By the fall of 1995, the final pre-PowerPC Performas were still available for purchase by those looking to potentially procure a personal computer. Despite 68K-based Performas being on the market until 1996, Apple was already moving on, and now so must we.
Macintosh Performa 5300CD & 5320CD
These machines were an update to the 5200 all-in-one that debuted in the summer of 1995. The 5200 Series would remain on sale even after the 5300 models were announced, in true 90s Apple fashion.
Let’s take a look at the specs for these updated machines:
| Model: | CPU: | Memory: | HDD Size: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5300CD | 100 MHz PowerPC 603e | 8 or 16 MB | 1.2 GB |
| 5320CD | 120 MHz PowerPC 603e | 8 or 16 MB | 1.2 GB |
Those 603e CPUs were held back by the motherboard they were installed in, not unlike many, many previous Performas.
Despite this similarity, according to Apple’s own service manual, there are internal changes that are not backward-compatible between the 53xx and 52xx machines. That manual also explains the relationship between the 5300CD and 5320CD:
The Performa 5320CD supersedes the 5300CD. It has a PowerPC 603e processor running at 120 MHz and 16 MB of RAM on the logic board. All other hardware features are the same as the Performa 5300CD. This is an international product not sold in the U.S.
Macintosh Performa 6300CD, 6310CD, & 6320CD
On the desktop front, Apple released three 6300 models:
The first two ran at 100 MHz, with the 6320CD clocked at 120 MHz, all thanks to a PowerPC 603e.
James Staten covered the machines at MacWEEK:
Apple’s latest Performa, unveiled Oct. 14, improves the company’s price/performance equation in the consumer channel, analysts said. The unit also should turn some heads with its performance numbers, which, according to MacWEEK preliminary tests, rival the newest like-priced Power Macs.
[…]
According to MacBench 2.0 tests performed on a pre-release 6300 logic board, the new model is the fastest Performa yet and the first to offer raw speeds comparable to the newest Power Macs.
The prototype 6300 performed comparably to the $2,699 Power Macintosh 7500/100 running native applications and in floating-point tests.
Although other 603e-based machines lag in 680×0 emulation, the 6300 was helped by its inclusion of a 256-Kbyte Level 2 cache. The cache advantage shows up more clearly when comparing the 6300 to the PowerBook 5300c/100, which shares the same 603e processor. Use of Connectix Corp.’s Speed Doubler also greatly improved the 6300’s emulation performance, delivering about a 250 percent improvement in processor performance and 50 percent improvement in floating-point.
A beefy configuration accompanies the faster CPU in the 6300/100. It features 16 Mbytes of RAM, expandable to 64 Mbytes; a 1.2-Gbyte hard drive; a quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive; a 15-inch multiple resolution display; a Global Village Communication Inc. internal 28.8-Kbps fax modem; a keyboard; and a mouse.
Like the Performa 6200, the 6300 has a single ADB port, SCSI port, serial port, communications slot for the modem or an Ethernet card, video slot for the Apple Video System, internal TV tuner slot, and an LC processor direct slot. The new Performa also provides built-in 16-bit stereo audio and 1 Mbyte of video RAM.
As these machines were released, Apple cut prices on a bunch of older Performas that were still for sale at the time:
| Model: | Old Price: | New Price: | Discount: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performa 631CD1 | $1,499 | $1,399 | 7% |
| Performa 640CD/DOS | $2,299 | $1,999 | 13% |
| Performa 5200CD | $1,999 | $1,899 | 5% |
| Performa 5215CD | $2,299 | $2,199 | 8% |
| Performa 6116CD1 | $1,899 | $1,699 | 11% |
| Performa 6200CD | $2,299 | $1,999 | 13% |
| Performa 6205CD2 | $2,399 | $2,099 | 13% |
| Performa 6218CD | $2,699 | $2,399 | 11% |
| Performa 6220CD | $2,499 | $1,999 | 20% |
| Performa 6230CD | $2,999 | $2,699 | 10% |
If you think Apple selling older devices at lower prices is an invention of Tim Cook, you’d be wrong.
Become a member of 512 Pixels. Support projects like these, receive exclusive content in the monthly newsletter, and more!