The Power Macintosh 7300 (also sold with server software as the Apple Workgroup Server 7350) is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from February 1997 to November 1997. It was introduced with 166, 180 and 200 MHz CPUs in February 1997 alongside the Power Macintosh 8600 and 9600. The 7300 replaced both the Power Macintosh 7200 and 7600, replacing the only remaining first-generation PowerPC system in Apple's lineup.[1]

Power Macintosh 7300 / Workgroup Server 7350
A Power Macintosh 7300/200
Also known as"Montana"
DeveloperApple Computer
Product familyPower Macintosh, Workgroup Server
Release dateFebruary 17, 1997 (1997-02-17)
Introductory priceUS$1,700 (equivalent to $3,227 in 2023)
DiscontinuedOctober 10, 1997 (1997-10-10)
Operating systemSystem 7.5.5 - Mac OS 9.1
CPUPowerPC 604e @ 166, 180, 200 MHz
Memory16 MiB, expandable to 1 GiB (70 ns 168-pin 5V DIMM)
DimensionsHeight: 6.15 inches (15.6 cm)
Width: 14.37 inches (36.5 cm)
Depth: 16.93 inches (43.0 cm)
Mass22 pounds (10.0 kg)
PredecessorPower Macintosh 7200
Power Macintosh 7600
SuccessorPower Macintosh G3 (Desktop)
RelatedPower Macintosh 8600
Power Macintosh 9600

MacUser Magazine's review says the 7300 "offers the most satisfying improvement" of the new machines introduced in early 1997 due to a significant performance jump from its predecessors, as well as offering 50% faster CD-ROM and hard disk space.

The 7300 was replaced by the Power Macintosh G3 desktop model in November 1997. The Workgroup Server 7350 continued to be sold until March 1998 when the Macintosh Server G3 was introduced.

Hardware

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The 7300 uses the "Outrigger" case first introduced with the Power Macintosh 7500, but features an enhanced PowerPC 604e CPU. However, it no longer came with the video in capability the 7600 had, which possibly accounts for the fact that this is the only time that Apple used a lower model number for an upgraded model.[2] Apart from that, the 7300 is more closely related to the 7600 than to the 7200, with features such as a processor daughtercard and interleaved RAM. The 7300/180 model was also available in a "PC compatible" configuration that included a 166 MHz Pentium processor with its own RAM (up to 64 MiB) on a PCI card which also provides a PC game port. This allowed the Mac to dual-boot Microsoft Windows, which was not compatible with PowerPC hardware. The PC Compatible Macs were effectively two computers combined in to one.

Like the Power Macintosh 7600, the 7300 series utilizes 168-pin DRAM DIMMS, allowing for a total of 8 to be added for 1024 MiB in total. It utilized VRAM SIMMS and allowed 4 units to be added for a total of 4 MiB, providing output at a resolution of up to 1152x870 at 24-bit and 1280x1024 at 16-bit.[3] Additionally, it includes 3 PCI slots allowing the addition of third party cards, including graphics cards.

A 2 GB SCSI hard drive was included as standard, on an internal 10 MiB/s SCSI bus, with an external 5 MiB/s SCSI port on the back panel.[4]

Models

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Introduced February 13, 1997:

  • Power Macintosh 7300/166: Sold in Europe and Asia.[5]

Introduced February 17, 1997:

  • Power Macintosh 7300/180[6]
  • Power Macintosh 7300/200[7]

Introduced April 4, 1997:

  • Power Macintosh 7300/180 PC Compatible[8]

Introduced April 21, 1997:

  • Workgroup Server 7350/180[9]

Timeline

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Timeline of Power Macintosh, Pro, and Studio models
Mac ProMac StudioMac ProMac StudioMac ProMac ProMac ProPower Mac G5Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G5Power Mac G4Power Mac G4 CubePower Mac G4Power Macintosh G3#Blue and WhitePower Macintosh 9600Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 8600Power Macintosh 9500Power Macintosh 8500Power Macintosh 8100Power Macintosh G3Power Macintosh 7600Power Macintosh 7300Power Macintosh 4400Power Macintosh 7500Power Macintosh 7200Power Macintosh 7100Power Macintosh 6500Power Macintosh 6400Power Macintosh 6200Power Macintosh 6100Power Macintosh G3Twentieth Anniversary MacintoshPower Macintosh 5500Power Macintosh 5400Power Macintosh 5260Power Macintosh 5200 LC

References

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  1. ^ Brisbin, Shelly (April 1997). "Apple Debuts New Quartet - Four new Apple Power Macs introduce new features and enclosures, but speed increases disappoint". MacUser. Archived from the original on December 8, 2000. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ Power Macintosh 7300 Archived September 26, 2022, at the Wayback Machine at Low End Mac
  3. ^ "Power Macintosh 7300/166 Specs: EveryMac.com". Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  4. ^ "Power Mac 7300". February 13, 1997. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "Power Macintosh 7300/166: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  6. ^ "Power Macintosh 7300/180: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "Power Macintosh 7300/200: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "Power Macintosh 7300/180 PC Compatible: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  9. ^ "Workgroup Server 7350/180: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
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