Power Macintosh 6400 series
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| Release date | August 7, 1996 |
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| Introductory price | 2400, 2800 |
| Discontinued | August 1, 1997 |
| Operating system | System 7.5.3 |
| CPU | PowerPC 603e @ 180 or 200 MHz |
| Memory | 16 MiB, expandable to 136 MiB (70 ns 168-pin DIMM) |
The Power Macintosh 6400 (Codenames: "InstaTower", "Alchemy", "Hacksaw"; also sold under variations of the name Performa 6400) is a mid-range personal computer that is a part of Apple Computer's Power Macintosh and Macintosh Performa series of Macintosh computers. The two Performa variants were introduced in August 1996, while the Power Macintosh variant arrived two months later. They were discontinued in favor of the uniformly named Power Macintosh 6500 in August 1997, ending the Performa brand.
The 6400 shares its logic board with the Power Macintosh 5400, only without an integrated monitor. Its new "InstaTower“ case, however, features an integrated subwoofer. The Performa 6360 uses the same logic board in a Power Macintosh 6200-style desktop case. The 5400/6400 is generally believed to be superior to its 5200/6200 predecessors since it had a 64-bit data path to main memory.[1]
All 6400 series computers used a PowerPC 603e processor. This central processing unit (CPU) was soldered to the computer's "Alchemy" main logic board and cooled by a fanless heat-sink. Though initially considered non-upgradable, CPU upgrades did come to market that overrode the fixed CPU by use of the Level 2 cache slot.[2]
Models
- Power Macintosh 6400: 180 or 200 MHz CPU, sold in the North American and British education markets
- Performa 6400: North American consumer model, 180 or 200 MHz CPU
- Performa 6400/200 VEE: The 200 MHz 6400 with an Avid video I/O card and video editing software, and 32 MiB RAM
- Performa 6410: The 6400/180's name in Europe and Asia
- Performa 6420: The 6400/200's name in Europe and Asia
Power Macintosh 6500
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| Release date | February 17, 1997 (225 & 250 MHz models) April 4, 1997 (275 & 300 MHz models) |
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| Introductory price | 1800–3000 |
| Discontinued | March 14, 1998 |
| Operating system | System 7.5.5 (7.6.1 on the 275 and 300 MHz models) |
| CPU | PowerPC 603e @ 225–300 MHz |
| Memory | 32 MiB, expandable to 128 MiB (60 ns 168-pin DIMM) |
The Power Macintosh 6500 (Codename: "Gazelle") is a mid-range desktop computer in Apple Computer's Power Macintosh series. It was introduced in February 1997 in speeds of 225 and 250 MHz, replacing the very similar Power Macintosh 6400. In April 1997, two faster models at 275 and 300 MHz were added. The 6500 was discontinued in March 1998, with the Power Macintosh G3 minitower remaining as the only similar model. The Power Macintosh 5500 uses the same logic board in a 5200 style all-in one case.
The 6500 uses the same "InstaTower" case as the 6400, and is also internally similar. However, there are some differences apart from the faster processor: The 6500 has no RAM soldered to the logic board (the 6400 had 8 MiB, which also explains its higher memory ceiling), and uses a different graphics processor. Models from 250 MHz upward also include video in/out capability, some of them with a hardware-accelerated Avid capture card. Some models also include a Zip drive.
The Power Macintosh 6500 was the first personal computer, Mac or PC, to reach 300 MHz.
References
External links
- The 6400 Zone, a 6400 and 6500-specific resource site
- Performa 6400 at Low End Mac
- Performa 6400 at apple-history.com
- Power Macintosh 6400/200, Performa 6400/180, 6410, 6400/200 and 6420 at AppleSpec
- Power Macintosh 6400/200, Performa 6400/180, 6410, 6400/200 and 6420 at EveryMac.com
- Power Macintosh 6500 at Low End Mac
- Power Macintosh 6500 at apple-history.com
- Power Macintosh 6500/225, 6500/250, 6500/275 and 6500/300 at AppleSpec
- Power Macintosh 6500/225, 6500/250, 6500/275 and 6500/300 at EveryMac.com
- Performa 6400/180, Performa 6420/200 at Forevermac.com
