he Apple Macintosh PowerBook 520c features a 25 MHz 68LC040 processor, 4 MB or 12 MB of RAM, and a 160 MB, 240 MB, or 320 MB hard drive in a sleek portable case with a 9.5″ color dual-scan display.
The PowerBook 500 series introduced the “trackpad” — where the cursor followed the movement of your finger on a “pad” rather than a plastic ball. The trackpad was a revolutionary input device and has been used since in the vast majority of modern notebooks. The PowerBook 500 series also introduced dual swappable “bays” that could be used to hold either one battery and a PCMCIA adapter or dual batteries to extend runtime.
Click on the category for related details. The most commonly needed info is “open” by default, but all info is important.
*This model has a 32-bit processor and a 32-bit data path. Sometimes this model is designated as having a 50 MHz processor, since the clock input runs at 50 MHz. However, the processor itself is not “clock doubled,” so technically it only is a 25 MHz processor.
Processor Upgrade:
Third-Party*
FPU:
None
Details:
*Third-party upgrades and accelerators were available.
System Bus Speed:
25 MHz
Cache Bus Speed:
N/A
ROM Type:
Macintosh ROM
ROM Size:
2 MB
L1 Cache:
8k
L2 Cache:
N/A
RAM Type:
DRAM Card*
Min. RAM Speed:
70 ns
Standard RAM:
4 MB, 12 MB
Maximum RAM:
36 MB*
Details:
*With 4 MB of onboard memory and a 32 MB memory module.
9.5″ color dual-scan (8-bit, 256 colors) LCD. An upgrade to an active-matrix color display also was available (M3063LL/A).
2nd Display Support:
Dual/Mirroring*
2nd Max. Resolution:
832×624*
Standard Hard Drive:
160, 240, 320 MB*
Int. HD Interface:
SCSI
Standard Optical:
None
Standard Disk:
1.44 MB (Manual)
Standard Modem:
14.4k (Optional)
Standard Ethernet:
AAUI-15
Expansion Slots:
2 Type II PC Card*
Expansion Bays:
1**
Details:
*2 Type II PC Card (1 Type III) expansion slots provided by PCMCIA adapter in a “swappable” bay (M2995LL/A).
**This model has a custom “swappable” bay that can be used to hold a second battery or a PCMCIA adapter along with other options.
Case Type:
Notebook
Form Factor:
PowerBook 520
Apple Order No:
M1845LL/A*
Apple Subfamily:
PowerBook 520/520c
Apple Model No:
M4880
Gestalt ID:
72
Details:
Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model.
Also see: All Macs with the M4880 Model Number and 72 Gestalt ID.
For more about identifiers and how to locate them on modern Macs, please refer to EveryMac.com’s Mac Identification section.
Battery Type:
NiMH
Battery Life:
2-3.5 Hours*
Original Mac OS:
7.1.1*
Supported Mac OS:
7.1.1-8.1
Details:
*Officially, earlier and later versions of the Macintosh System/Finder and Mac OS are not supported. However, a reader also reported that installing System 7.1, then installing System Update 3.0, and adding the PowerBook 500 Series Enabler 1.0 v1.0.2 to the System Folder works, too.
For systems capable of running older versions of the Mac OS — as well as modern ones — please see site sponsor OHS. OHS specializes in heavily upgraded Macs capable of running both Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 applications.
