Power Macintosh 6400

The Power Macintosh 6400 (also sold under variations of the name Performa 6400) is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from August 1996 to August 1997. It is the only Macintosh mini-tower system to be branded as a Performa, and alongside the Performa 6360 was the last new Performa-branded model introduced by Apple.

Power Macintosh 6400 / Performa 6400
A Macintosh Performa 6400/200.
Also known as"InstaTower"[1]
DeveloperApple Computer
Product familyPower Macintosh, Performa
Release dateAugust 7, 1996
Introductory priceUS$2,400 (equivalent to $4,478 in 2022)
DiscontinuedAugust 1, 1997
Operating systemSystem 7.5.3 - Mac OS 9.1
With PowerPC G3 upgrade, Mac OS 9.2.2
CPUPowerPC 603ev @ 180 or 200 MHz
Memory16 MB, expandable to 136 MB (70 ns 168-pin DIMM)
DimensionsHeight: 16 inches (41 cm)
Width: 7.8 inches (20 cm)
Depth: 16.9 inches (43 cm)
Mass44.5 pounds (20.2 kg)
SuccessorPower Macintosh 6500

The 6400 and its Performa variants were discontinued in favor of the uniformly-named Power Macintosh 6500 in August 1997.

Hardware

Logic board: The logic board, code-named "Alchemy", is shared with the Power Macintosh 5400 all-in-one and Performa 6360 desktop models. Alchemy is generally believed to be superior to its 5200/6200 predecessors since it had a 64-bit data path to main memory.[2]

CPU: All 6400 models use a PowerPC 603ev processor that is soldered to the computer's logic board and cooled by a fanless heat-sink. Though initially considered non-upgradable, CPU upgrades did come to market that overrode the fixed CPU by use of the Level 2 cache slot.[3]

Sound: The new "InstaTower" case features an integrated subwoofer speaker and supports SRS surround-sound. A knob on the back of the case controls the bass level of the subwoofer; this knob only works if external speakers are connected, otherwise the internal speaker provides full sound range. There are two audio output jacks, one on the front and one on the back. Headphones plugged into the front jack will disable the internal speaker and rear jack.[4]

Expansion: There are two PCI expansion slots as well as a dedicated communications slot that supports AAUI, Ethernet and fast modem cards. The communication slot is not compatible with similar slots on other Macintosh computers. NuBus cards are not supported.

Operating system: The Performa 6400/180 and 6400/200 were shipped with System 7.5.3 Revision 2.1; this particular release was specific to these machines as there were stability problems with System 7.5.3 Release 2 on the new hardware, especially with the video card and transferring files over LocalTalk.[5]

Models

All Performa models shipped with SurfWatch, a product from Spyglass, Inc. that provides adult content filtering capability;[6] content-control software was a significant issue at the time due to the recent passage of the Communications Decency Act in the United States.

Introduced August 5, 1996:

  • Performa 6400/180: North American consumer model, 180 MHz CPU.[7]
  • Performa 6400/200: North American consumer model, 200 MHz CPU.[8]
  • Performa 6400/200 Video Editing Edition: The Performa 6400/200 with an Avid Cinema video I/O card and video editing software, and 32 MB RAM[1]

Introduced October 1, 1996:

  • Power Macintosh 6400/200: Sold in the North American and British education markets.[9] $2,200 USD.[10]

Introduced November 12, 1996:

  • Performa 6410: Identical to the Performa 6400/180,[11] sold in Europe and Asia.[12]
  • Performa 6420: Identical to the Performa 6400/200,[13] sold in Europe and Asia.[14]

Timelines
Timeline of Power Macintosh, Pro, and Studio models
Mac ProMac StudioMac ProMac StudioMac ProMac ProMac ProPower Mac G5Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G4 CubePower Mac G4Power Macintosh 9600Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 8600Power Macintosh 9500Power Macintosh 8500Power Macintosh 8100Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 7600Power Macintosh 7300Power Macintosh 4400Power Macintosh 7500Power Macintosh 7200Power Macintosh 7100Power Macintosh 6500Power Macintosh 6400Power Macintosh 6200Power Macintosh 6100Power Macintosh G3Twentieth Anniversary MacintoshPower Macintosh 5500Power Macintosh 5400Power Macintosh 5260Power Macintosh 5200 LC
See also: List of Mac models
Timeline of Macintosh Centris, LC, Performa, and Quadra models, colored by CPU type
Macintosh Quadra 840AVMacintosh Quadra 650Macintosh Quadra 610Macintosh Quadra 605Macintosh Quadra 660AVMacintosh Quadra 800Macintosh Centris 650Macintosh Centris 610Macintosh Quadra 950Macintosh Quadra 630Macintosh Quadra 900Macintosh Quadra 700Macintosh Performa 6420Macintosh Performa 6410Macintosh Performa 5440Macintosh Performa 5430Macintosh Performa 5280Macintosh Performa 6360Macintosh Performa 5260Macintosh Performa 6400Macintosh Performa 6400Macintosh Performa 5400Macintosh Performa 5400Macintosh Performa 6260Macintosh Performa 5400Macintosh Performa 5420Macintosh Performa 5410Macintosh Performa 5270Macintosh Performa 5260Macintosh Performa 6310Macintosh Performa 6300Macintosh Performa 6290Macintosh Performa 6200Macintosh Performa 6116Macintosh Performa 5215Macintosh Performa 5210Macintosh Performa 640CDMacintosh Performa 580CDMacintosh Performa 588CDMacintosh Performa 636Macintosh Performa 635Macintosh Performa 630Macintosh Performa 578Macintosh Performa 577Macintosh Performa 575Macintosh Performa 476Macintosh Performa 475Macintosh Performa 560Macintosh Performa 550Macintosh Performa 275Macintosh Performa 6117Macintosh Performa 467Macintosh Performa 466Macintosh Performa 460Macintosh Performa 410Macintosh Performa 520Macintosh Performa 450Macintosh Performa 430Macintosh Performa 405Macintosh Performa 250Macintosh Performa 600Macintosh Performa 400Macintosh Performa 200Power Macintosh 5300 LCMacintosh LC 575Macintosh TVMacintosh LC IIIMacintosh LC 550Macintosh LC 580Macintosh LC 520Macintosh LC 630Macintosh LC 475Power Macintosh 5200 LCMacintosh LC IIIMacintosh LC IIMacintosh LC

See also: List of Mac models

References
  1. Pogue, David; Schorr, Joseph (1999). "Chapter 13: The PowerPC Macs, Model by Model". MacWorld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition. IDG Books. pp. 515–516. ISBN 0-7645-4040-8.
  2. https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/computing/apple_hardware_devnotes/PowerMac%205400.pdf Archived November 8, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "The 6400 Zone - L2 G3 Specs Comparison". Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  4. "Performa/Power Macintosh 6400 and 6500 Series - Apple Service Source" (PDF). Apple. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  5. Pogue, David (January 1997). MacWorld Macintosh Secrets 4th edition - Chapter 6: The System Software Museum (PDF). p. 235. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  6. "Pipe-line: Announced". InfoWorld Magazine. August 12, 1996.
  7. "Macintosh Performa 6400/180:Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  8. "Macintosh Performa 6400/200:Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  9. "Power Macintosh 6400/200: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  10. "Apple Power Macintosh 6400/200 Specs". EveryMac. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  11. "Macintosh Performa 6410:Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  12. "Apple Macintosh Performa 6410/180 Specs". Apple. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  13. "Macintosh Performa 6420:Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  14. "Apple Macintosh Performa 6420/200 Specs". Apple. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
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