Macintosh SE/30

Mac_specs|
Introduced=January 19 1989|MSRP=6500|CPU=Motorola 68030
CPUspeed=16 MHz|OS=System 6.0.3 - Mac OS 7.6.1 (only if you have a 32-bit upgrade)|RAM=1 MB, expandable to 128 MB|RAMtype=120 ns 30-pin SIMM
Discontinued=October 21, 1991The Macintosh SE/30 is a personal computer that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1989 until 1991. It was the fastest and most expandable of the original black-and-white compact Macintosh series.

The SE/30 is essentially a Macintosh IIx in the same case as the Macintosh SE, with a black-and-white monitor and a single PDS slot (rather than the NuBus slots of the IIx) which supported third-party accelerators, network cards, or a display adapter. Although officially only able to support 8 MB, the SE/30 could expand up to 128 MB of RAM, and included a 40 or 80 MB hard drive. It was also the first compact Mac to include a 1.44 MB high density floppy disk drive as standard (late versions of the SE had one, but earlier versions did not). Conversion sets were sold to convert a regular SE to a SE/30. The SE would then have the exact same specs as an SE/30, with the difference only in the floppy drive if the SE had a 800k drive. The set included a new front to replace the original SE front with that of an SE/30.

Apple had indicated the presence of a 68030 processor by adding the letter "x" to a model's name, but when the Macintosh SE was updated to the 68030, this posed an awkward problem, as Apple was not willing to name their new computer the "Macintosh SEx". Thus, "SE/30" was the name chosen. Internally, code names like Green Jade and Fafnir were used.Fact|date=April 2008

Upgrades

Although sold as a 32-bit computer, the SE/30 ROM, like the IIx ROM, included some 24-bit code, rendering the ROM "dirty". This limited the actual amount of memory that could be accessed to just 16 MB. The solution was to use a program called MODE32 which enabled access to the extra memory (if installed). Alternatively it has been found that replacing the ROM SIMM with one from a Mac IIsi or Mac IIfx makes the SE/30 32-bit "clean" and thereby enables use of up to 128 MB RAM. Fact|date=April 2008

With some software hacks and the correct processor upgrade card, it also becomes possible to run OS 8.0 or OS 8.1, whereas without one, the SE/30 is limited to a maximum Mac OS version of 7.6.1 (only if you have a 32-bit 68030 upgrade), the last non-68040 version of the classic Mac OS.

Additionally, the SE/30 is able to run A/UX, Apple's older version of a Unix that was able to run Macintosh programs.

Though there was no official upgrade path for the SE/30, several third party processor upgrades were available, specifically a 68040 upgrade made it possible to run Mac OS 8.1, which kept the SE/30 relevant and productive for many more years than it would have otherwise been.

This machine was followed in 1991 by the Macintosh Classic II, a machine which was only 60% as fast as the SE/30, supported no more than 10 MB of memory, and lacked an internal expansion slot. Apple at this time was de-emphasizing the compact, all-in-one nature of the Macintosh in favor of a more expandable, PC-like system architecture as seen in the Macintosh II and Quadra series.

See also

* Macintosh SE
* Macintosh Classic II
* Macintosh Color Classic
* List of products discontinued by Apple Computer

External links and references

* [http://www.lowendmac.com/compact/macintosh-se30.html Macintosh SE/30] , Low End Mac
* [http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_classic/stats/mac_se30.html Macintosh SE/30 @ EveryMac.com]
* [http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=162 Macintosh SE/30] , Old-computer museum
* [http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~shamada/fullmac/repairEng.html Repair Macintosh SE/30] Navbox with columns
name = Navbox with columns/doc
state = uncollapsed
title = Apple Model Navigation
colstyle = text-align:center;background:silver;
colwidth = 25%
col1header = Replaced
col2header = Current Model
col3header = Successor
col1 = Macintosh SE
col2 = Macintosh SE/30
col3 = Macintosh Classic II
col1footer = Preceding Family Model
col2footer = January 19, 1989
col3footer = Following Family Model

Category:A/UX-capable Macintoshes