Apple Macintosh Performa 450
The Macintosh Performa 450 was Apple’s consumer rebadge of the 1993 Macintosh LC III. It is a slim “pizza box” color Mac with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030, a true 32-bit memory bus, and RAM expansion to 36 MB aproximately twice as fast as the earlier LC II / Performa 400 family, at a price that undercut far more expensive Macs like the IIci.
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- Manufacturer: Apple Computer Inc.
- Model: Macintosh Performa 450 (M1254)
- Released: April 12, 1993
- Type: Personal Desktop Computer
- Cost at release: ~$4,250 (adjusted for inflation)
- MIPS: 6.3
Hardware Specifications
- CPU: Motorola 68030, 25 MHz (32-bit)
- RAM: 4 MB expandable to 36 MB
- ROM: 1 MB Macintosh ROM.
- Standard hard drive: 120 MB, 3.5-inch internal SCSI hard disk.
- Floppy drive: Built-in 1.44 MB automatic-inject floppy drive.
- CD-ROM drive: None supplied; no internal CD-ROM support specified.
- Standard video memory: 512 KB VRAM soldered on the motherboard. Maximum video memory: 768 KB VRAM, using one 256 KB VRAM SIMM expansion.
- Display support: One external monitor through Apple’s 15-pin DB-15 video port. With standard VRAM, it could display 16-bit colour at 512 × 384 or 640 × 480, and 8-bit colour at 832 × 624; with 768 KB VRAM, it could reach 16-bit colour at 832 × 624.
- Second-display option: Possible with an LC III PDS video card.
- External Ports
- ADB port: One Apple Desktop Bus port for keyboard and mouse.
- SCSI port: One external DB-25 SCSI port.
- Serial ports: Two Mini-DIN-8 serial ports, labelled printer and modem.
- Audio: 8-bit mono audio output and built-in omnidirectional microphone.
- Power supply: 100–240 V AC, 47–63 Hz, maximum 50 W.
- Weight: 4.0 kg (8.8 lbs) for the computer itself, not including monitor, keyboard, mouse or other peripherals.
Operating System & Programming Languages
- Operating Systems
- Original OS: System 7.1P2, supplied for the Performa 405, 430, and 450 release group on April 12, 1993.
- System family: Classic Macintosh System Software / classic Mac OS, built for Motorola 68000-series (“68k”) Macs.
- Practical later OS choice: Mac OS 7.5.3 or 7.6.1, depending on available RAM and desired software compatibility.
- Official practical ceiling: Mac OS 7.6.1, the final classic Mac OS release intended for 68030-based systems such as the Performa 450.
- Programming Languages:
- C: A principal language for Macintosh application and system development, using environments such as Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop (MPW C), THINK C, and later Metrowerks CodeWarrior.
- C++: Supported through tools such as Symantec C++ and Metrowerks CodeWarrior; practical for later System 7-era application development.
- Pascal: An especially important early Macintosh language, using Apple/MPW Pascal, THINK Pascal, or Borland Turbo Pascal. Much of the original Macintosh developer documentation and Toolbox interface tradition was Pascal-oriented.
- Motorola 68000 assembly language: The Performa 450’s 68030 executed 68k machine code, so assembly could be used for drivers, system extensions, games, demos, and speed-critical routines.
- BASIC: Third-party BASIC environments, including Microsoft BASIC, True BASIC, and later Realbasic variants, could be used for learning and general programming.
- HyperTalk: HyperCard’s built-in, English-like scripting language, particularly important for educational software, interactive stacks, prototypes, and multimedia projects.
- AppleScript: Apple’s automation and application-scripting language, included with System 7’s AppleScript tools.
- Modula-2: Available through Macintosh implementations such as Metrowerks Modula-2.
- Fortran: Available through developer tools such as MPW Fortran, mainly for scientific, engineering, and numerical work.
- Logo: Available through educational Macintosh Logo implementations.
- Perl: Usable through period Macintosh ports, subject to the memory and System 7 version available.
- Early Python: Vintage MacPython releases can run on suitable System 7 installations, though the Performa’s modest standard 4 MB RAM makes this more practical after a RAM upgrade.
Notables
- Essentially an LC III in consumer clothes: Apple confirmed that the Performa 450 and Macintosh LC III used identical logic boards, power supplies, and floppy mechanisms; the main distinctions were configuration, bundled software, and retail positioning.
- Nickname and form factor: It belongs to the slim, horizontal “pizza-box” Macintosh family, a nickname inspired by its low, wide desktop enclosure. Its LC III sibling was code-named “Vail” and “Elsie III.”
- An unusually important “first”: Its underlying LC III platform was Apple’s first Macintosh to use 72-pin SIMM’s, a memory standard that became widespread across 1990s personal computers.
- A rare Roman numeral: The LC III was Apple’s first computer officially named with the Roman numeral “III” since the commercially unsuccessful Apple III, lending the model an unusual historical naming footnote.
- A meaningful low-end speed jump: The 25 MHz 68030 made it roughly twice as fast as the 16 MHz LC II/earlier Performa systems, while adding a full 32-bit memory path and a theoretical RAM ceiling of 36 MB. MacUser called the LC III a significant low-end entry because of its speed and memory gains.
- A subtle graphics trick: With its standard 512 KB VRAM, it could produce 16-bit colour on a 640 × 480 display only by selecting the less-common 640 × 400 mode and restarting, a memorable System 7-era configuration quirk.
- Part of Apple’s Performa retail experiment: The Performa line aimed at mainstream home buyers rather than Apple’s traditional education and specialist-dealer customers. Apple sold familiar Macintosh hardware under new Performa names, with consumer software and documentation bundles tailored to retail stores.
- Briefly marketed, historically representative: The Performa 450 was sold from April to November 1993, making it a short-lived model; its historical value comes less from market dominance than from representing Apple’s proliferating, confusing early-1990’s consumer product line.
Donated By: T. Warren Christopher
