Macintosh II · The Beige Era · 1990
Macintosh IIsi
A compact, relatively affordable color-capable Mac that gave offices 68030 speed without the imposing price of a IIci or IIfx.
Macintosh IIsi: key facts
When was the Macintosh IIsi released?
The Macintosh IIsi was released in October 1990. Apple discontinued it in March 1993.
How much did the Macintosh IIsi cost?
The Macintosh IIsi launched at $3,770 in 1990 — about $9,161 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Macintosh IIsi’s specs?
The Macintosh IIsi used a Motorola 68030 running at 20 MHz, with 2 MB of memory and 40 MB of storage. It ran System 7.
Why does the Macintosh IIsi matter?
Affordable 68030 color Mac with built-in video.
Full specifications
| CPU | Motorola 68030 · 20 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 2 MB (up to 65 MB) |
| Storage | 40 MB |
| Display | External color, built-in video |
| GPU | Integrated / NuBus video |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, one PDS slot |
| Weight | Varies by configuration |
| Dimensions | Desktop computer |
| Operating system | System 7 |
| Released | October 1990 |
| Discontinued | March 1993 |
| Launch price | $3,770 |
How the Macintosh IIsi compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 8,190× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 20 MHz, the clock is roughly 160× 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 10 modern phone photos.
Launched at $3,770 in 1990 — about $9,161 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 Macintosh II models
Open the Macintosh IIsi in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-27