Macintosh Quadra 950

The Macintosh Quadra 950 (also sold with additional software as the Workgroup Server 95) is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from March 1992 to October 1995. It replaced the Quadra 900 that was introduced several months earlier, increasing the CPU clock rate of its 68040 CPU from 25 MHz to 33 MHz, and improving the graphics support.[2] The two computers were otherwise identical, including the price. With a Macintosh Processor Upgrade Card installed, this computer is known as the Power Macintosh 950.

Macintosh Quadra 950 / Workgroup Server 95
A Macintosh Quadra 950
Also known as"Amazon"[1]
DeveloperApple Computer
Product familyMacintosh Quadra, Workgroup Server
Release dateMarch 18, 1992
Introductory priceUS$7,200 (equivalent to $15,010 in 2022)
DiscontinuedOctober 14, 1995
Operating systemSystem 7.0.1-Mac OS 8.1, or with PowerPC upgrade, Mac OS 9.1; A/UX 3.0
CPUMotorola 68040 @ 33 MHz
Memory4 MB, expandable to 256 MB (80 ns 30-pin SIMM)
DimensionsHeight: 18.6 in (47.25 cm)
Width: 8.9 in (22.6 cm)
Depth: 20.6 in (52.32 cm)
Mass36.8 pounds (16.7 kg)
PredecessorMacintosh Quadra 900
SuccessorPower Macintosh 9500
Workgroup Server 9150

In 1993, the 950 was overtaken in performance by the less expensive Quadra 800 and 840AV. The newer Quadras had the addition of interleaved RAM, as well as an enhanced video system and SCSI bus. However, their more compact (mini-tower) case offered less expansion capability, so the 950 (due to its mid-tower case allowing 6 slots to be supported) was kept in continued production for the server market, outliving the 800 and 840AV. Also, the Quadra 800 was not capable of operating at 24-bit color, regardless of how much VRAM is installed or whether an external video card is used, while the Quadra 900 and 950 were capable of 24-bit color.[3]

The Quadra 950 was replaced by the PowerPC-based Power Macintosh 9500 in May 1995, with sales continuing until October.[4] It was the last Macintosh Quadra sold by Apple, and one of the last 68k models to be discontinued, due to its high RAM capacity and large number of NuBus slots. The Workgroup Server 95 was succeeded by the Workgroup Server 9150.

Hardware
Rear view of a Quadra 950.

The logic board has five NuBus slots and a Processor Direct Slot, but due to the positioning of the PDS it is not possible to use one of the NuBus slots when a PDS card is installed.[2] The NuBus-90 standard is partially supported, allowing for cards to run at 20 MHz, and two of the slots provide 25 watts of power instead of the usual 15 watts.

The logic board has 1 MB of on-board video RAM, with 4 SIMM slots that allow for upgrading to 2 MB.[1]

The 950 includes a key to limit access to various subsystems depending on the computer's use environment. The key switch has three positions labelled OFF, ON and SECURE. The OFF position immediately cuts the power and prevented the computer from being powered on. The ON position allows the computer to operate normally. The SECURE position was intended for use as a server – power was always applied in this position. If the computer lost power, it immediately starts up when power was restored. Also, this position disables the keyboard, mouse and floppy disk drive.[5]

The Workgroup Server 95 models include the "Workgroup Server PDS Card", which provides three capabilities: Two SCSI controllers with two internal SCSI connectors (plus one external connector); a DMS SCSI control chip that reduces I/O load on the main CPU; and 128 KB of SRAM which is used as an L2 cache. There are three additional slots that provide the ability further expand the L2 cache to 512 KB.[6]

Models

The Quadra 950 was announced on March 18, with dealers receiving machines around May 18.

Introduced May 18, 1992:

  • Macintosh Quadra 950: 33 MHz 68040 CPU.[7] $7,200 for a floppy drive only model, $8,499 with a 230 MB HDD, and $9,199 with a 400 MB HDD.[2] 8 MB of memory was standard everywhere except for some European countries, where the standard included memory was 4 MB.

Introduced March 22, 1993:

  • Workgroup Server 95: Sold in several configurations, all of which include a 33 MHz 68040 CPU and a PDS card containing a fast SCSI connection.[8] In the United States, the configurations were split into "File and Print", and "Database" configurations:
    • File/Print: 16 MB RAM, 230 MB HDD, 128 KB L2 cache. $7,589.[9]
    • File/Print: 16 MB RAM, 500 MB HDD, DDS-DC digital tape drive, 256 KB L2 cache. $10,039.[9]
    • File/Print: 32 MB RAM, 1000 MB HDD, DDS-DC digital tape drive, AppleShare Pro, 512 KB L2 cache. $12,839.[9]
    • Database: 32 MB RAM, 230 MB and 500 MB HDDs, DDS-DC digital tape drive, 256 KB L2 cache. $11,319.[9]
    • Database: 48 MB RAM, 230 MB and 1000 MB HDDs, DDS-DC digital tape drive, 512 KB L2 cache. $12,929.[9]

Specifications
  • Processor: 33 MHz Motorola 68040
  • Processor Cache: 8 KB Level 1
  • Bus Speed: 33 MHz
  • Hard Drive: 230 MB - 1 GB
  • Media drives: 1.44 MB floppy drive, optional DDS-DC drive (Workgroup Server 95)
  • Software: Mac OS 7.1 - 8.1
  • Logicboard RAM: None
  • Maximum RAM: 256 MB
  • Type of RAM: 30-pin SIMM (16 slots)
  • Minimum RAM Speed: 80 ns
  • Interleaving Support: No
  • Graphics: Integrated
  • Display Connection: DB-15
  • Graphics Memory: 1 MB standard, upgradable to 2 MB via 4 VRAM slots
  • Expansion Slots: 5 - NuBus, 1 - PDS
  • Hard Drive Bus: SCSI
  • Backup Battery: 3.6 V Lithium
  • Max Watts: 303 W
  • Ports: AAUI-15 Ethernet, 1 ADB, DB-25 SCSI, 2 Serial, 3.5-mm mono input jack, 3.5-mm stereo output jack

Notable uses

AnimEigo upgraded their subtitling hardware to this model during the mid-'90s.

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
Timeline of Macintosh servers
Mac transition to Apple siliconCascade Lake (microprocessor)Ivy Bridge (microarchitecture)Nehalem (microarchitecture)Harpertown (microprocessor)Apple Intel transitionPowerPC 970PowerPC G4PowerPC 7xxPowerPC 600Motorola 68040Apple Workgroup Server 9650Apple Workgroup Server 7350Apple Workgroup Server 8550Apple Workgroup Server 7250Apple Workgroup Server 9150Apple Workgroup Server 8150Apple Workgroup Server 6150Intel XserveXserve G5 Cluster NodeXserve G5XserveXserveXserveApple Network Server 700Apple Network Server 700Apple Network Server 500Apple Workgroup Server 60Apple Workgroup Server 95Apple Workgroup Server 80
See also: List of Mac models

References
  1. Pogue & Schorr 1999, pp. 484–485
  2. 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.
  3. Pogue, David; Schorr, Joseph (1999). "Chapter 12: From 128K to Quadra: Mac to Mac". MacWorld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition. IDG Books. pp. 482–483. ISBN 0-7645-4040-8.
  4. Heid, Jim (October 1995). "Power Mac - The Next Generation". Macworld. Vol. 12, no. 10. p. 97.
  5. "Quadra 900, 950, AWS 95, WS 9150: Security Keyswitch".
  6. Doughtery, Elizabeth (May 1993). "Apple Finally Steps into Server Market, Introduces Speedier AppleShare". Macworld. Vol. 10, no. 5. pp. 64–66.
  7. "Macintosh Quadra 950: Technical Specifications". Apple.
  8. "Workgroup Server 95: Technical Specifications". Apple.
  9. "Apple Announces New Family of Powerful Servers for Macintosh Workgroups". Apple. March 22, 1993.
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