Color Classic

aka Performa 250

code name: Slice

Got a compact Mac? Consider joining the Vintage Macs email list.

"In many ways, the Color Classic is the compact Mac everyone's been waiting for since, well, since 1984." (MacUser, April 1993)

Overview

The end of the Classic line in the North American market, the Color Classic shared the motherboard design of the LC II, equally limited in RAM expansion, constricted by a 16-bit data bus, and able to use PDS cards designed for the LC series. The only significant difference it the presence of a socket for adding a 68882 math coprocessor.

The Color Classic's claim to fame was a tiny, remarkably crisp 10" (9" viewable) 512x384 pixel color monitor -- and Apple IIe emulation with an add-in card. (The 512x384 pixel display matched the format of the 12" monitor for the LC and LC II, which accepted the same Apple II card.)

Nice as it was to have color, the dismal performance due to the 16-bit motherboard earns the Color Classic a Road Apple. Yet despite pedestrian performance, the Color Classic is a perennial favorite: it's cute, and with some surgery it can support 640x480 on the crisp internal screen. (The Color Classic II, with a 33 MHz CPU on a 32-bit bus and room for 36 MB of RAM is what the Color Classic should have been.)

The Color Classic included a microphone above the screen and had a readily accessible motherboard: just open the rear panel and slide out the board for upgrades. And you can control volume and contrast using controls on the front of the computer -- no need to open control panels.

Unlike other compact Macs, the Color Classic can be shut down with the power key on the keyboard. The Color Classic is also turned on with the keyboard power key.

The Color Classic was the first Mac with a built-in color monitor, although the odd screen size meant many games would not run on it. However, it was possible to add a video card in the PDS, allowing use of a larger external monitor. (This was the first compact Mac since the SE/30 to offer an expansion slot.)

Details

introduced 1 February 1993 at $1,390; discontinued 1 May 1994
requires System 7.1 (with System Enabler 401) to 7.6.1
CPU: 16 MHz 68030
FPU: 68882 (optional)
performance: 1.7, relative to SE; 0.25, Speedometer 4; 3.9 MIPS
for more details, see benchmark page
ROM: 1 MB
RAM: 4 MB, expandable to 10 MB using two 100ns 30-pin SIMMs
VRAM: 256 KB, expandable to 512 KB for 16-bit color
10" color screen, 512x384 pixels
ADB ports: 2
DIN-8 serial ports on back of computer
DB-25 SCSI connector on back of computer
floppy: 1.4 MB double sided
size (HxWxD): 14.5" x 9.9" x 12.6"
weight: 22.5 lbs.
Gestalt ID: 49
addressing: 24-bit or 32-bit
battery: 3.6V lithium
LC PDS slot
upgrade path: no official upgrade path, although some have successfully installed 550 and 575 motherboards

Accelerators & Upgrades

Extreme Systems Impact '030 (32 MHz 68030)
MicroMac Thunder (32 MHz 68030), optional 16 MHz 68881 FPU
MicroMac Thunder Cache (32 MHz 68030), 32KB cache, optional 32 MHz 68882 FPU
MicroMac ThunderPro (32 MHz 68030), optional 32 MHz 68882 FPU
MicroMac ThunderCache Pro (32 MHz or 50 MHz 68030), optional 68882 FPU
MicroMac 640x480 video and CPU upgrade (33 MHz 68LC040 or 68040)
Sonnet Technologies Presto 040 LC (25 MHz 68040 or 68LC040), incompatible with extra VRAM
Sonnet Presto Plus (33 MHz 68LC040 or 68040, Ethernet, and 32 MB additional RAM)
603 upgrade for SE, Classic, and Color Classic (Japanese)

Online Resources

Building a Power Colour Classic, Stuart Bell. Finally, a helpful English-language resource for boosting the Color Classic to a 68040, 603, or even a G3.
30-pin SIMM memory pricing, RAMseeker
Building a Power Colour Classic
Changing Color Classic resolution to 640x480
Color Classic upgrade options
Review: Sonnet Presto
Faster browsing on older Macs, Mac Online Technical Journal
Mac Daniel #1
Information on 32-bit addressing
Email lists: Classic Macs Digest, Vintage Macs
Color Classic Mini FAQ
Color Classic Forever, an obsession
Internet Classic Mac Users Home Page
Memory upgrade guide
640x480 video hack
Apple IIe card
Apple Specs Online for Color Classic and Performa 250
Read user reviews of the MicroMac and Sonnet accelerators.
603 upgrade for SE, Classic, and Color Classic
Printed reviews: Macworld, April 1993; Mac User, April 1993

Cautions

Serial port normally restricted to 57.6 kbps; use of a 56k modem may be limited. See 56k modem page. For more information on Mac serial ports, read Macintosh Serial Throughput on the Macintosh Online Technical Journal.

<back to compact Mac index or Low End Mac home page> MacPromote Xchange

Low End Mac established April 7, 1997. This page, the entire Low End Mac site, and all subsites of <http://lowendmac.net/> copyright ©1997-99 by Dan Knight unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

LINK POLICY: This site allows and encourages links to any public page, so long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking the linked page.

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, and iMac are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are hereby acknowledged.