The IIvx has 32k L2 cache and a 68882 co-processor, which makes it superior to its Performa 600 cousin, but both are significantly slower than a IIci and even others of the earlier Mac II series.

I used a Performa 600 for some 5 years, and it worked fine as a word processor; I still have the beast, which now seems slower than cold molasses, truth be told. Years later, I was given my CENTRIS IIvx, and it is slightly faster but really not by much.

The problem with the machines was obviously the half-speed bus. Otherwise, the IIvx in particular would have had a lot going for it.

Question: Was the slow bus a real cost-saving measure (many dollars or just pennies?), or were the machines deliberately hobbled so as not to compete with the others in the line?