Centris · The Beige Era · 1993
Macintosh Centris 650
The Centris 650 offered genuine 68040 speed in Apple’s newly confused early-1990s lineup, then quickly became a Quadra.
Macintosh Centris 650: key facts
When was the Macintosh Centris 650 released?
The Macintosh Centris 650 was released in February 1993. Apple discontinued it in October 1993.
How much did the Macintosh Centris 650 cost?
The Macintosh Centris 650 launched at $2,700 in 1993 — about $5,886 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Macintosh Centris 650’s specs?
The Macintosh Centris 650 used a Motorola 68040 running at 25 MHz, with 4 MB of memory and 230 MB of storage. It ran System 7.
Why does the Macintosh Centris 650 matter?
A midrange 68040 desktop/tower before it was renamed Quadra.
Full specifications
| CPU | Motorola 68040 · 25 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 4 MB (up to 136 MB) |
| Storage | 230 MB |
| Display | External display |
| GPU | Integrated / NuBus video |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, serial |
| Weight | Varies by configuration |
| Dimensions | Desktop computer |
| Operating system | System 7 |
| Released | February 1993 |
| Discontinued | October 1993 |
| Launch price | $2,700 |
How the Macintosh Centris 650 compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 4,100× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 25 MHz, the clock is roughly 128× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
All of this storage holds about 58 modern phone photos.
Launched at $2,700 in 1993 — about $5,886 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
It is the kind of model collectors use to map Apple’s complicated family tree.
Related Centris models
Open the Macintosh Centris 650 in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-27