NeXTcube Turbo

The NeXTcube Turbo was the fastest factory version of NeXT’s expandable cube workstation. Its 33 MHz Motorola 68040 improved processing speed while retaining the three NeXTbus slots, DSP hardware and extensive SCSI and networking connections.

It ran the later NeXTSTEP environment and could be configured with colour and video hardware such as NeXTdimension. The Turbo represented the final development of the cube before NeXT withdrew from computer manufacturing.

Notable Features

• The 33 MHz processor improved performance over the standard 25 MHz NeXTcube.
• Three NeXTbus slots retained the cube’s advantage over the non-expandable slab models.
• Optional NeXTdimension hardware supplied an Intel i860 graphics processor and 32-bit colour.

Historical Significance

• The Turbo was the final and most powerful production form of the influential NeXT cube design.
• It closed NeXT’s hardware era while NeXTSTEP and OpenStep continued as software platforms.

Collector’s Notes

• Some standard cubes were later upgraded with Turbo processor boards, so case labels and board part numbers should be checked.
• NeXTdimension and other original expansion boards substantially increase the interest and value of a surviving system.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	NeXTcube Turbo
Manufacturer	Next
Launched	Wednesday, April 1, 1992
Discontinued	1993
Country	United States
CPU	Motorola 68040 at 33 MHz
Units Sold
Power	Internal universal power supply; configuration varies by model and market
Networking	Built-in Ethernet
Additional CPU	Motorola DSP56001 at 25 MHz
Operating System	NeXTSTEP 3.x
Expansion / I/O	Three NeXTbus slots, SCSI-2, serial, DSP, printer and Ethernet
Keyboard	NeXT keyboard with two-button optical mouse
Storage	Internal SCSI hard disk and 2.88MB floppy drive
Sound	16-bit stereo audio with built-in digital signal processing
Colours	Four-level greyscale
Graphics	Integrated four-level greyscale; optional NeXTdimension 32-bit colour
Display	17-inch MegaPixel Display; 1120 x 832 pixels
ROM	128KB boot ROM
RAM	16MB typical; expandable to 128MB
CPU Speed	33 MHz