History
This page deals with Mac Pro computers made between August 2006 and March 2009, upgrades for the Mac Pro "Nehalem" released in March 2009 are listed here.
With the release of the Mac Pro, Apple finished its move from PowerPC to Intel processors. The Mac Pro replaced the PowerMac G5 Dual Core as Apple's high-end workstation.
Although the case was virtually unchanged, the change from the PowerPC G5 to the Intel Xeon dropped the thermal output of the machine considerably, allowing some of the cooling equipment of the previous machine to be removed to make way for more hard drive bays - addressing one of the major complaints with the PowerMac G5. Apple's specifications of the original Mac Pro can be found here.
In January 2008 Apple released an improved model using Xeon 5400 series processors as opposed to the 5100 series, the bus speed improved from 1.33GHz to 1.6GHz. Apple's specifications for this revision of the Mac Pro can be found here.
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How to Identify these Machines
Externally this machine looks very similar to the PowerMac G5 and the PowerMac G5 Dual Core. Internally the machine is much more spacious with room for 2 optical drives and 4 hard drives, as opposed to 1 optical drive and 2 hard drives on the G5s.
An easy identification between PowerMac G5 and Mac Pro can be made by opening the System Profiler utility (Apple Menu > About This Mac, then click the "More Info" button) and checking the CPU type since this machine uses an Intel Xeon and the older machines use a PowerPC G5.
These Mac Pros are also very similar to the later Mac Pro "Nehalem", released in March 2009. System Profiler is the best way to tell the difference - in the memory section of System Profiler, check the speed of the installed RAM modules. The Nehalem Mac Pros use DDR3 1066MHz RAM (PC3-8500), where as the earlier machines dealt with on this page use DDR2 667MHz (PC2-5300) or DDR2 800MHz (PC2-6400) memory.
There are two main revisions of Mac Pro dealt with on this page, the earlier ones use Xeon 5100 series processors, have a 1.33GHz bus speed and can take up to 32GB of 667MHz FB-DIMM RAM (see Apple specs). The later ones use Xeon 5400 series processors and can take up to 32GB of 800MHz FB-DIMM RAM (see Apple specs) - to distinguish between them use System Profiler to check the bus speed or RAM speed. For Mac Pros using a Xeon 3500 or 5500, see the Mac Pro "Nehalem" page.
If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412 or by email for confirmation.
Memory Upgrades
This page lists memory for Mac Pro computers made between August 2006 and March 2009 only, RAM upgrades for the Mac Pro "Nehalem" released in March 2009 are listed here.
These earlier Intel Xeon based Mac Pro requires FB-DIMM (fully buffered
DIMM) memory. FB-DIMM RAM has excellent performance and reliability
compared to normal DDR2 memory - it is however more expensive.
There are 8 RAM slots in the Mac Pro, the earlier models take 667MHz FB-DIMM RAM and can take up to 32GB in 8 x 4GB modules.
Later Mac Pros (from January 2008) use 800MHZ FB-DIMM RAM and can take up to 32GB in 8 x 4GB modules.
| 1 | Compatible with pre Jan 2008 models only - Mac Pros with 1.33GHz bus speed and 667MHz speed RAM chips. |
| 2 | Compatible with post Jan 2008 models only - Mac Pros with 1.6GHz bus speed and 800MHz speed RAM chips. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy
The RAM is installed on 2 riser boards, each one holding 4 sockets.
Simply turn off the machine, slide the risers out, insert the new RAM, and slide the risers back in.
Apple's instructions for fitting RAM into this machine are here.
CD & DVD Drive Upgrades
The Mac Pro has slots for two optical drives, these are controlled by standard IDE interfaces so any normal 5.25" unit will fit. However non-Mac-specific units will not integrate fully with Apple operating systems.
The Mac Pro also has USB, USB 2.0, FireWire and FireWire 800 connectivity, which allows it to use a wide range of external CD/DVD drives.
| 1 | Only fully supported under Max OSX 10.5 or later - see product page for more details. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 2 / 5 - Easy (internal)
Refer to this pdf document on Apple's website for detailed instructions on installing an internal optical drive.
For external drives, simply connect the unit via the supplied cable, and install any supplied software.
Internal CD/DVD drives are mounted in a removable 2 bay cage.
Turn off the machine and remove the side access panel.
Lay the Mac on its side and ensure the latch on the back panel of the machine is in the up position.
Pull the optical drive mounting cage (located top left as you look at the machine on its side) away from the machine, detach the power and IDE cables to allow it to be completely removed.
The existing optical drive is secured by four screws and can be easily removed or replaced. A second drive can also be mounted in the free bay.
Reconnect power and IDE cables - note, the first (middle) IDE connector should be used for the top drive - and replace the mounting cage in the machine.
Internal Hard Drive Upgrades
In a major improvement over the PowerMac G5, the Mac Pro has mountings for up to 4 internal SATA 3.5" hard drives. Fitting is easy since all the bays are readily accessible.
If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.
Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 2 / 5 - Easy
For detailed instructions on installing internal hard drives in the Mac Pro, see this pdf on Apple's website.
Shut down the computer and remove the side access panel.
The four hard drive bays are in a horizontal row below the power supply and optical drive bays. There is no need to mess around with cables, the drives can be just slid in and out.
Slide out a drive tray - empty if installing an additional drive, or the one containing the drive you wish to replace.
Fit the new drive(s) with the screws which are already in position.
Slide the drive bay back in until you feel it snap into position.
Restart your Mac and format the new drive with Disk Utility.
eSATA Storage
This Mac can have an eSATA controller card added into an expansion socket - allowing it to control an array of eSATA drives.
For an explanation of what eSATA is, please see our eSATA FAQ. To see our full listing of eSATA products, please see the eSATA category.
eSATA products compatible with this Mac can be found on this page - eSATA controllers can be found on in the expansion cards section, eSATA enclosures are with the external hard drives, and SATA hard drives are listed with the internal hard drives.
Graphics Card Upgrades
These Mac Pros use PCI-Express for their graphics cards. Listed below are the compatible products that we sell.
| 1 | Compatible with post Jan 2008 models only - Mac Pros with 1.6GHz bus speed and 800MHz speed RAM chips. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy.
Install software, Turn off Machine, open side door. Remove the existing
graphics card from its PCI-Express slot, and insert the new card in its
place. If you are unsure call or email our
team. Apple's installation instructions can be found here.
Expansion Card Upgrades
Like the dual-core PowerMac G5, the Mac Pro uses high-bandwidth PCI-Express for its expansion cards. PCI-Express slots are not backwards compatible with PCI/PCI-X cards, so the only expansion cards for the Mac Pro are those listed here. The Mac Pro also has a slot for an Airport Extreme Card.
| 1 | There are a number of warnings with this product, please see the product page for full details. |
| 2 | Requires 10.4 or later on the Mac Pro. |
| 3 | Requires Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or later. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy (PCI-Express).
Install software, Turn off Machine, open side door. Locate a free
PCI-Express socket and remove holding screw. Replace card with
new Card - If you are unsure call or email our
team. Apple's installation instructions can be found here.
Keyboards & Mice
The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Power Supplies & Batteries
Listed below are power supplies, batteries and related products
we supply for this Mac.
Cables & Tools
Listed below are power cables, tools and related products
we supply for this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
External Hard Drive Upgrades
With USB, USB 2.0, FireWire and FireWire 800 connectivity, the Mac Pro can use a wide range of external hard drives.
Additionally its PCI-Express slots allow additional connectivities such as eSATA and SCSI to be added, allowing yet more external storage options.
| 1 | Requires an eSATA connection to be added to this Mac (eg Tempo E2P). |
| 2 | This product requires an eSATA controller that support port multipliers, such as the Sonnet Tempo X4P or Sonnet Tempo E4P. |
| 3 | This product is an accessory for the Sonnet Fusion D500P external SATA controller. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy
Install any supplied software, attach the new drive with the supplied cable, and format the drive with Disk Utility.
