Apple Power Macintosh 8500

Apple Power Macintosh 8500 was introduced in 7 August 1995. It brought a PowerPC 604, PCI slots and integrated video capture to a professional tower derived from the Quadra 800. It combined PowerPC 604 at 120 MHz with 16MB; expandable to 1GB.

The 8500 was among Apple's first serious PCI multimedia workstations, although its densely clipped case was difficult to service.

Notable Features

• It brought a PowerPC 604, PCI slots and integrated video capture to a professional tower derived from the Quadra 800.
• Its PowerPC 604 at 120 MHz and 16MB; expandable to 1GB configuration defined this model within Apple's changing product range.
• The 8500 was among Apple's first serious PCI multimedia workstations, although its densely clipped case was difficult to service.

Historical Significance

• The 8500 was among Apple's first serious PCI multimedia workstations, although its densely clipped case was difficult to service.
• The model records a distinct hardware, enclosure or market stage rather than a storage-only configuration.

Collector’s Notes

• Processor speed, display type, regional branding and original model label should be checked when identifying a surviving system.
• Original power supplies, keyboards, media and expansion accessories add useful historical context.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Apple Power Macintosh 8500
Manufacturer	Apple
Launched	Monday, August 7, 1995
Country	United States
CPU	PowerPC 604 at 120 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	System 7.5.2 through Mac OS 9.1
I/O	Composite/S-video in/out, video, SCSI, serial, ADB, audio, Ethernet and three PCI slots
Keyboard	External ADB keyboard and mouse
Storage	1.44MB floppy, SCSI hard disk and CD-ROM
Sound	16-bit stereo input and output
Graphics	Accelerated colour graphics with video input/output
Display	Built-in video for external colour monitor
ROM	4MB ROM
RAM	16MB; expandable to 1GB
CPU Speed	120 MHz