Apple · Macintosh

Macintosh SE FDHD

Released 1989

The high-density-floppy revision of the compact Macintosh SE, with cross-platform disk exchange and a choice of dual floppy drives or an internal SCSI hard disk.

Type: All-in-one
Processor: 68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)
Memory: 1 MB – 2 MB
Storage: 20 MB – 40 MB
Screen: 9″
Weight: –

All-in-one

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Specifications

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Performance

Processor: 68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)
CPU cores: 1
Memory: 1 MB or 2 MB
Storage: 20 MB to 40 MB
CPU: MC68000 with 32-bit internal architecture at 7.83 MHz in the original exact FDHD brochure and service manual. Current Apple support rounds the clock to 8 MHz and specifies a 16-bit data path; the existing nominal 8 MHz SE chip record is reused. No FPU, PMMU, L1 or L2 cache, or second processor.
Memory type: Exact ordering configurations have 1 MB for dual-FDHD and 20 MB hard-disk systems, or 2 MB for the 40 MB hard-disk system; expandable to 4 MB. Four 30-pin SIMM sockets, 150 ns or faster, using 256 KB or 1 MB modules installed in pairs; two-chip 1 MB SIMMs are unsupported. No soldered system RAM. 256 KB ROM includes the FDHD drive routines, Hierarchical File System, QuickDraw, Macintosh Toolbox, AppleTalk, ADB and SCSI support. 256 bytes of parameter memory.
Storage type: Original August 1989 maker brochure explicitly offers M0029LL/A with 1 MB RAM and two 1.4 MB FDHD floppy drives; M0028LL/A with 1 MB, one FDHD drive and 20 MB internal SCSI hard disk; M0031LL/A with 2 MB, one FDHD drive and 40 MB internal SCSI hard disk. Current support calls the FDHD capacity 1.44 MB. Drive reads and writes 400 KB and 800 KB Macintosh disks as well as high-density Macintosh disks, and exchanges MS-DOS, OS/2 and ProDOS-format disks with Apple File Exchange. Capacities are retained in their original units; fixed-storage headline is omitted for the floppy-only configuration. No CD-ROM included.
Expansion slots: One SE-Bus processor-direct expansion slot with a 96-pin Euro-DIN connector and accessory access opening. Original exact brochure explicitly says SE/30 and NuBus cards are incompatible with this slot. Compatible optional accelerator, network, coprocessor and external-display adapter cards require their own software and hardware.

Display

Screen size: 9″
Resolution: 512 × 342
Panel: CRT
Display type: Built-in 9-inch, one-bit monochrome CRT at 512 × 342. Exact brochure, service manual and current support's explicit note agree; the generic current support table's 512 × 384 row is not adopted. No refresh rate is published in the sources read.

Connections

Ports: Headphone jack
Back ports: Two ADB ports; printer and modem RS-232/RS-422 serial ports with mini-DIN-8 connectors and up to 230.4 Kbaud in the original brochure; external DB-25 SCSI; DB-19 external floppy connector; sound output for an external amplifier or speaker. AppleTalk/LocalTalk networking uses the serial ports. No built-in Ethernet, USB, FireWire, microphone input or computer-monitor video connector.
External displays: No built-in external-video output. An optional compatible SE-Bus external-display adapter is required; its display modes and limits are not assigned to the standard machine.
Speakers: Built-in sound with a four-voice generator, 8-bit digital-to-analogue conversion and 22 kHz sampling rate. One miniature sound-output port for an external amplifier; no stereo or measured loudness claim assigned.
Keyboard and mouse: Exact ordering brochure supplies the mouse, system software, HyperCard, Guided Tour disk, owner's guide, Getting Started guide and warranty statement. Apple Keyboard or Apple Extended Keyboard is packaged and sold separately, not assumed included. The primary is the original FDHD-labelled maker brochure photograph of the single-floppy/hard-disk housing.

Design and power

Type: All-in-one
Width × depth × height: 244 × 276 × 345 mm
Operating system: macOS
Size and weight detail: Exact original FDHD brochure and shared service manual give 34.5 × 24.4 × 27.6 cm (height × width × depth), also printed as 13.6 × 9.6 × 10.9 inches. Current exact support instead prints a 9.69-inch width; original maker metric values are used without converting the differently rounded inch values. Weight is 7.7–9.5 kg / 17–21 lb depending on fitted hard disk or second floppy drive; no one configuration-specific weight is established, so headline mass remains omitted.
Power supply: Exact original brochure and shared service specify 100 W maximum, regional 90–140 or 170–270 V AC, 47–63 Hz. Current support summarises 90–270 V and 0.83 A. Maximum input is not typical operating consumption. Brochure describes a CMOS clock/calendar with a seven-year lithium battery; no guessed battery chemistry capacity is added.
Noise: Original exact brochure rates the cross-flow fan at 10 CFM and 38 dB without acoustic distance or weighting; this is not a measured whole-computer noise figure.
In the box: System Tools 6.0.3 or later with Finder 6.1 or later, printer drivers, Apple File Exchange, HD SC Setup, Disk First Aid and Font D/A Mover; HyperCard included. Exact August 1989 current ordering brochure establishes sale in 1989, without proving first-sale month or day; Apple's introduction date is 1 August 1989. This is the FDHD hardware revision, distinct from the published original 1987 SE with 800 KB drives. Linked 1988 SE owner's guide covers the earlier 800 KB edition and must be read with the separately linked FDHD supplement; it is not specification evidence for this revision's drive capacity. No unsupported official predecessor link assigned.

Configurations

Processor	Memory	Storage	Storage type
68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)	1 MB	–	–
68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)	1 MB	20 MB	Hard drive
68000 8 MHz (Macintosh SE)	2 MB	40 MB	Hard drive

Pros and cons

Pros

High-density floppy drive reads Macintosh and PC-format disks
Processor-direct expansion slot
Two Apple Desktop Bus ports

Cons

Monochrome screen
No built-in Ethernet
Memory limited to 4 MB

Closest rivals

Model	Type	Processor	Memory	Storage	Screen	Weight	Released
AppleMacintosh Classic	All-in-one	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh Classic)	1 MB – 2 MB	40 MB	9″	–	Oct 1990
AppleMacintosh SE/30	All-in-one	68030 16 MHz (Macintosh SE/30)	1 MB – 4 MB	40 MB – 80 MB	9″	–	1989
AppleMacintosh 512Ke	All-in-one	Motorola 68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512Ke)	512 KB	–	9″	7.5 kg	–

Sources

Photo: Apple (original 1989 brochure)

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