Quadra · The Beige Era · 1993
Macintosh Quadra 605
The Quadra 605 put 68040-era speed into a compact LC-like case, giving budget buyers a taste of the high-end Quadra name.
Macintosh Quadra 605: key facts
When was the Macintosh Quadra 605 released?
The Macintosh Quadra 605 was released in October 1993. Apple discontinued it in October 1994.
How much did the Macintosh Quadra 605 cost?
The Macintosh Quadra 605 launched at $1,199 in 1993 — about $2,614 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Macintosh Quadra 605’s specs?
The Macintosh Quadra 605 used a Motorola 68LC040 running at 25 MHz, with 4 MB of memory and 80 MB of storage. It ran System 7.
Why does the Macintosh Quadra 605 matter?
The smallest and least expensive Quadra.
Full specifications
| CPU | Motorola 68LC040 · 25 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 4 MB (up to 132 MB) |
| Storage | 80 MB |
| Display | External display |
| GPU | Integrated / NuBus video |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, serial |
| Weight | Varies by configuration |
| Dimensions | Slim pizza-box desktop |
| Operating system | System 7 |
| Released | October 1993 |
| Discontinued | October 1994 |
| Launch price | $1,199 |
How the Macintosh Quadra 605 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 20 modern phone photos.
Launched at $1,199 in 1993 — about $2,614 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 Quadra models
Open the Macintosh Quadra 605 in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-27