	2.9 kg
Thickness
Thickness	51.4 mm (better)	57 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	293 × 217 mm	292 × 245 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable nickel-metal hydride battery; Apple stated 2.5–5 hours per charge	Removable nickel-metal hydride intelligent battery; Apple claimed 3.5 hours per battery, with room for a second battery
Connections
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	ADB, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, HDI-30 SCSI and stereo headphone output; two Type II or one Type III PC Card slot; video and infrared available as optional upgrades	ADB, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, HDI-30 SCSI, AAUI Ethernet, mini-15 video and stereo audio input/output; an optional PCMCIA module supported two Type II or one Type III card
External displays
External displays	Optional video output upgrade supports up to 256 colours on Apple and VGA/SVGA monitors	Built-in video output supports mirroring or an extended desktop with an optional Apple video adapter cable
Keyboard
Keyboard	Built-in keyboard with solid-state trackpad below the keys	–
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad in place of a trackball
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker and microphone; 16-bit stereo output through headphones	Two built-in stereo speakers and a microphone
In the box
In the box	Apple's Japanese configuration included the removable battery, power adapter, System 7.5.2 CD-ROM, PowerBook Mobility Bundle and ClarisWorks 2.0	Apple's Japanese 12 MB/240 MB configuration included one battery, power adapter and PowerBook Mobility Bundle software