Quadra · The Beige Era · 1993

Macintosh Quadra 660AV

The 660AV brought the futuristic audio/video tricks of the 840AV into a smaller, cheaper desktop.

Macintosh Quadra 660AV (1993), Quadra by Apple
Why it mattered

Compact AV Mac with video I/O and speech-oriented DSP.

Next in the line

Macintosh Quadra 630 (1994)

Macintosh Quadra 660AV: key facts

When was the Macintosh Quadra 660AV released?

The Macintosh Quadra 660AV arrived on July 29, 1993. Apple discontinued it in September 1994.

How much did the Macintosh Quadra 660AV cost?

The Macintosh Quadra 660AV launched at $2,489 in 1993, about $5,426 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).

What specs stand out?

Key specs: Motorola 68040 at 25 MHz, 8 MB RAM, 230 MB storage, External display display.

Why does the Macintosh Quadra 660AV matter?

Compact AV Mac with video I/O and speech-oriented DSP.

Full specifications

CPUMotorola 68040 · 25 MHz
Cores1
Memory (RAM)8 MB (up to 68 MB)
Storage230 MB
DisplayExternal display
GPUIntegrated / NuBus video
PortsSCSI, ADB, Ethernet, AV, GeoPort
WeightVaries by configuration
DimensionsDesktop computer
Operating systemSystem 7
ReleasedJuly 29, 1993
DiscontinuedSeptember 1994
Launch price$2,489

How the Macintosh Quadra 660AV compares to today

A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 2,050× 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 $2,489 in 1993, about $5,426 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).

Method note: clock comparisons use frequency only; price conversions use US CPI.

Sources

Specs checked against Apple technical specifications archive, EveryMac, Mactracker, Wikimedia Commons image credits.

Related Quadra models

Open the Macintosh Quadra 660AV in the interactive archive →

Last updated: 2026-08-11