Apple Macintosh PowerBook 5300c/100 vs Apple Macintosh PowerBook 540c

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 5300c/100 compared with Macintosh PowerBook 540c

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 5300c/100	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 540c
Overview
Released
Released	August 1995	May 1994
Display
Screen size
Screen size	10.4″	9.5″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	640 × 480
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	10.4-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD; 32,768 colours with 1 MB video RAM	9.5-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or 32,768 colours at 640 × 400
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC 603e 100 MHz (PowerBook 5300c)	Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	16 MB (better)	12 MB
Storage
Storage	750 MB (better)	320 MB to 500 MB
CPU
CPU	100 MHz PowerPC 603e on a 33.3 MHz bus, with 32 KB L1 cache and no L2 cache	Motorola 68LC040 running internally at 66 MHz with a 33 MHz bus; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit
Memory type
Memory type	16 MB fitted in Apple's Japanese configuration; expandable to 64 MB with a third-party memory card	4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese configurations supplied 12 MB
Storage type
Storage type	750 MB internal IDE hard drive and removable 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy module in Apple's Japanese configuration; the English support sheet also lists a 500 MB drive	Internal SCSI hard drive and 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive; Apple lists 240–500 MB in English support and 320/500 MB Japanese configurations
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 4 hours	Up to 3 hours
Weight
Weight	2.9 kg (better)	3.3 kg
Thickness
Thickness	54.8 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 claimed 2.5–4 hours of operation. The 2.9 kg Japanese weight includes the floppy module.	Two removable nickel-metal hydride intelligent batteries were supplied in Japan; Apple claimed three hours per battery. Published 3.3 kg weight includes both batteries.
Connections
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	ADB, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, HDI-30 SCSI, mini-15 video, stereo audio input/output, infrared and two Type I/II PC Card slots or one Type III slot; Ethernet via PC Card	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	External video supports 256 colours, with greater colour depth available through third-party hardware	Built-in video output supports mirroring or an extended desktop with an optional Apple video adapter cable
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad in place of a trackball
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker and microphone with 16-bit stereo audio input/output	Two built-in stereo speakers and a microphone
In the box
In the box	Apple's Japanese 16 MB/750 MB configuration included a battery, power adapter, PC Card tray module and PowerBook Mobility Bundle software	Apple's Japanese 12 MB/320 MB configuration included two batteries, power adapter and PowerBook Mobility Bundle software