Macintosh IIfxLow End Mac Reader Specials Apple broke the envelope with the IIfx: the 40 MHz CPU on a 40 MHz bus left everything else in the dust. Because it needed faster memory than any previous Mac, it used a special 64-pin SIMM. It was the first Mac to ship with 4 MB of RAM. The greatest drawback in upgrading RAM in the IIfx is the location of the SIMM sockets. You need to remove the entire drive support assembly (holds floppy and hard drives) to access the memory sockets. When upgrading, be careful not to damage the SIMM sockets, especially if you are removing memory. Although the IIfx shipped with 4 MB of memory, odds are pretty good it's already been upgraded beyond that point. Looking at the motherboard with the connectors to the rear and power supply to the right, you will see eight SIMM sockets. The four nearest the rear of the board are Bank A. The four nearest the front are Bank B. Memory must be installed in sets of four 64-pin SIMMs rated at 80ns or faster. A 4 MB configuration has four 1 MB SIMMs in Bank A; an 8 MB configuration has 1 MB SIMMs in all eight sockets. For 16 MB, install four 4 MB SIMMs in Bank A. To reach 20 MB, add four 1 MB SIMMs in Bank B. For 32 MB, insert 4 MB SIMMs in all eight sockets. Although the IIfx supports 16 MB SIMMs, Apple's memory guide gives no details on installing them. I suggest you install the first bank of 16 MB SIMMs in Bank A, since that follows the pattern established with other configurations. Bank B can then hold 1 MB, 4 MB, or 16 MB SIMMs.
After installing memory and reconnecting your drives, boot your Mac with extensions off (hold down the shift key) and check "About This Macintosh" under the Apple menu. If it doesn't give the expected number, you should reseat your memory. Once you know the upgrade is a success, bolt everything back in place, attach the cover, and enjoy the extra memory. I suggest you increase the size of the disk cache for better performance. <go to memory upgrade index or Macintosh IIfx> Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Opinions expressed are those of their authors and may not reflect the opinion of Cobweb Publishing. Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all.Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2013 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, Mac Pro, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged. Please report errors to . LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it. Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style. PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it, and we don't share the information we have with others. For more details, see our Terms of Use. |
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