Mac Colour Classic II (Performa 275)

First available in Canada (1993), and then Asia and Europe (and never sold in the home US market), the Colour Classic II (also known as the Performa 275) shares the motherboard design of the LC III. Running at a relatively fast 33 MHz, memory can be expanded as far as 36 MB.

Colour Classic II The CC II/Performa 275 and Performa/LC 550 share the same motherboard. If you ever need to perform a motherboard transplant, a 550 makes for a very inexpensive donor.

This is what the Color Classic should have been. It is also quite rare on the used market and commands a premium price, especially in the US.

The Colour Classic II was the last Mac with a built-in 10″ (9″ viewable) color monitor.

Got Mac? If it’s a Color Classic or Colour Classic II, original or modified, please consider joining our Color Classic group on Facebook.

Details

Colour Classic II introduced 1993.10.21; discontinued 1994.09.01
Performa 275 introduced 1993.10.31; discontinued 1995.11.01
Gestalt ID: 83
model no.: unknown – if you have one, please email
upgrade path: none officially, though some have successfully installed a 575 motherboard.

Mac OS

requires System 7.1 (with System Enabler 403) to 7.6.1
addressing: 24-bit or 32-bit

Core System

CPU: 33 MHz 68030
FPU: 33 MHz 68882
ROM: 1 MB
RAM: 4 MB, expandable to 36 MB using a single 80ns 72-pin SIMM

Performance

4.6, relative to SE

Graphics

VRAM: 256 KB, expandable to 512 KB for 16-bit color
10″ color screen, 512 x 384 pixels

Drives

floppy drive: 1.4 MB double-sided
Hard drive: 80 or 160 MB

Expansion

ADB ports: 2 ports for keyboard and mouse
serial ports: 2 DIN-8 RS-422 ports on back of computer
SCSI ports: DB-25 connector on back of computer
expansion slot: LC PDS slot

Physical

size (HxWxD): 14.5″ x 9.9″ x 12.6″
Weight: 22.5 lbs.
PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
power supply: 100W

Accelerators & Upgrades

MicroMac 640 x 480 video upgrade
Sonnet Technologies Presto 040 LC (25 MHz 68040 or 68LC040), incompatible with extra VRAM, discontinued
Sonnet Presto Plus (33 MHz 68LC040 or 68040, Ethernet, and 32 MB additional RAM)

Online Resources

See: Online resources and links for the Mac Colour Classic II (Performa 275)

Cautions

Serial port normally restricted to 57.6 kbps; throughput with a 56k modem may be limited. See 56k modem page. For more information on Mac serial ports, read Macintosh Serial Throughput.