Apple Macintosh PowerBook 520 vs Apple Macintosh PowerBook 540

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Macintosh PowerBook 520 compared with Macintosh PowerBook 540

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 520	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 540
Overview
Released
Released	May 1994	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 greyscale LCD with 16 shades of grey	9.5-inch active-matrix greyscale LCD with 64 grey levels at 640 × 480
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68LC040 50 MHz (PowerBook 520)	Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	12 MB (better)	4 MB
Storage
Storage	240 MB	240 MB
CPU
CPU	Motorola 68LC040 running internally at 50 MHz with a 25 MHz bus; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit	Motorola 68LC040 with 66 MHz internal processor speed and 33 MHz bus interface; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit
Memory type
Memory type	4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese configurations supplied 12 MB	4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB through one memory expansion slot
Storage type
Storage type	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	240 MB internal SCSI hard drive and Apple SuperDrive floppy drive
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 3.5 hours	Up to 3 hours
Weight
Weight	2.9 kg (better)	3.2 kg
Thickness
Thickness	57 mm (better)	58 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	292 × 245 mm	292 × 246 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Removable nickel-metal hydride intelligent battery; Apple claimed 3.5 hours per battery, with room for a second battery	Two high-capacity Type II nickel-metal hydride batteries supplied; Apple claims 1.5–3 hours on one battery or 3–6 hours on two
Connections
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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	ADB, serial/LocalTalk, AAUI Ethernet, HDI-30 SCSI, external video, stereo sound input/output and power input; optional internal modem and processor-direct PCMCIA expansion module
External displays
External displays	Built-in video output supports mirroring or an extended desktop with an optional Apple video adapter cable	Video output supports compatible external Apple displays through an adapter; built-in greyscale display can be upgraded to active-matrix colour with Apple's optional upgrade
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad in place of a trackball	Built-in solid-state trackpad
Speakers
Speakers	Two built-in stereo speakers and a microphone	Two built-in speakers and microphone with 16-bit stereo sound
In the box
In the box	Apple's Japanese 12 MB/240 MB configuration included one battery, power adapter and PowerBook Mobility Bundle software	Notebook, two batteries and power adapter; preinstalled PowerBook Mobility Bundle. Dimensions and metric weight come from Apple's October 1994 Apple Facts