Macintosh Quadra 630
Encyclopedia
The Macintosh Quadra 630 (Codenames: "Crusader", "Show Biz", "Show & Tell"; also sold with minor variations as the Macintosh LC
630 in the educational market and as the Macintosh Performa
630 in the consumer market) is a personal computer
that is a part of Apple Computer's (now Apple Inc.) Quadra
series of Macintosh computers. It was introduced in July 1994, replacing the Quadra 610
, and was discontinued in October 1995 with no direct replacement; however, the Power Macintosh 6200
and its Performa versions took a very similar position in Apple's product lineup later, and continued using the new case introduced with the 630.
The 630 was the last Quadra Macintosh introduced, though the earlier 950
remained available longer. A big change compared to previous Macintosh models was the choice of the internal hard drive interface: conforming to the standards of the IBM PC compatible
platform, cheaper, but slower IDE drives were used instead of SCSI
for the first time. An external SCSI port was still available on the machines, and the CD-ROM used SCSI internally, but the 630 used an older controller that was much slower than the ones used in higher-end Macs of the time.
processor, 4 MB of RAM, a 250 MB hard disk and a CD-ROM drive; the LC 630 was essentially identical, but had the FPU
-less 68LC040 processor. The LC 630 DOS compatible added an additional 486DX2 processor at 66 MHz and dedicated RAM on a Processor Direct Slot
card to the LC 630. The Performa versions were:
Macintosh LC
The Macintosh LC was Apple Computer's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990 and was the first affordable color-capable Macintosh. Due to its affordability and Apple II compatibility the LC was adopted...
630 in the educational market and as the Macintosh Performa
Macintosh Performa
The Macintosh Performa series was Apple Computer's consumer product family of Apple Macintosh personal computers sold through department stores and mass-market retailers from 1992 until 1997, when it was superseded by the Power Macintosh 5x00 series...
630 in the consumer market) is a personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
that is a part of Apple Computer's (now Apple Inc.) Quadra
Macintosh Quadra
The Macintosh Quadra series was Apple Computer's product family of professional high-end Apple Macintosh personal computers built using the Motorola 68040 CPU. The first two models in the Quadra line were introduced in 1991, and the name was used until the Power Mac was introduced in 1994...
series of Macintosh computers. It was introduced in July 1994, replacing the Quadra 610
Macintosh Quadra 610
The Macintosh Quadra 610 and Macintosh Centris 610 are two closely related personal computers that are a part of Apple Computer's Quadra and Centris series of Macintosh computers, respectively. When the Centris 610 was introduced in February 1993 alongside the larger Centris 650, it was intended as...
, and was discontinued in October 1995 with no direct replacement; however, the Power Macintosh 6200
Power Macintosh 6200
The Power Macintosh 6200 is a series of mid-range personal computers that are a part of Apple Computer's Power Macintosh and Macintosh Performa series of Macintosh computers...
and its Performa versions took a very similar position in Apple's product lineup later, and continued using the new case introduced with the 630.
The 630 was the last Quadra Macintosh introduced, though the earlier 950
Macintosh Quadra 950
The Macintosh Quadra 950 was the third desktop computer in Apple Computer's Quadra line. It was based on Motorola's 68040 microprocessor rather than the 68LC040 . It replaced the Quadra 900, increasing the CPU clock rate from 25 MHz to 33 MHz, and improving the graphics support...
remained available longer. A big change compared to previous Macintosh models was the choice of the internal hard drive interface: conforming to the standards of the IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
platform, cheaper, but slower IDE drives were used instead of SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
for the first time. An external SCSI port was still available on the machines, and the CD-ROM used SCSI internally, but the 630 used an older controller that was much slower than the ones used in higher-end Macs of the time.
Variants
The 630 was available in a confusing number of configurations, especially in the Performa variants (which had slightly different model numbers). The Quadra 630 featured an 68040Motorola 68040
The Motorola 68040 is a microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1990. It is the successor to the 68030 and is followed by the 68060. There was no 68050. In keeping with general Motorola naming, the 68040 is often referred to as simply the '040 ....
processor, 4 MB of RAM, a 250 MB hard disk and a CD-ROM drive; the LC 630 was essentially identical, but had the FPU
Floating point unit
A floating-point unit is a part of a computer system specially designed to carry out operations on floating point numbers. Typical operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root...
-less 68LC040 processor. The LC 630 DOS compatible added an additional 486DX2 processor at 66 MHz and dedicated RAM on a Processor Direct Slot
Processor Direct Slot
Processor Direct Slot or PDS introduced by Apple Computer, in several of their Macintosh models, provided a limited measure of hardware expandibility, without going to the expense of providing full-fledged bus expansion slots.Typically, a machine would feature multiple bus expansions slots, if any...
card to the LC 630. The Performa versions were:
- 630 - The LC 630, but without the CD-ROM drive
- 630CD - Identical to the LC 630
- 630CD DOS compatible - Identical to the LC 630 DOS compatible
- 631CD - Like the 630CD, but with an additional RAM slot (for a total of two) on the motherboard, 8 MiB RAM, 500 MB hard disk and sold bundled with a monitor and modem
- 635CD - The 630CD, but with 5 MiB RAM, bundled with a monitor and a modem
- 636 - The 635CD without the monitor and CD-ROM, but with 8 MiB of RAM and the (optional) 500 MB hard disk
- 636CD - The 636 with a CD-ROM. Sold exclusively through higher-education outlets. Included a monitor and was available with a 250MB hard disk.
- 637CD - The 636CD with the monitor, but only a 350 MB hard disk
- 638CD - The 637CD without the monitor, but a TV/video in card instead - The Performa 638 CD/V shipped with tuner card and 15" Multiple Scan Display
- 640CD DOS compatible - The 631CD with a modem and the 630CD DOS compatible's 486 processor card
External links
- Quadra 630, LC 630, LC 630 (DOS), Performa 630, 630 (DOS), 631, 635, 636, 637, 638 and 640 specifications at AppleSpec
- Quadra 630 at apple-history.com
- Quadra 630 and the DOS compatible models at Low End Mac
- Quadra 630, LC 630, Performa 630, 631, 635, 636, 637, 638 and 640 at EveryMac.com