The Power Macintosh 5400 (also sold under variations of the name Performa 5400) is a
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
designed, manufactured and sold by
Apple Computer from April 1996 to March 1998. The 5400 is an
all-in-one computer with an integrated monitor, and replaced the
Power Macintosh 5200 LC in that role. It is largely identical to the
Power Macintosh 6400
The Power Macintosh 6400 (also sold under variations of the name Performa 6400) is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from August 1996 to August 1997. It is the only Macintosh mini-tower system to be branded as ...
internally, which is essentially the same computer (the "Alchemy" platform) in a
tower
A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures.
Towers are specifi ...
case. This is the first all-in-one Macintosh to support
PCI expansion, replacing the
Processor Direct Slot
A processor direct slot (PDS) is a slot incorporated into many older Macintosh models that allowed direct access to the signal pins of a CPU, similar to the functionality of a local bus in PCs. This would result in much higher speeds than having ...
.
Unlike other
Power Macintosh
The Power Macintosh, later Power Mac, is a family of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer as the core of the Macintosh brand from March 1994 until August 2006.
Described by ''MacWorld'' as "the most important te ...
machines of the time, the 5400 was only sold to education markets.
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 mode ...
-branded variants were generally only sold in Europe, Asia and Australia while the less-powerful
Performa 5300CD remained on sale in the Americas for much of 1996. This reflected a de-emphasizing of sales of all-in-one form factor computers into the consumer market, something Apple stopped doing altogether until the introduction of the
iMac G3
The iMac G3, originally released as the iMac, is a series of Macintosh personal computers sold by Apple Computer from 1998 to 2003. The iMac was the first major new product release for Apple under Steve Jobs, Apple's interim CEO and cofounder ...
in the second half of 1998.
The more powerful
Power Macintosh 5500 was introduced in April 1997, and both computers continued to be sold alongside each other. When the education-only
Power Macintosh G3 All-In-One was introduced in early 1998, the 5400 and 5500 were both discontinued.
Models
Introduced April 15, 1996:
* Power Macintosh 5400/120: Base education version with 16 MB RAM and a 120 MHz processor.
Introduced April 22, 1996:
* Macintosh Performa 5400CD: Consumer version of the 5400/120.
* Macintosh Performa 5410CD: Ethernet-less version of the 5400CD. Not sold in the U.S..
* Macintosh Performa 5420CD: Not sold in the U.S.
Introduced August 5, 1996:
* Macintosh Performa 5400/160: Asia- and Europe-only version with a 160 MHz CPU.
* Macintosh Performa 5400/180 (DE): Asia- and Europe-only 180 MHz variant in a black case. The "DE" (Director's Edition) was available only in Australia and had 24 MB of RAM, a built in TV tuner with remote control, and a bigger hard drive.
Introduced October 1, 1996:
* Power Macintosh 5400/180: Same, but with a 180 MHz processor.
Introduced November 12, 1996:
* Macintosh Performa 5430: Asia- and Europe-only variant of the 5400/160, but with 24 MB RAM.
* Macintosh Performa 5440: Asia- and Europe-only variant of the 5400/180, only in a normal grey case.
Introduced February 17, 1997:
* Power Macintosh 5400/200: Education version with 24 MB RAM and a 200 MHz processor
Timeline
References
External links
Power Macintosh 5400a
lowendmac.com
{{Apple hardware before 1998
5400
Macintosh Performa
5400
Macintosh all-in-ones
Computer-related introductions in 1996