Macintosh IIcx
The Macintosh IIcx was a shrunken-down Mac II that still offered high performance features and expandability. It was shortly followed up by the IIci, which was a higher end version of it. Both were popular options during their time.
Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | March 1989 |
| Discontinuation Date | March 1991 |
| Processor | Motorola 68030 @16MHz FPU: Yes Bus Speed: 16MHz |
| RAM | 8x 30-pin SIMM Slots - 1 or 4MB Standard - 128MB Maximum |
| Hard Disk | 3.5" SCSI - 40 or 80MB Standard |
| Graphics | 256 or 512KB |
| Audio | Internal Speaker |
| Internal Drives | 1x Auto-inject 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive |
| Expansion | 3x NuBus Slots |
| Networking | None |
| Other I/O | - 2x ADB - 2x Serial - 1x DB25 SCSI - 1x DB19 External FDD Port - 1x DB15 Video Out (on NuBus video card) - 1x Line Out |
| PRAM Battery | 1/2AA Lithium 3.6V |
| Original Mac OS | System 6.0.3 |
| Maximum Mac OS | Mac OS 7.5.5 |
Upgrades
CPU Upgrade
68040 CPU upgrade cards were available.
SSD Upgrade
Check our page on SCSI SSD replacements for more info.
Resources
 Service Manual |
 Logic Board Schematic |
Capacitor Reference |
|---|
Common Faults & Maintenance
PRAM Battery Leaks
The Macintosh IIcx's Lithium PRAM battery is highly prone to leaking and should be removed.
Capacitors
The IIcx motherboard uses many surface mount electrolytic capacitors, which always leak with age, causing corrosion to the motherboard. They must be replaced for reliable operation.
The power supplies in the Mac IIcx sometimes need recapping and sometimes don't. It's up to you whether you want to recap a working unit.
Other Notes
Most original SCSI hard drives for these have gone bad, especially those made by Quantum, which suffer from sticky rubber bumpers in the head assembly.
The floppy drives in these often suffer from eject motor failures due to a gear that falls apart with age. This gear can be replaced without too much trouble.
The Mac IIcx's case yellows with age. A retrobrite process can be used to correct this, if it bothers you. The plastic is not nearly as brittle as Macs from the 90s though.
Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 03/03/2025
Update Reason: page rewritten
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