Photo: Stephen Edmonds / CC BY-SA 2.5 / Wikimedia Commons · source
Power Macintosh 8100
The flagship first-generation Power Mac, built on the Quadra 800 case.
Overview
The Power Macintosh 8100 was the performance leader of the first three Power Macs, launched with an 80 MHz PowerPC 601 that later rose to 100 and 110 MHz. It reused the Quadra 800 mid-tower enclosure, with several drive bays and room to grow.
Memory could be expanded to 264 MB using 72-pin SIMMs, and AV models included a card with analog video input and output. Apple's engineers nicknamed it Cold Fusion, and it was sold in Japan as the 8115 and as a server called the Workgroup Server 8150.
The logic board was awkward to service, but the machine delivered the speed that early PowerPC buyers wanted for publishing and prepress. It was succeeded by the Power Macintosh 8500 in August 1995.
Why it mattered
It was Apple's top performer of the PowerPC launch trio and the first tower-class Power Mac.
At a glance
- Announced
- March 14, 1994
- Released
- March 14, 1994
- Discontinued
- August 5, 1995
- Launch price
- $4,249
- Chip / processor
- PowerPC 601, 80 MHz
- Storage
- SCSI hard disk
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- PowerPC 601 at 80 to 110 MHz
- Up to 264 MB of RAM
- Quadra 800 mid-tower case
- Also sold as the Workgroup Server 8150
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Chip
- Chip
- PowerPC 601, 80 MHz (later 100 and 110 MHz)
- Variants
- Also sold as Power Macintosh 8115 (Japan) and Workgroup Server 8150
Memory
- RAM
- 8 MB, expandable to 264 MB
Expansion
- Slots
- Processor Direct Slot (used by AV card on AV models)
Software
- Launch OS
- System 7.1.2
- Latest supported OS
- Mac OS 9.1
Video
- AV models
- Analog video input and output card
Availability
- Announced
- March 14, 1994
- Released
- March 14, 1994
- Discontinued
- August 5, 1995
- Launch price
- $4,249
Colors
- Finishes
- Platinum
