Archive No. 93
Twentieth Anniversary Mac
Sonnet Crescendo G3 400MHz
Historical Context
Only 12,000 were made, each personally delivered by a trained Macintosh specialist in a business suit, with a bottle of wine. At $7,499 — later reduced to $1,999 in a clearance sale — it was Apple's celebration of twenty years of the Mac and a vision of where personal computing was headed: vertical LCD, integrated Bose audio, television tuner, all in a single slim enclosure. One of the rarest and most desirable Macs ever built.
Specifications
Technical Blueprint
Ref: M3459
Processor
PowerPC 603e 250MHz PowerPC G3 400MHz
Memory
96MB 168-pin DIMM 60ns
Storage
32GB IDE SSD, SCSI CD-ROM
Graphics
800x600, ATI 3D Rage II
Operating System
Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS 8.6, macOS 7.6.1, BeOS 5.0.3
Hardware Notes
PRAM battery removed
Gallery
Detailed Observations
The Story
Have original book which has some damage to the black cover. Also have fat and slim backs. Have Comm slot riser with Ethernet card. Also have Apple External Video Connector which allows for connecting to an external monitor. Most likely will run with fat back with Apple Comm Slot II Ethernet card added. Took Crescendo G3 400MHz upgrade from 6500, also added PCI riser from 6400 and USB PCI card from 6500. The problem with the PCI riser is that one slot is blocked by the HD and the other is unsupported without a plate for the fat back.
Restoration Log
Work Done
Every repair, recap, and restoration performed on this machine — documented as the work was completed.
Reconditioned Bass Module
Opened up Bose bass module and tinned the connector to prevent the audio issues. Also replaced fan inside unit.