--- title: Apple MACINTOSH SE 30 categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1989' cpus: - Motorola MC 68030 params: name: MACINTOSH SE 30 image: /media/museum/photos/apple_mac_se30.jpg company: /companies/apple company_name: Apple specs: - label: NAME value: MACINTOSH SE 30 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Apple - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: January 1989 - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: 21th october 1990 - label: CPU value: Motorola MC 68030 - label: SPEED value: 15.77 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: 'FPU: 16 MHz 68882' - label: RAM value: 1 / 4 MB (up to 128 MB) + 256 bytes of PRAM - label: VRAM value: 64 KB - label: ROM value: 256 KB - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 512 x 342 - label: COLORS value: monochrome (9'' black & white display) - label: SOUND value: four stereo channels - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 13.6'' x 9.6'' x 10.9'' / 19.5 lb - label: I/O PORTS value: two serial RS232/422 ports; two ADB ports (keyboard, mouse), Stereo, Floppy disk connector, SCSI, 68030 Processor Direct Slot (to connect graphic cards, or network card) - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: One double sided 3.5'' disk drive (1,4 MB) - label: OS value: MAC OS 6.0.3 or later versions - label: POWER SUPPLY value: 'internal batteries: 3.6V lithium' - label: PRICE value: $4400 (USA, 1989) tabs: - emulators - links emulators: - title: Executor url: http://www.ardi.com/ platform: Windows text: Demonstration version of a commercial software (MS DOS & Win95) - title: Gemulator url: http://www.emulators.com/ platform: Windows text: A commercial Software which emulates the Atari ST/TT and the Mac 128/Plus/2 (Win95 / Win NT) - title: LisaEm url: http://lisa.sunder.net/ platform: Windows text: Same as Apple lisa emulator for unix but ported to windows - title: PearPC url: http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/ platform: Windows text: PearPC is an architecture-independent PowerPC platform emulator capable of running most PowerPC operating systems. - title: SoftMac url: http://www.emulators.com/ platform: Windows text: good 68K Emulator For Windows - title: Executor url: http://www.ardi.com/ platform: Unix / Linux text: Demo version of a commercial software (Linux / NextStep) - title: vMac - The Virtual Macintosh Emulator Project url: http://www.leb.net/vmac/ platform: Other platform text: '' - title: Basilisk II url: http://basilisk.cebix.net/ platform: Multiplatform text: Basilisk II is an Open Source 68k Macintosh emulator. Good emulator, runs on several platforms, even Amiga - title: Mini vMac url: http://minivmac.sourceforge.net/ platform: Multiplatform text: Mini vMac, a spin off of the program vMac, emulates a Macintosh Plus and Macintosh SE. So far it works on Macintosh OS, Microsoft Windows, and the X Window System. links: - title: Apple History url: http://www.apple-history.com/ text: History of Apple computers with detail information about all of the computers to come out of Apple. - title: Applefritter url: http://www.applefritter.com text: Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc... A must see ! - title: CMQ - Groupes d'usagers Apple url: http://www.cmq.qc.ca/Groupes.html text: (french) - title: CMQ - Groupes d'usagers Apple url: http://www.cmq.qc.ca/cmq.html text: (french) - title: Homepage of Gamba url: http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/index.html text: A lot of interesting Mac links, for example "How To Transfer Files From PC to MAC " - title: Jag's House url: http://www.jagshouse.com/ text: Lot of info on all non PowerMac models - title: Low End Mac url: http://www.lowendmac.com/compact/se30.shtml text: Excellent Mac SE/30 page - title: Low End Mac url: http://www.lowendmac.com text: Great site with a full catalog of ALL old macintoshes. - title: Mac Forums at MacForumz.com url: http://www.MacForumz.com text: Mac forums, a resource on the latest and greatest, as well as vintage, Macintosh hardware, software, and internet. Free registration. - title: MacDebate url: http://www.macdebate.com text: Macintosh discussion forum - title: The Vintage Mac Museum url: http://www.d4.dion.ne.jp/~motohiko/ text: Nice dedicated website with tons of screenshots ! - title: Titlemax - Apple products url: https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/lifestyle/every-product-apple-has-made-so-far/ text: Nice graphic of every product Apple Has Made So Far (thanks Lily) - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: Discussion of Macintosh software system comments: - author: Joshua Carle (United States) date: Monday 6th June 2022 text: I have one with all working components as well as extra ram chips plus Mac bag to go with it all that I would sell to someone - author: Allison Divette date: Sunday 18th November 2012 text: I had an SE 30 growing up and it crashed. It did the arpeggio sound the doo doo doo doo - author: Scot K (NYC - USA) date: Friday 7th October 2011 text: I''d be interested in one of SE 30''s. that was my first PC $ when i upgraded many years ago, i didn''t have the foresight to hold onto it for nosatgia, plus, it would make a great prop for a project i am working on. skeating622@hotmail.com - author: SpringheelMac (Holloman AFB, NM USA) date: Friday 26th August 2011 text: |- Joe- If you are serious I would gladly take one or all of them off your hands. Would you like to arrange this? - author: Joe (Camarillo, CA USA) date: Wednesday 17th August 2011 text: I have a few of the APPLE SE 30 laying around. does anyone want them. FREE come get them. - author: Jamie date: Wednesday 24th November 2010 text: You can also replace the ROM SIMM with an IIfx/IIsi one. This enables 32-bit computing and 128MB of RAM - author: STu date: Friday 1st October 2010 text: Got one freshman year in 89 along with an ImageWriterII printer and still have the thing. Went through engineering school (the thing ran Mathmatica!!!) first and later loaded up SoftPC and wrote programs on it for the computer science degree. After that it got moved to the office at the internet startup (95) so we had at least one Mac to figure out how to get them online. If I had the room it would be running now with the old Pyro!!! screen saver instead of boxed away :-( - author: Jan (The Netherlands) date: Saturday 20th October 2007 text: |- Yes, a great little Mac!\ I have one with 8Mb, system 7.5.3 and a network card.\ It is the oldest computer in my network, but it can run a webbrowser and an e-mail cient! - author: Raps sucks (West Covina) date: Friday 9th March 2007 text: |- i used these at my school in the 1990"s these were great, stoled one of the new units and i have the SE right next to me .\ This to me is a bussiness computer - author: '? (?)' date: Thursday 23rd November 2006 text: |- My school had these...\ Great Machines! - author: Cary Groneveldt (New York City) date: Saturday 15th April 2006 text: |- I am the absolutely proud owner of an APPLE "Macintosh SE/30" computer & it's the best boxmac APPLE Computer makes! Later!\ 8^ \] - author: Nate Arnold (USA) date: Tuesday 18th October 2005 text: 'This was certainly a classic. The upgrading was a pain. To upgrade the RAM on this macine you needed the following tools: A Sadering Gun (Its Ram didn''t come in sticks at the time), a screwdriver, and a Parybar and Rubber Mallet (To help crack the case open). I still remeber the smell of saudered silicon (it lingers in the computer room) My father had to. I recently aquired one and am still trying to get it open to get the hard drive reconnected and working.' - author: Aran Carrigan (USA) date: Friday 4th March 2005 text: People might think a kid would take these seriously, but I did! I fiddled around with it and upgraded it from the OS 7.0.1 to 7.5 and it still works like new! (I had to do something to it. It used to belong to my school.) I'd say it's best computer I own. - author: mark (Cincinnati) date: Tuesday 5th March 2002 text: |- this is one of the best computers ever made. my old boss at a college computer department bought one years ago from a woman who had been using it to run a design and publishing company; when he took it away, she cried. we used SE/30s as network testers because they are so portable and reliable. they are great for writers because you can tote them around all over and type wherever you please: on the porch, in your hotel, etc. I own two SE/30s. related: - /museum/apple-lisa-lisa-2-mac-xl - /museum/apple-macintosh - /museum/apple-macintosh-color-classic - /museum/apple-macintosh-ii - /museum/apple-macintosh-plus - /museum/apple-macintosh-portable - /museum/apple-macintosh-se oc_id: 162 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608221539/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=162 date: '2023-06-08' --- The Macintosh SE/30 was the successor to the [Apple Macintosh SE](/museum/apple-macintosh-se/) and the [Macintosh Plus](/museum/apple-macintosh-plus/). It ran under Mac OS 6.0.3 or A/UX (Apple’s Unix variant). Apple had been naming all computers using the 68030 processers with an "x", such as the IIx and IIcx. When it came time to put the 68030 processor into the SE series, they prudently decided that calling it the Macintosh "SEx" wasn't the best marketing idea, so they settled on "SE 30". Except for the 68030, one of its main differences with the old Mac SE was its separate video RAM (64 KB which could be accessed without slowing down CPU access to the RAM). Its sound system was a limited version of the Apple II GS sound system. Although the SE-30 had a gray-scale monitor, the onboard video actually supported color. The cost of incorporating a 9" color CRT would have made the machine far too pricey, resulting in the the grayscale CRT. However, the idea of a color CRT would be taken up again with the [Colour Classic](/museum/apple-macintosh-color-classic/).\ The SE-30 also had an expansion slot that could support a variety of 3rd party cards, an example being a combination 10BaseT Ethernet / color video out card. --- Some information provided by **Andrew Granger**:\ The SE/30 could address up to 128MB of RAM, the SE/30 was essentially a Mac IIx/Mac IIcx crammed into a Mac 128/512/Plus/SE-sized case. The one caveat to this maximum RAM configuration is that the ROMs were not "32-bit clean." The ROM implementation was only 24 bits wide, with the result that if you installed any more than 8MB into the SE/30, you wouldn't see any more than 8MB available, but the System Software listing in the "About this Macintosh..." menu item would be \*huge\* (this same situation happened on the Mac IIx and IIcx also). In order to address more than 8MB of RAM, you needed to either install Connectix's Mode32 extension, or (later) Apple's 32-bit Enabler extension. These extensions patched the ROM code to make the machine 32-bit clean, thus allowing you to have as much RAM as your heart desired, up to 128MB. Video extension by **Luca Rescigno**:\ SE/30s have been hacked to an even greater extent. There are many different things people have done, but one popular (if rare, and dangerous!) upgrade is to find a Micron XCeed graphics chip. This chip fits into the neck of the CRT, which is a dangerous place to work because of all the built up charge. When installed, it will allow the monochrome 512x384 display to use **256 grays at 640x480!** In addition to the 128 MB RAM upgrades some crazy souls have added, others have found out how to install systems beyond 7.5.5 onto 68030 machines. I think the software is called BornAgain, and it lets you run 7.6, 8.0 and 8.1 on old 68030s, although I don't think 68030s can use the HFS+ filesystem introduced with 8.1.