Power Macintosh · The Beige Era · 1997
Power Macintosh 8600
The 8600 refined the pro tower formula with faster 604e chips and a case that was friendlier to expansion.
Power Macintosh 8600: key facts
When was the Power Macintosh 8600 released?
The Power Macintosh 8600 was released in February 1997. Apple discontinued it in February 1998.
How much did the Power Macintosh 8600 cost?
The Power Macintosh 8600 launched at $3,000 in 1997 — about $5,970 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Power Macintosh 8600’s specs?
The Power Macintosh 8600 used a PowerPC 604e running at 200 MHz, with 32 MB of memory and 2.0 GB of storage. It ran System 7.
Why does the Power Macintosh 8600 matter?
Updated pro tower with a more serviceable case.
Full specifications
| CPU | PowerPC 604e · 200 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 32 MB (up to 1 GB) |
| Storage | 2.0 GB |
| Display | External display |
| GPU | Integrated / NuBus video |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, serial |
| Weight | Varies by configuration |
| Dimensions | Tower |
| Operating system | System 7 |
| Released | February 1997 |
| Discontinued | February 1998 |
| Launch price | $3,000 |
How the Power Macintosh 8600 compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 512× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 200 MHz, the clock is roughly 16× 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 500 modern phone photos.
Launched at $3,000 in 1997 — about $5,970 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 Power Macintosh models
Open the Power Macintosh 8600 in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-27