Power Macintosh 5200 LC

The Power Macintosh 5200 LC and Power Macintosh 5300 LC are a line of personal computers that were a part of Apple Computer's Power Macintosh, LC, and Performa families of Macintosh computers. It was mainly sold in the North American education market. When it was sold to the consumer market, they were marketed as the Performa 5200 and Performa 5300.

Power Macintosh 5200 LC / 5300 LC
A Macintosh Performa 5200
DeveloperApple Computer, Inc.
Product familyPower Macintosh, Performa, LC
TypeAll-in-one
Release dateApril 3, 1995 (1995-04-03)
Introductory priceUS$1,699 (equivalent to $3,400 in 2023)
DiscontinuedMarch 1, 1997 (1997-03-01)
Operating systemSystem 7.5.1 - Mac OS 9.1 (except 7.5.2)
CPU5200 LC: PowerPC 603, 75 MHz
5300 LC: PowerPC 603e, 100 and 120 MHz
DimensionsHeight: 17.5 inches (440 mm)
Width: 16 inches (410 mm)
Depth: 15.1 inches (380 mm)
Mass17 pounds (7.7 kg)
PredecessorMacintosh LC 550
Macintosh LC 575
Macintosh Color Classic II
SuccessorPower Macintosh 5260
Power Macintosh 5400

The Power Macintosh 5200 LC was introduced in April 1995 with a PowerPC 603 CPU at 75 MHz as a PowerPC-based replacement of the Macintosh LC 500 series. Later models switched to the PowerPC 603e CPU and used model numbers above 5300, but kept the same motherboard design. Unlike previous education models, which prepended the model number with "LC", the 5200 / 5300 models use the Power Macintosh designation of Apple's main workstation line of the time, with "LC" appended to the end.

The 5200 is closely related to the 6200, which uses the same logic boards in desktop cases without integrated monitors.

In an editorial, MacWorld Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Adrian Mello, wrote of the 5200: "The all-in-one design exhibits a lot of the same spirit that Apple vested in the original Macintosh. A deceptive minimalism belies this machine's utility and value. Apple has again figured out how to package a full-featured computer into the simplest possible shape. [...] Its predecessors, which include the Performa 520, 550, 575 and now 580, all offer good functionality and value, but they lack the 5200's design integrity. In comparison, their efforts to mimic the appearance of a conventional three-piece desktop computer just made them look clumsy."[1]

Production of the 5200 and 5300 models was discontinued in the first half of 1996, with the PowerPC 603e-based Power Macintosh 5260 (with Performa 5260CD and 5270CD variants) and Power Macintosh 5400 (with Performa 5400CD, 5410CD and 5420CD variants) being offered as replacements at different price points. The 5260 retained the overall design of the 5200 and was sold at a similar price point with similar features, but shared no parts other than the stand and lower faceplate.[2][3] The more expensive 5400 was also visually similar but with a significantly different motherboard that offered PCI instead of Processor Direct Slot expansion.

Hardware

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The 5200 LC uses a 75 MHz PowerPC 603 CPU. The 5300 LC replaced the CPU with the newer and faster PowerPC 603e, though the rest of the Quadra 630-derived architecture remained unchanged.

The monitor is a 15" shadow mask CRT with a 12.8" viewable size. Supported resolutions are 640x480 @ 60 Hz, 640x480 @ 66.7 Hz, 800x600 @ 60 Hz, 800x600 @ 72 Hz, and 832x624 @ 75 Hz.[4]

The 5200 LC and 5300 LC contains a Processor Direct Slot for expansion, as well as an L2 cache slot for an optional L2 cache card.

Problems

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By the Spring of 1996, a number of users were having problems with system freezes and color shifts. The problem was not solvable with a software update, so Apple instituted a program titled the "Repair Extension Program for the Apple Power Macintosh and Performa 5200, 5300, 6200, and 6300."[5] While never formally described as a recall — a distinction Apple emphatically reinforced in its repair documentation — users were required to bring affected units to an authorized Apple reseller for a repair. The program remained in effect for seven years.[6]

During its lifespan, Apple updated the 5200 with a "Revision B" design, replacing the power supply, speakers, analog board, EMI shield, front bezel and rear housing with updated parts that are not interchangeable with those of the original model.

The Performa 5200 line was beset with numerous problems. The 5200's usage of the original PowerPC 603 was also subject to some criticism. Low End Mac called the Performa 5200 series one of the worst Macs of all time.[7]

Models

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Introduced April 3, 1995:

  • Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC: Sold only to the education market. Features a 500 MB hard drive.[8] US$1,699.[9]

Introduced May 1, 1995:

  • Macintosh Performa 5200CD: The Power Macintosh 5200 LC with a 790 MB or 1 GB hard drive.[10]
  • Macintosh Performa 5210CD: Identical to the Power Macintosh 5200 LC (with different death chime from Performa 6200 instead of LC one), sold only in Asia and Europe.[11]

Introduced July 17, 1995:

  • Macintosh Performa 5215CD: The Performa 5200CD with a different software bundle.[12]
  • Macintosh Performa 5220CD: The Performa 5215CD with a 500 MB hard drive, sold only in Asia and Europe.[13]

Introduced August 28, 1995:

  • Power Macintosh 5300/100 LC: 16 MB memory standard.[14]

Introduced October 17, 1995:

  • Macintosh Performa 5300CD: Consumer version of the Power Macintosh 5300 LC.[15]
  • Macintosh Performa 5300CD DE: Special "Director's Edition" of the 5300CD with additional software.[16]
  • Macintosh Performa 5320CD: 120 MHz version of the 5300CD, only sold in Europe and Asia.[17]

Timelines

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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 G3#Blue and WhitePower 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
Timeline of Macintosh Centris, LC, Performa, and Quadra models, colored by CPU type
Macintosh Performa 6214Macintosh Performa 6210Macintosh Performa 6205Macintosh Performa 6230Macintosh Performa 6220Macintosh 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 5260Macintosh 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 6320Macintosh Performa 6310Macintosh Performa 6300Macintosh Performa 6290Macintosh Performa 5320Macintosh Performa 5300Macintosh Performa 6218Macintosh Performa 6216Macintosh Performa 6200Macintosh Performa 6116Macintosh Performa 5220Macintosh Performa 5215Macintosh Performa 5210Macintosh Performa 5200Macintosh Performa 640CDMacintosh Performa 580CDMacintosh Performa 588CDMacintosh Performa 638Macintosh Performa 637Macintosh Performa 636Macintosh Performa 635Macintosh Performa 631Macintosh Performa 630Macintosh Performa 578Macintosh Performa 577Macintosh Performa 575Macintosh Performa 476Macintosh Performa 475Macintosh Performa 560Macintosh Performa 550Macintosh Performa 275Macintosh Performa 6118Macintosh Performa 6117Macintosh Performa 6115Macintosh Performa 6112Macintosh Performa 6110Macintosh 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

References

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  1. ^ Mello, Adrian (June 1995). "Heir to the Mac Classic - A new model shows how, at Apple, design is the difference". Macworld. Vol. 12, no. 6. pp. 19–20.
  2. ^ "Power Macintosh/Performa 5200 and 5300 (not 5260, 5280) - Apple Service Source" (PDF). Apple. (see last page)
  3. ^ "Power Macintosh/Performa 5260, 5280 Series - Apple Service Source" (PDF). Apple. (see last page)
  4. ^ "Power Mac and Performa 5200-series built-in display - Technical Specifications". Apple.
  5. ^ Pogue, David (January 1997). "Chapter 13 - The PowerPC Macs: Model by Model". Macworld Mac Secrets (4th ed) (PDF). Hungry Minds. p. 450. ISBN 0764540068. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  6. ^ "Information Alley - 09 May 1996". Apple. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017 – via vintageapplemac.com.
  7. ^ "Performa 5200". Low End Mac. 1995. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC: Technical Specifications". Apple.
  9. ^ Moran, Tom (June 1995). "The Sleekest Desktop Mac Yet". Macworld. Vol. 12, no. 6. pp. 34–35, 38.
  10. ^ "Macintosh Performa 5200CD:Technical Specifications". Apple.
  11. ^ "Macintosh Performa 5210CD:Technical Specifications". Apple.
  12. ^ "Macintosh Performa 5215CD:Technical Specifications". Apple.
  13. ^ "Macintosh Performa 5220CD:Technical Specifications". Apple.
  14. ^ "Power Macintosh 5300/100 LC: Technical Specifications". Apple.
  15. ^ "Macintosh Performa 5300CD:Technical Specifications". Apple.
  16. ^ Apple Macintosh Performa 5300 "Director's Edition" (1995) Full Tour and Disassembly. Jason's Macintosh Museum – via YouTube.
  17. ^ "Macintosh Performa 5320CD:Technical Specifications". Apple.
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