Pushing the Limits: Ultimate Upgrade Journey of a Macintosh SE/30

I often find myself wanting a hit of nostalgia by popping in an old game, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of swapping floppy disks or waiting for long load times. This is why so many of us use modern upgrades for vintage machines.
In today's Zen Build, I'll be maxing out my Macintosh SE/30 from 1989 with an unreal amount of modern kit.
Upgrades:
1. BlueSCSI v2 - bluescsi.com/
2. Noctua Fan (60x25mm) - a.co/d/craJUp0
3a. MacBatt - www.tindie.com...
3b. BMOW ROM-inator II - shop.bigmessow...
4. 128mb RAM - www.ebay.com/i...
5. Logic Board Recap
6. Carrera 040 w/ Cache Card (by Bolle) - 68kmla.org/bb/...
7. Combo Adapter/Network Card (by Bolle) - 68kmla.org/bb/...
Chapters:
00:01 - Introduction
1:48 - All the upgrades
2:03 - Disassembly
2:44 - BlueSCSI
4:03 - Noctua Fan
6:50 - MacBatt
6:57 - BMOW ROM-inator II
7:53 - Logic Board Recap
10:07 - Initial Benchmarks
10:36 - Carrera040 68040 Accelerator
12:01 - New Benchmarks
14:51 - Enjoying the beast!
Music:
All music licensed by Epidemic Sound
To support the channel, get early access to videos and ask more about the projects that I make, please consider signing up for my Patreon: / polymatt
AI Disclosure:
Generative AI was used for elements of the video thumbnail.

[@helfire23]

Hey! Nice SE/30 and video! Glad you're enjoying #BlueSCSI v2 :)

[@polymatt]

Absolutely loving it. I just got an external one as well and the Toolbox / Share folder + the ability to hotswap is game changing. Awesome bit of kit!

[@helfire23]

@@polymatt We have a lot more cool things coming with the Toolbox and some other stuff, stay tuned.

[@polymatt]

@@helfire23 awesome. You’re doing great work!

[@ingmar_antonioni]

you’re really doing such a great job with these videos. i’m excited to watch whatever you want to make next!

[@auteurfiddler8706]

I basically never used my SE/30. I bought it used but I already had a Mac II VX or maybe two. The upgrade I wished it could have had was the grey scale internal video and color external video card.

[@polymatt]

Same. I’m looking for one. The same guy who made the accelerator card is working on a new grayscale kit.

[@yippeeeeWAAA]

How could you @auteurfiddler8706 :(

[@pineapplepizza5733]

Im so happy I found this channel!

[@docsnavely1010]

How the retro computing/gaming algorithm hasn't picked you up yet is astonishing. Your work and video quality is outstanding.

[@Mainyehc]

It’s just a matter of time, I believe. The algorithm is clearly doing its thing at the moment, it seems.

[@dalejones519]

Well, as far as a video goes, it's okay, but I think most people would want some narration and explanation of what is being added and why and info about that. Just watching someone add 'stuff' to other 'stuff' is not that exciting. Some of the other retro content creators explain a lot and the actual assembly is often skipped over unless it is specifically difficult or interesting. I am actually a bit surprised there are so many positive comments. That said, it takes time and effort to produce these things, so thanks.

[@jinxterx]

Your avatar is wearing glasses but you're not.. what gives? 🤓 Oh wait, I see them on the table..😜

[@polymatt]

Haha yeah they’re for distance mostly so you probably won’t see them in my videos. I should probably update my avatar to wear a hat!

[@JoCrt]

So happy I've found this channel

[@5nowChain5]

The CRT should have been discharged as soon as the back of the computer came off. Those CRT's can create quite a kick if exposed to light and hold charge for a long time. What was the extra connector free for?

[@faisal_khan28]

Great video ..suggestion, dial down a music a little bit in upcoming videos

[@daspec]

Dude, what a fantastic mod and music montage! I have the same SE/30 and would do the same, but the CRT has to go (flat LCD mod) to be truly maxed out 😎

[@polymatt]

Hey thanks so much! For me the ultimate screen will be the grayscale mod :)

[@-r-495]

Well done! I used to look „down“ on the Apple computers in the old days but have learnt that Steve was right. All I need is a system that meets my needs and its operation is user- and not system-oriented. Thank you, very well done. Happy to see you have come here.

[@kirishima638]

That's one CLEAN SE/30! Looks brand new! It's interesting how 'dense' the SE/30 motherboard is compared to the other compacts. It really is special. Also the video was beautifully produced. No unnecessary waffle.

[@polymatt]

Thank you! It definitely is. I did spend some time restoring this one before I had all the components needed for the video but it was definitely in decent shape when I got it - just dirty. Needed a little clean and some vapor birthing :) I do love this model. It was a powerhouse on its own back in the day. Even before the upgrades!

[@kirishima638]

@@polymatt I know, I owned one! The SE/30 was like a rocket after using the SE. For a few years.

[@RetroTechChris]

Fantastic!

[@spirieo]

Beautiful work, as always!

[@hessex1899]

Excellent video. I recently put a 68060 and a (relative) truckload of RAM into my Amiga 1200 and it is absolutely amazing.

[@polymatt]

That’s amazing. I wasn’t an Amiga user growing up in the States but super interested in them today.

[@hessex1899]

@@polymatt I wasn't either. I got one during the pandemic. It's been a lot of fun learning this platform over the last 18 months. You should get one. I recommend a 1200.

[@hessex1899]

@@polymatt I forgot to add.. If you get one get a PAL version. Most of the games/etc were written for PAL hardware and, because of the way this chipsets work, if you have an NTSC unit the music will be out of tune.

[@alextirrellRI]

I'd suggest using Open Transport rather than MacTCP if possible. It's a lot easier to get working.

[@polymatt]

Good call, thanks for the tip!

[@cylurian]

How have you kept the color white so nice on the machine. Any recommendations?

[@polymatt]

Hey - so when I get a new machine I usually do some form of retr0brite, which these days I do light brighting. Its essentially leaving the case and keyboard, etc. in the sun on and off for a couple days to gently bring back the original color. I then use a UV protectant for plastics every few months or so (when they're not in storage). The one I use is called 303.

[@Syntappi]

Your channel has same kinda vibes that Luke Miani has. Mostly Apple related content, clean studio and style. Yours is more focused on doing things yourself which i like!

[@polymatt]

Thanks - glad you enjoy my videos!

[@MaggieKeizai]

That was a good vid; I like your style. Some folks just can't stop talking when just a few words will do. Gotta ask, though: why 24 bit? Doesn't that BMOW rom let you run 32 bit clean on an SE/30?

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much! So the ROM-Inator defaulted to 24-bit when I first had it installed because that’s what System 6 will support. After I upgraded to 7 you get the option to turn on 32bit addressing.

[@MaggieKeizai]

@@polymatt Oh, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

[@shepherdosterompton]

Can you run one of Bolle’s grayscale cards with the Carrera?

[@polymatt]

You absolutely can and I've kept an eye out for one. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one and the availability status on his profile on the 68kmla forums has been removed :(

[@perrybarton]

Another cool vintage Mac vid. I was gonna ask if the case had already been retr0brited when you got it, but in the captions you said that you had done it. Did you work/play on Macs like this when you were a kid?

[@polymatt]

I did. My family had an Apple II when I was a kid and “my” fist computer was a compact Mac I got second hand from my school. I loved that thing! After a couple back-to-back Macs, the next videos will be around some IBM things and focused more on custom projects!

[@perrybarton]

@@polymatt In my comment on your SE/30 vid I mentioned having bought a Classic II in 1992. Prior to that, I would rent time on a Mac at Kinko’s, creating my own promo material. They had about a half-dozen machines, SE’s (maybe SE/30s) loaded with PageMaker and other desktop publishing software, all networked to a laser printer. Back when woolly mammoths roamed the earth…

[@nrnoble]

Thank you 👍And thank you for not jumping on the cloned voice bandwagon. Many years from now I will not be nostalgic for the old days of 2020s watching old YT videos that had cloned voices. 😄I have my original SE/30 bought in late 1980s and it still works as well as the day I bought it.

[@Hadisabetghadam]

Is a Beast But Hey Good Job

[@dave4shmups]

Nice work! Did any of the games run too fast?

[@polymatt]

Surprisingly none yet! I have been playing most games made after 1990 though. I think it was more of an 80s era thing to pin crane rates to the cpu cycles but I’d be interested to know what games have issues.

[@christo930]

Putting aside the mostly pointless CPU upgrade, are there any games that would run on an SE30 that now won't run at the right speed? The RAM upgrade is a bit pointless too. The main barrier to performance of this machine is it being a B&W Mac. Much of the software that would benefit from these upgrades won't work on this Mac because they need something this Mac doesn't have, like color quick draw or a newer system version. Stuff that will work on this mac will not benefit nearly as much.

[@bakkus82]

Very well done! And yeah, those analog boards do have mounts for two separate fan assemblies: The one you have there, and the earlier centrifugal one known as the 'squirrel cage fan'.

[@JamieBainbridge]

I'm into DOS computers but I agree totally. I setup a DOS computer some years ago and it was exhausting all the TSRs and setup and stuff. Sometimes that's fun and sometimes I just want to play a game in DOSBox.

[@Quazaarz]

This is HEAVY :D Yesterday evening I put my MAC SE/30 back to LIVE

[@Ghost_70026]

I see you youtubers will never learn that adding annoying music in the background doesn't make your video better🤦🏻‍♂️.

[@lothean]

Amazing content. Keep it up! Wishing you a rain of well deserved views and subs

[@polymatt]

Much appreciated!

[@lovemadeinjapan]

Niet eens een extra videokaart. ZUCHT. Een SE/30 hoort met een extra videokaart. Oh wacht, je bent helemaal geen Vlaming, ik zit gewoon machinevertaalde meuk te kijken. DUBBELZUCHT.

[@amonster8mymother]

I have a se30 and se and I'm trying to upgrade them to use in my studio.

[@polymatt]

They're VERY upgradable. What are you planning on using them for?

[@amonster8mymother]

@@polymatt I have a emu emax and a few akai samplers with scsi. Possibly sound designer, alchemy 3 and sEdit.

[@TheMacGeek]

Very nice! I didn't know you could do all these upgrades on a Macintosh SE/30! I'd love to get one someday, but for now, my M2 Mac Mini will suffice.

[@polymatt]

I guess you’ll just have to suffer with your 128GB of unified memory while this beast has exactly 1,000 x less… wait… 😂

[@AmigaWolf]

Lovely computer now, but i do not like the Monochrome monitor, a great upgrade from a 16 MHz 68030 to a 40MHz 68040 CPU with MMU and FPU. I just upgraded my Amiga CD32 with a TF360, a 68060 OC to 72MHz with MMU but no FPU (with FPU cost just to much i think), Never have had such a fast Amiga CD32, the fastest i had was in 1996 with a SX32 Pro, that had a 68030 running at 50MHz.

[@BigBadBench]

Nice job; welcome to vintage Mac youtube!

[@polymatt]

Thea is so much!

[@derangedsynthesizer7598]

Wicked cool. Many lil tricks imparted along the way ;)

[@TorgeirBerg]

Couldnt really catch the cc, not a very zen-experience 😅 for you maybe.

[@asm1]

Nice video and nice SE30. Pretty much what I'm doing with my Brothers original SE30 from 1989, except it already had 128mb and a 50 mhz Dimmo 030 accelerator as well as an ethernet card. It is currently away getting recapped and the last bits fettled. The Mac batt battery replacement is a fantastic thing. I went for the 'off board version on leads and tucked away easily accessible without having to take the machine apart. I got to the original battery just in time (dated may 89!) and other than a few gooey caps the machine was in working order. SCSI HDD my brother had was removed and imaged using the BlueSCSI v2. I've got an SD extension to poke out the Kensington security slot, which means no messing around opening the case if I want to put new stuff on the SD (emulating with images is soooo easy!) I also use a BMOW compressed custom ROM - I bought the programmer and an 8mb SIMM from Caymac and "rolled my own". Handy having the Drivers for the accelerator actually in the ROM on boot, although being an 030 the functionality was pretty transparent and the machine booted anyway. Power supply - yes somebody has come up with replacements, I've gone with a pico PSU and adapter board, although the original PSU is being kept (just uninstalled) Other than that - the floppy drive needed a service/regrease and a cog replacing . Seems to have done the trick. Cant wait to get the machine back.

[@polymatt]

They’re awesome machines and I definitely need to try out the pico! Also this is a good reminder to service my floppy drives :) Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@thiagoennes]

oh the irony of a dual core rpipico playing scsi... 😅

[@polymatt]

Totally, right? I’m just stoked for the WiFi part.

[@thiagoennes]

@@polymatt nowadays it is inevitable to have things like that... i have used an attiny85 to exclusively control a servo. i mean, 4 adcs, 2 timers, a comparator, eeprom, ram and most of the flash basically just watching the cpu feel like the pass the butter robot 🤣

[@tekk9995]

Nice, I have the same configuration. Maybe do an indepth on configuring the TCP on this system? Where did you get that nice diskdrive and display btw? And wasn't it mandatory to change the 'gestalt ID' for the SE/30?

[@polymatt]

Hey there, Im definitely thinking of doing a focus on the software/config as I continue to upgrade it. The Disk Drive was one that I made a custom bracket for a Floppy Emu using an Apple Disk II drive. Check out my video on it! Also, I thought I'd need to use Wish I Were, but turns out with the drivers installed it just works!

[@jadenamber8378]

Aww...total soft spot for the SE/30. Except of the dirty ROM it was a perfectly awesome machine. My very first Mac.

[@polymatt]

💯… such an odd one-off of a machine. More powerful than its predecessors, super expandable and oddly still underpowered.

[@benhall3551]

Great video. I did all these mods to my SE-30 too, built off a new Bolle logic board. I used the rubber fixings from the noctua fan to secure the network adapter card.

[@polymatt]

Now that’s an awesome idea. I’ll definitely have to try that next time!

[@teddy0139]

You will get 100K subs by the end of the year.

[@Austin_Martin49]

Can it play doom?

[@polymatt]

Oooooh. It can. Well a version of it anyway… definitely a missed opportunity!

[@christo930]

I don't understand why you would chose to upgrade this particular computer. it is the fastest B&W classic Mac already. It can only play games that don't require color quick draw. There is not one game this can actually run that will benefit from the upgraded speed because it is already the fastest B&W Mac.

[@0202fabrice]

Agreed, but that's a good reason why a Micron SE/30 8-bit color card can be a worthwhile investment. The SE/30 has color QD ROMs, just needs the video card.

[@jugularzeus1157]

glad found you I sub to you keep up the good work love stuff like this

[@amonster8mymother]

Is that an internal or external bluscsi?

[@polymatt]

This one is designed to be internal. The only real differences are the form factor and connector. This one is designed to take the flat 50 pin SCSI ribbon cable.

[@amonster8mymother]

@@polymatt I'm trying to buy an internal one.

[@Longplay_Games]

This was really cool! Loving this channel

[@epiciphones]

i work at the ewaste recycle center and this week the Macintosh SE/30 came in the screen is broken but we going to save that bad boy compleet with everything even the original carrying bag

[@polymatt]

That’s awesome luck!

[@tanaseav]

Next time you want to fix some galvanized steel to that type of holes in a PCB, don't use superglue, just solder them 🙂

[@polymatt]

Totally! Didn't even think of that. Thanks for the tip!

[@desiv1170]

Yeah, I don't mind when people do this at all... I totally get it and great vid! For me, I wasn't a Mac guy back in the day, but my roommate in college had a Fat Mac and some of my classes had me working on some of the original (68k, 512k, maybe 1M) Macs, so that's the Mac I was familiar with, so when it came time for me to revisit the Mac, I got a Mac Classic. Yes, I did max it out with 4M RAM, but other than that, it's just a 68k Mac. Runs all the things I remember (Continuum!!!!). (Yes, I did recap it... That era machines just had those bad caps...) I've had people ask me why I didn't get an SE30, and I totally get that is a much better and more expandalbe machine... But for me, it's all about that original 68000 experience...

[@polymatt]

Totally agree. While the SE/30 is fun to play around with the Classic is far more nostalgic. Have you seen my unboxing/repair video of the new old stock Mac Classic?

[@desiv1170]

@@polymatt Oh, not sure if I saw that... Let me check... Thanx!!!

[@smilespray]

Really well done. I enjoy your channel and have the same hobbies and equipment. One piece of feedback: You're going about twice as fast as you need to. I keep having to pause and skip back. Even if you're not a fan of voiceovers, consider recording a dummy track to guide your tempo during editing. (I, for one, would welcome hearing your voice during your project.)

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much for the comment and the suggestion! I’m definitely trying to find the right balance of pacing and how long people are willing to watch videos :). As for the VO, it’s definitely something I’m considering.

[@cromulence]

@@polymatt Just to counteract this comment though, I watch most of my YT content at 2x speed and I enjoyed the pacing.

[@danyoutube7491]

As an Amiga owner back then I can understand the desire for an '040, not to mention the fastest variety, the 40Mhz one (a heatsink was never more important on a 680x0 than with the '040). For Mac owners it was the fastest 680x0 series because Macs moved onto PPC beyond that, and for Amiga owners it was the fastest one while Commodore was still going, and therefore felt like the fastest REAL Amiga CPU to me. We never had anything faster than the 68020 in our A1200 (and only clocked at 14Mhz) and in truth I had no good use for a 68040, but it was the pinnacle of Motorola speed for a few years, a massive jump from the '030 and something to dream of having :) Those all-in-one Macs were compact little works of art; there's something very satisfying about having your whole computer and monitor, minus input devices, neatly packaged in one small case.

[@95Comics]

Can those unpopulated ports on the back just be utilized by soldering in the ports or is there more internal work to be done?

[@polymatt]

The ones on the Ethernet breakout board? IIRC one of those ports is a generic 15pin that you can solder a connector. I was planning on using that for the Interware FPD board I’ve got but don’t have an FPD monitor to hook it up to!

[@onigvd77]

another update you can do is grayscale video on the monitor instead of just black and white

[@polymatt]

I’ve been trying to get my hands on Bolle’s grayscale card but it seems he’s not working on it anymore :(

[@BillyBlazeTheKeenest]

Your production values are very good! Great work. 😁

[@polymatt]

Much appreciated!

[@mikemoyercell]

Hey very nice, where did you get the fish paper with the adhesive backing?

[@polymatt]

Thanks! Found it on Amazon. Had some left over from a battery build I did a while back.

[@juliancorona234]

You just earned yourself a subscriber, by any chance do you have one for sale or can someone hire you to restore their retro computers? 😀

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much! I wish I had the time to take on builds but unfortunately I can barely find time to make these videos :). Glad you like the content!

[@ComblessMan]

Just brilliant, tip o the hat to you.

[@nerdistmaximus]

Now the question is, do you sell them, or just collect them. Amazing. So happy that I have found your channel. Wonderful work. Just got a near mint 466 FW SE Graphite iBook and am in love. Original battery still works and holds a 6 hour charge. Crazy.

[@polymatt]

Hey thanks so much! Glad you enjoy the videos. I mostly collect but sometimes I’ll buy things that are just fun projects and then donate them or sell them to other collectors. I’ve tried to keep my collection “manageable” these days… “try” being the operative word.

[@nerdistmaximus]

@@polymatt That is amazing. I am 53, and own a small one man IT company. I have never owned a classic or one of the original style Mac's. If you ever get one that you want to sell, let me know. I would love to have one. My hands are two shaky and eyes to bad to try to do what you do. Much love and respect. Wonderful content.

[@polymatt]

@@nerdistmaximus please reach out via the email listed on my channel. I just so happen to have one I’d be willing to part with. 😊

[@Calicarver]

I had an SE/30. I briefly recognized ResEdit flashing on the screen. A great tool to fix the file fork

[@MiguelGuatemala]

Absolutamente genial...

[@WelcomeToMarkintosh]

Great video! I also love the 5.25" drive case you put your Floppy EMU in-I hope you have a video about that. You do!

[@LYkOn-001]

para hacer esa cagada mejor usa un emulador

[@simyonsmith1561]

Bro kindly increase volume for your future videos.

[@polymatt]

Yeah good call. I’ve got another video coming out next week and think I’ve found a good balance.

[@dentjoener]

That original fan is a thing of beauty though. It might be loud etc, but those look like ball bearings. That's a big boy fan :)

[@detmer87]

Awesome work!

[@jpmacunha]

Sir, you just got a sub

[@scottgray9674]

So cool to see this done

[@scottDchicago]

Awesome video. Extreme talent was demonstrated.

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@OldAussieAds]

That is one fast Mac. Somehow, all those upgrades made your arms and hands also speed up 6x. Amazing!

[@polymatt]

😂

[@mabuchild]

太好了。继续吧。等着呢。期待。。。

[@JulienMR]

BlueSCSI v2 is useless I think, v1 would be plenty enough on this SE/30...

[@polymatt]

Im curious to why you think it would be useless? BlueSCSI v2 has WiFi networking, hot swappable SD cards, CD switching without rebooting, etc. Lots more than just a speed increase.

[@JulienMR]

@@polymatt You're right, I was just focusing on speed, that would be completely limited by the Mac

[@JulienMR]

@@polymatt however don't get me wrong : your Mac looks great ! I'm also curious about the gotek you use, can I find it easily? I chose the BlueSCSI v1.1 DB25 for my Mac SE (not /30 I'm afraid...), so that I can get the SD, and mount the image on an emulator to install plenty of stuff... I think it might be more convenient..?

[@polymatt]

@@JulienMR thanks! Yeah so the one I show is another project I did on my channel but it’s essentially a FloppyEmu. I’d say it’s maybe a little easier than a BlueSCSI v1 because you don’t have to use an emulator (most of the time) as long as you can find .dsk images, you can use them directly. If you do invest in a V2 it’s got a great SD card transfer utility where you don’t have to go into an emulator. You can copy files direct to a folder on the SD card and then open up a utility on your Mac that transfers them over.

[@alexandermcalpine]

Doom benchmark!

[@polymatt]

Wait there’s a Doom for classic Macs?! I mean of course there is… there’s a doom for your refrigerator but that’s exciting. I’ll have to do a short showing it running!

[@alexandermcalpine]

I don't know how they're doing it. (maybe Freedoom) I've seen videos of IIsi, SE/30s and Quadras though..@@polymatt

[@alexandermcalpine]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHrNoJqdjMaKoNU @@polymatt

[@TheBasementChannel]

Excellent as always! Always such a treat to watch your retro adventures. Congrats on the subs too! ↗️

[@polymatt]

Thanks for all the support!

[@TheoHoffmann]

awesome! wich camera do you use?

[@polymatt]

Thanks! I shot all of my videos so far on my iPhone 14 Pro using Filmic.

[@amtech_mike]

Excelent !

[@blaze9872]

Fantastic! Can't wait for the next video!

[@gblargg]

8:22 I love seeing old hardware pampered like that.

[@chemicalcastration4480]

This is one of those channels that at some point we will be able to brag to our friends about subscribing to when they were a small channel, whenever they’re over a million subs!

[@polymatt]

Hey, here’s hoping 🤞. Thanks for your support!

[@arnoldrehwinkel9938]

Hi there! Very nice upgrade of this fantastic machine. Keep up the good work!

[@polymatt]

Hey, thanks so much!

[@arnoldrehwinkel9938]

@@polymatt Can you do a Powermac G5 Quad upgrade?

[@willh5449]

one day the algorithm will catch on to how well made this content is

[@polymatt]

Thank you so much! Really glad you enjoy it.

[@chriscrossan8034]

Your attention to detail is admirable.

[@polymatt]

Thanks so much! Glad I was able to bring this one back :)