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| Developer | Apple Computer |
|---|---|
| Product family | Macintosh II |
| Release date | March 19, 1990 (1990-03-19) |
| Introductory price | US$8,969 (equivalent to $21,586 in 2024) |
| Discontinued | April 15, 1992 (1992-04-15) |
| Operating system | System 6.0.5-7.1.1(Pro), 7.5-7.6.1 |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 40 MHz |
| Memory | 4MB, expandable to 128 MB (80 ns 64-pin SIMMs) |
| Dimensions | Height: 5.5 inches (14 cm) Width: 18.7 inches (47 cm) Depth: 14.4 inches (37 cm) |
| Weight | 24 pounds (11 kg) |
| Predecessor | Macintosh IIx |
| Successor | Macintosh Quadra 900 |
| Related | Macintosh Classic Macintosh SE/30 Macintosh IIci Macintosh IIsi |
TheMacintosh IIfx is apersonal computer designed, manufactured and sold byApple Computer from March 1990 to April 1992. At introduction it cost fromUS$9,000 toUS$12,000, depending on configuration, and it was the fastestMacintosh available at the time[1].
The IIfx is the most powerful of the68030-basedMacintosh II family and was replaced at the top of Apple's lineup by theMacintosh Quadra in 1991. It is the last Apple computer released that was designed using theSnow White design language.
Dubbed "Wicked Fast"[2] by its Product Manager, Frank Casanova – who came to Apple fromApollo Computer inBoston,Massachusetts, where theBoston term "wicked" is commonly used to denote anything extreme – the IIfx runs at aclock rate of 40megahertz, has 32KB of Level 2cache, sixNuBus slots, and includes a number of proprietaryASICs and coprocessors. Designed to speed up the machine even further, these chips require system-specific drivers. The 40 MHz speed refers to the main logic board clock (the bus), theMotorola 68030CPU, and the computer'sMotorola 68882FPU. The machine has eight RAM slots, for a maximum of 128MB RAM, an enormous amount at the time. TheMacintosh IIci, which debuted in 1989, also could support 128 megabytes of RAM.
The IIfx features specialized high-speed (80ns)RAM using 64-pindual-ported SIMMs, while all other contemporary Macintosh models use 30-pin SIMMs. The extra pins are a separate path to allow latched read and write operations. It is also possible to use parity memory modules; the IIfx is the only stock 68K Macintosh to support them along with special versions of theMacintosh IIci. The logic board has a total of 8 RAM slots; these must be populated four at a time with 1, 4, or 16 MB chips; this results in a maximum memory amount of 128 MB.[3]
The IIfx includes two special dedicated processors for floppy disk operations, sound, ADB, andserial communications.[4] These I/O chips feature a pair of 10 MHzembedded6502 CPUs, which is the same CPU family used inApple II machines.[5]
The IIfx usesSCSI as itshard disk interface, as had all previous Macintosh models since theMacintosh Plus. The IIfx requires a special black-colored SCSI terminator for external drives.[6]
Industrial Light & Magic upgraded their image processing hardware to the IIfx by the timeTerminator 2: Judgment Day entered post-production.[7]
When first introduced, the IIfx was offered in the following configurations:[8]
Introduced May 15, 1990:
| Timeline ofMacintosh II family models |
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