NeXTstation Turbo

The NeXTstation Turbo increased the monochrome slab workstation’s processor speed to 33 MHz and raised its memory ceiling. It retained the compact enclosure, four-level greyscale MegaPixel display, DSP sound and integrated Ethernet of the original NeXTstation.

The faster CPU and expanded memory made it a capable software-development and financial workstation while preserving full compatibility with NeXTSTEP applications.

Notable Features

• A 33 MHz Motorola 68040 delivered a substantial improvement over the original 25 MHz slab.
• Four 72-pin SIMM sockets allowed as much as 128MB of RAM.
• The high-resolution greyscale display remained well suited to text, programming and publishing.

Historical Significance

• The Turbo models were the final refinement of NeXT’s slab hardware and offered the best performance of the monochrome line.
• They continued to support the software ecosystem that evolved from NeXTSTEP into OpenStep.

Collector’s Notes

• Turbo and non-Turbo boards can share similar enclosures, so CPU speed and motherboard identity should be verified.
• A correct MegaPixel display, keyboard, mouse and cables are needed for a representative complete system.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	NeXTstation 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	External 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 two-bit framebuffer with four-level greyscale
Display	17-inch MegaPixel Display; 1120 x 832 pixels
ROM	128KB boot ROM
RAM	16MB typical; expandable to 128MB
CPU Speed	33 MHz