Apple Macintosh Performa 630

Facts

  • Type: Personal computer
  • Manufacturer: Apple Computer Inc.
  • Computer family: Macintosh Performa
  • Released: July, 1994
  • Price: 1500-2250 USD
  • OS: System 7.1.2P
  • CPU: Motorola 68LC040 @ 33 MHz
  • Memory: 4 MB (expandable to 36 MB or 52 MB in some versions)
  • ROM: 1 MB
  • Video:  1 MB VRAM, single display
  • Graphics: 512 x 384, 640 x 480: 16-bit, 800 x 600, 832 x 624: 8-bit
  • Storage: 250 MB (IDE), (2x CDROM SCSI – Performa 630CD)
  • Dimensions: 4.3″ x 12.6″ x 16.5″
  • Weight: 8.6 Kg
  • Predecessor: Performa 600
  • Successor: Performa 6360

Released 1994: The Macintosh Performa 630 was a consumer version of the Macintosh Quadra 630. It was part of Apple Computer’s Performa series of Macintosh computers. It was introduced on July 1, 1994, succeeding the Performa 600, and was discontinued on July 1, 1995. Other variants were discontinued in February 1996.

Macintosh Performa
The Macintosh Performa is a family of personal computers designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1992 to 1997. The Performa brand re-used models from Apple’s Quadra, Centris, LC, and Power Macintosh families with model numbers that denoted included software packages or hard drive sizes. Whereas non-Performa Macintosh computers were sold by Apple Authorized Resellers, the Performa was sold through big-box stores and mass-market retailers such as Good Guys, Circuit City, and Sears.

The initial series of models consisted of the Macintosh Classic II-based Performa 200, the LC II-based Performa 400, and the IIvi-based Performa 600.

After releasing a total of sixty-four different models, Apple retired the Performa brand in early 1997, shortly after release of the Power Macintosh 5500, 6500, 8600 and 9600. The end of the Performa brand at Apple coincided with both a period of significant financial turmoil due in part to low sales of Performa machines, and the return of Steve Jobs to the company

My Macintosh Performa 630 and repairs

A friend and collector, Per Stian Kjendal had this one for spare and gave it to me for free. I connected it to my modern LCD monitor using my home made Mac – VGA adaptor. The machine needed to be connected to the wall outlet for a while before it would fire up. After some minutes it would turn on and I got a display. At first, the hard disk would not boot. I removed the hard disk and gave it a knock with a screw driver head to loosen a stuck read head. After this, the machine booted up fine in MacOS 8.1 (last version of MacOS to not require a Power Mac).

CF-card hard disk: Replaced the hard disk with a CF-adapter and a 4 GB CF-card. I used an external SCSI hard disk to backup the hard disk content and then copy to the CF card.

Recap: Replaced the electrolytic  capacitors and the AC filter capacitor inside the power supply and the capacitors on the mainboard. After this, the machine booted right up without any issues or need to be connected for a while before it would boot. Great!

Performa 630 - PSU logic board
Performa 630 – PSU logic board

Overclock CPU: I did a mod by moving the position of two SMD resistors on the mainboard to overclock the CPU to run at 40 MHz instead of 33 MHz. I also attached a heat sink onto the CPU and onto the video chip. It worked out great, the machine is about 20% faster now.

Performa 630 - Overclock benchmark
Performa 630 – Overclock benchmark
Macintosh Performa 630

Remi Jakobsen


I'm collecting classic computers and video games, stretching from the 70's into the 90's. Restoration, history, usage ...


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10 thoughts on “Macintosh Performa 630

    1. Thanks for replay. The computer works 100% and boot, there is no reason to zap the pram. The reason I’m going to recap this unit is that the PSU is making noises that indicates worn capacitors and are reported to fail due to this. The mainboard uses SMD caps that are prune to leak after 25 years.

  1. Hi, may I ask where did u buy the CF2scsi adapters for hard drive replacement? I searched eBay there seemed only to have scsi2sd which are quite expensive.

    1. I didn’t! The Performa 630 came with IDE hard drive and SCSI CDROM, one of the first Macintosh to have IDE hard drive. The IDE interface in the Performa is bit special can only handle one unit. SCSI2SD is expensive because SCSI is a DMA driven controller interface while IDE is just an adapter where the actual “controller” is inside the hard drives themselves. Besides, CF card uses the same type interface as IDE.

  2. 1993 to September 1994. The Centris 650 was introduced alongside the smaller Centris 610 as the replacement for the Macintosh IIci, IIvi and Quadra 700 The Macintosh Quadra 660AV originally called the Macintosh Centris 660AV is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer Inc

  3. The monitor switch is broken. Can it be repaired/replaced? The monitor won’t stay on unless constantly depressed. Is there anything that will solve the problem?

    1. I’ve not seen the monitor you got, but typical you need to replace the switch. Split the monitor open, desolder the switch and solder in a new one. Of course, as you probably know, be very careful when you open a CRT monitor, even when turned off there can be some serious voltage.

  4. How did you attach heatsinks to these chips?
    Did you use some kind of glue?
    I want to do the same but I can’t decide what kind of glue I should use.

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