Apple Macintosh IIcx
I have the main unit, AppleColor High-Resolution RGB Monitor, Apple
Extended Keyboard II and Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II.
type computer
country USA
year 1989
os Mac os 6.0.5-7.5.5
cpu Motorola mc 68030
speed 16 MHz
ram 8 MB
rom 256 KB
hd 40-60 MB
graphic 512 x 342 + many
colors 16 or 256 (16,7 millions)
sound
ports ADB (2), Floppy DB-19, SCSI DB-25, printer, modem, speaker
The Apple Macintosh IIcx — The Compact Professional Mac
Released in March 1989, the Macintosh IIcx was a smaller, more affordable version of the Macintosh IIx that brought the power of a NuBus-expandable Mac into a more compact chassis. With three NuBus expansion slots (versus six in the IIx), a 16 MHz Motorola 68030 processor, and a more energy-efficient design, the IIcx targeted professional users who needed expandability but not the full footprint of the larger Mac II family. It was one of the most popular professional Macs of its era and proved particularly successful in corporate and scientific environments.
The 68030 and FPU
The Motorola 68030 processor in the IIcx included an integrated memory management unit (MMU) enabling virtual memory support under System 7, and could work with an optional 68882 floating-point unit (FPU) coprocessor for scientific and engineering applications requiring intensive mathematical calculations. This made the IIcx a viable workstation for researchers, engineers, and scientists who needed Mac OS compatibility alongside serious computational power. The 68030’s built-in caches also delivered noticeably better real-world performance than the 68020 of the original Mac II.
Design and Practicality
The IIcx’s smaller footprint compared to the Mac II and IIx made it more practical for desk use without sacrificing the NuBus expandability that professional users required. The machine could be used in either a horizontal desktop or vertical tower orientation — a practical flexibility that the larger Mac II could not offer. Three NuBus slots were sufficient for most professional configurations: typically a graphics card, an Ethernet card, and one specialist card for the user’s particular field.
Legacy
The IIcx was succeeded by the virtually identical IIci in 1989, which added a faster 25 MHz 68030 and built-in colour video circuitry. Together the IIcx and IIci defined the compact professional Mac form factor that dominated Apple’s mid-range desktop line through the early 1990s.