Macintosh Quadra 700
![]() A Macintosh Quadra 700 | |
Also known as | "Shadow", "IIce"[1] |
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Developer | Apple Computer |
Product family | Macintosh Quadra |
Release date | October 21, 1991 |
Introductory price | US$5,700 (equivalent to $12,751 in 2023) |
Discontinued | March 15, 1993 |
Operating system | System 7.0.1 - Mac OS 8.1, A/UX or, with PowerPC upgrade, Mac OS 9.1 |
CPU | Motorola 68040 @ 25 MHz |
Memory | 4 MB, expandable to 68 MB (80 ns 30-pin SIMM) |
Dimensions | Height: 5.5 inches (14 cm) Width: 11.9 inches (30 cm) Depth: 14.4 inches (37 cm) |
Mass | 13.6 pounds (6.2 kg) |
Predecessor | Macintosh IIci |
Successor | Macintosh Centris 650 Macintosh Quadra 800 |
Related | Macintosh Quadra 900 |
The Macintosh Quadra 700 is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from October 1991 to March 1993. It was introduced alongside the Quadra 900 as the first computers in the Quadra series, using Motorola 68040 processor in order to compete with IBM-compatible PCs powered by the Intel i486DX.[2] The Quadra 700 is also the first computer from Apple to be housed in a mini-tower form factor, which in 1991 was becoming a popular alternative to standard desktop-on-monitor cases that were common through the 1980s.
The Quadra 700 was considerably more popular than the Quadra 900 (succeeded after six months by the very similar Quadra 950) that it was sold alongside, due to the 900/950 being expensive and bulky with its full tower case.[3] The Quadra 700 originally had a list price of US$5,700, but had dropped to under $4,700 for a base model by the time its replacement, the Macintosh Quadra 800, went on sale in early 1993.[2] The Centris 650, also introduced around the same time, offered similar performance to the Quadra 700 but in a desktop-style case with more expansion options while its entry-level configuration had a price point closer to $3,000.[4]
Hardware

Form factor: The Quadra 700 case is largely the same as the popular Macintosh IIcx and Macintosh IIci models; this made it possible for users of those models to upgrade to the more powerful Quadra 700. Users sometimes placed the older case vertically in a mini-tower orientation and the Quadra 700 recognized this by having the Apple logo and model name printed in the vertical orientation. The IIcx and IIci were designed to allow their rubber feet to be moved to the side for vertical orientation as well.
CPU: Motorola 68040 @ 25 MHz. The clock oscillator runs at 50 MHz; replacing it with a faster oscillator (up to 74 MHz) results in a performance increase.[5]
Memory: The Quadra 700 could be upgraded to 68 megabytes of RAM, which with its 25 MHz processor made it a very useful computer for scientific or design work.
Expansion: Two NuBus slots and a Processor Direct Slot; processor upgrades from Apple and other manufacturers were sold for the 700 when the PowerPC 601 accelerator cards came along in 1994.
Storage: 80 and 160 MB hard disks were available at launch. A faster 230 MB unit became available in mid-1992 when the Quadra 950 was introduced.[6]
Video: Like the IIci, the 700 has integrated graphics built into the system board but, unlike the earlier model, it uses dedicated VRAM for its video memory.[7] The onboard video came with 512 kilobytes of VRAM soldered to the motherboard, and supported resolutions up to 1152x870. The video memory was expandable to 2 megabytes via six 256-kilobyte 100ns VRAM SIMMs in each of the VRAM SIMM expansion slots on the motherboard. Expanding the video memory to 2 megabytes allowed for 24-bit (Millions) color at resolutions up to 832x624.
Sound: 8-bit stereo, 22 kHz.
Ports: I/O was available with dual serial ports, two ADB ports, an AAUI Ethernet port, mono audio in, stereo audio out, and a DB-25 SCSI connector. The Quadra 700, along with the 900, are the first Macintosh models with built-in support for Ethernet networking.[1]
Operating system: System 7.0.1 was included as standard. This is the earliest Macintosh model to support Mac OS 8.
The Quadra 700 uses tantalum capacitors on the logic board, rather than electrolytic capacitors which can leak fluid.[8]
In popular culture
- The Quadra 700, alongside an SGI Crimson running IRIX, was featured in the film Jurassic Park (1993).[9]
Timeline
Timeline of Macintosh Centris, LC, Performa, and Quadra models, colored by CPU type |
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<timeline>
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:10/01/1990 till:12/31/1997 Define $skip = at:end # Force a blank line Define $dayunknown = 15 # what day to use if it's actually not known ImageSize= width:800 height:auto barincrement:21 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:20 bottom:75 top:5 Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1 Colors = id:bg value:white id:020 value:rgb(1,0.5,0.4) legend:Motorola_68020 id:0301 value:rgb(1,1,0) legend:Motorola_68030 id:0302 value:rgb(1,1,0.5) id:0401 value:rgb(0.8,1,0.8) legend:Motorola_68040 id:0402 value:rgb(0.8,1,0.95) id:LC0401 value:rgb(0.75,0.85,1) legend:Motorola_68LC040 id:LC0402 value:rgb(0.8,0.9,1) id:ppc601 value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.9) legend:PowerPC_601 id:ppc603 value:rgb(1,0.85,0.85) legend:PowerPC_603 id:ppc603e value:rgb(1,0.6,0.6) legend:PowerPC_603e id:linem value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:liney value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) BackgroundColors = canvas:bg ScaleMajor = gridcolor:liney unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1991 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:linem unit:month increment:3 start:10/01/1990 BarData = Barset:one Barset:two Barset:three Barset:four PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black barset:one shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s color:020 from:10/15/1990 till:03/23/1992 text:"LC" barset:break color:0301 from:03/23/1992 till:03/15/1993 text:"LC II" color:0302 from:02/10/1993 till:02/14/1994 text:"LC III" color:ppc603 from:04/03/1995 till:04/13/1996 text:"Power Macintosh 5200 LC" barset:break color:lc0401 from:10/21/1993 till:07/15/1996 text:"LC 475" color:lc0401 from:07/18/1994 till:04/01/1995 text:"LC 630" color:0301 from:06/28/1993 till:02/02/1994 text:"LC 520" barset:break $skip color:lc0402 from:04/03/1995 till:03/02/1996 text:"LC 580" color:0302 from:02/02/1994 till:03/23/1995 text:"LC 550" barset:two color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:02/14/1994 text:"LC III+" color:0302 from:10/25/1993 till:02/01/1994 text:"TV" barset:break color:lc0401 from:11/03/1994 till:03/02/1996 text:"LC 575" barset:break]]" $skip color:ppc603e from:08/28/1995 till:04/13/1996 text:"Power Macintosh 5300 LC" barset:three shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s color:0302 from:09/14/1992 till:10/18/1993 text:"Performa 200" color:0302 from:09/14/1992 till:10/18/1993 text:"Performa 400" color:0302 from:09/14/1992 till:10/18/1993 text:"Performa 600" $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip color:0302 from:04/01/1993 till:03/01/1994 text:"Performa 250" color:0302 from:04/12/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 405" color:0301 from:04/12/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 430" color:0302 from:04/12/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 450" color:0302 from:06/28/1993 till:02/02/1994 text:"Performa 520" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 410" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 460" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 466" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 467" $skip $skip color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6110" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6112" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6115" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6117" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6118" barset:break color:0301 from:10/01/1993 till:11/01/1995 text:"Performa 275" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 550" color:0301 from:01/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 560" color:lc0401 from:10/18/1993 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 475" color:lc0401 from:10/18/1993 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 476" color:lc0401 from:02/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 575" color:lc0401 from:02/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 577" color:lc0401 from:02/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 578" color:lc0401 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 630" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 631" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 635" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 636" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 637" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 638" color:lc0402 from:04/01/1995 till:05/01/1996 text:"Performa 588CD" color:lc0402 from:05/01/1995 till:02/01/1996 text:"Performa 580CD" color:lc0401 from:05/14/1995 till:02/01/1996 text:"Performa 640CD" color:ppc603 from:05/01/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5200" color:ppc603 from:05/01/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5210" color:ppc603 from:07/14/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5215" color:ppc603 from:07/14/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5220" color:ppc601 from:07/17/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6116" color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6200" color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6216" color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6218" barset:break $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip color:ppc603e from:10/01/1995 till:05/01/1996 text:"Performa 5300" color:ppc603e from:11/01/1995 till:08/01/1996 text:"Performa 5320" color:ppc603e from:01/27/1996 till:08/01/1996 text:"Performa 6290" color:ppc603e from:01/27/1996 till:10/01/1996 text:"Performa 6300" color:ppc603e from:01/27/1996 till:10/01/1996 text:"Performa 6310" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:09/01/1996 text:"Performa 6320" barset:break color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5260" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5270" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5410" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:03/01/1997 text:"Performa 5420" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5400" color:ppc603e from:06/19/1996 till:12/01/1996 text:"Performa 6260" color:ppc603e from:08/01/1996 till:12/01/1997 text:"Performa 5400/160" color:ppc603e from:08/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 text:"Performa 5400/180 (DE)" color:ppc603e from:08/07/1996 till:08/01/1997 text:"Performa 6400/180" color:ppc603e from:08/07/1996 till:08/01/1997 text:"Performa 6400/200 (VEE)" color:ppc603e from:10/01/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5260/120" color:ppc603e from:10/17/1996 till:10/01/1997 text:"Performa 6360/160" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:06/01/1997 text:"Performa 5280" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:12/01/1997 text:"Performa 5430" shift:(25,-5) color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:09/01/1997 text:"Performa 5440" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:10/01/1997 text:"Performa 6410/180" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:08/01/1997 text:"Performa 6420/200" barset:four shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s color:0401 from:10/21/1991 till:03/15/1993 text:"Quadra 700" color:0401 from:10/21/1991 till:05/18/1992 text:"Quadra 900" color:0402 from:07/18/1994 till:10/05/1995 text:"Quadra 630" barset:break $skip color:0402 from:05/18/1992 till:10/14/1995 text:"Quadra 950" color:lc0402 from:02/10/1993 till:10/21/1993 text:"Centris 610" color:0401 from:02/10/1993 till:10/21/1993 text:"Centris 650" color:0401 from:02/10/1993 till:03/14/1994 text:"Quadra 800" color:0402 from:07/29/1993 till:10/21/1993 text:"Centris / Quadra 660AV" barset:break color:lc0401 from:10/21/1993 till:10/17/1994 text:"Quadra 605" $skip color:0401 from:10/21/1993 till:07/18/1994 text:"Quadra 610" color:0401 from:10/21/1993 till:09/12/1994 text:"Quadra 650" $skip color:0401 from:10/21/1993 till:09/12/1994 # Quadra 660AV color:0401 from:07/29/1993 till:07/18/1994 text:"Quadra 840AV" barset:break color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6220" $skip $skip color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6230" color:ppc603 from:08/28/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 6205" color:ppc603 from:08/28/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 6210" color:ppc603 from:08/28/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 6214" </timeline> |
References
- ^ 1.0 1.1 Pogue, David; Schorr, Joseph (1999). MacWorld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition. IDG Books. ISBN 0-7645-4040-8.
- ^ 2.0 2.1 Webster, Bruce (December 1991). "Macintosh Quadras - Power But No Pizzazz". MacWorld. Vol. 8, no. 12. pp. 140–147.
- ^ Wilkinson, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Working from home at 25MHz: You could do worse than a Quadra 700 (even in 2020)". Ars Technica.
- ^ Gruman, Galen (April 1993). "Centris 610 & 650 - Two new midrange performers replace the venerable Mac II line". Macworld. Vol. 10, no. 4. pp. 106–113.
- ^ "Overclocking the Mac Quadra Series - Quadra 700". Low End Mac. September 16, 2014.
- ^ Poole, Lon (July 1992). "Quadra 950 - Apple accelerates the Quadra 900 and gives it a new name". Macworld. Vol. 9, no. 7. pp. 144–153.
- ^ Adams, Dale. "Dale Adams on Quadra 700 & 900 On-board Video Capabilities".
- ^ Wilkinson, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Working from home at 25MHz: You could do worse than a Quadra 700 (even in 2020)". Ars Technica.
- ^ Wilkinson, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Working from home at 25MHz: You could do worse than a Quadra 700 (even in 2020)". Ars Technica.
External links

- Short description with empty Wikidata description
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- Macintosh Quadra
- 68k Macintosh computers
- Macintosh towers
- A/UX-capable Macintoshes
- Computer-related introductions in 1991
- Products and services discontinued in 1993