Mac Pro (2009 - 2012) Upgrades

The 2009, 2010 and 2012 Mac Pros are also very similar to the earlier Mac Pros, sold prior to March 2009. System Profiler (Apple Menu > About This Mac, then click the "More Info" button) is the best way to tell the difference - in the memory section of System Profiler, check the speed of the installed RAM modules.

This page deals with Nehalem and Westmere Mac Pros which use DDR3 1066MHz RAM (PC3-8500) for quad and 8 core models, and DDR3 1333MHz RAM (PC3-10600) for the 6 and 12 core. The earlier machines dealt with on here use DDR2 667MHz (PC2-5300) or DDR2 800MHz (PC2-6400) memory.

Externally this machine also looks very similar to the PowerMac G5 and the PowerMac G5 Dual Core. Internally this machine (like all Mac Pros) 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 and checking the CPU type since this machine uses an Intel Xeon and the older machines use a PowerPC G5.

Apple's own specifications for this Mac can be found here.

If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412 or by email for confirmation.

This page lists memory for the Mac Pro "Nehalem" (released March 2009 and August 2010) and the Mac Pro "Westmere" (released August 2010, June 2012), RAM upgrades for earlier Mac Pros are listed here.

The easiest way to find out what memory your 2009, 2010 or 2012 Mac Pro needs is to check memory type and number of slots in software.

Go to Apple Menu > About This Mac. On the window that comes up, click "More Info" - this brings up System Profiler. In the left hand pane of System Profiler select "Memory". The right hand pane now displays the slots the machine has and what memory you have installed. You can tell the type from the Speed column on any of the installed modules. This will be either 1066MHz (which is PC8500 memory), or 1333MHz (which is PC10600 memory).

If you do not have access to the machine, memory compatibility breaks down like this:

The Mac Pro Nehalem (the 2009 model, but also sold as a low end option from August 2010) was released in 4-core (1 x quad core) and 8-core (2 x quad core) models. The Mac Pro Westmere (only sold from August 2010, but the Nehalem was sold alongside it) was released in 6 core (1 x 6 core), 8 core (2 x quad core) and 12 core (2 x 6 core) configurations.

Memory speed differences are based not on the Nehalem/Westmere split, but on the number of cores. All quad core based (so 4 core and 8 core) machines use DDR3 PC8500 1066MHz memory. All 6 core based (so 6 core and 12 core) machines use DDR3 PC10600 1333MHz memory.

However the 2010 and 2012 models, both Nehalem and Westmere, can use 8GB modules which the 2009 models can't. The 8GB modules however are Registered modules which will only work alongside other Registered modules - in effect this means that if you want to use 8GB mdoules you have to use all 8GB modules and remove all others.

There are also differences in the number of slots: single processor machines (Nehalem 4 core and Westmere 6 core) have 4 slots. Dual processor machines (Nehalem 8 core, Westmere 8 core and Westmere 12 core) have 8 slots.

Please call us on 01223 833 412 if you need any advice.

The Mac Pro "Nehalem" and "Westmere" use a 5.25" SATA optical drive and have bays for two units. The following compatible products are available.

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.

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.

These Mac Pros use PCI-Express for their graphics cards. Listed below are the compatible products that we sell.

These Mac Pros uses high-bandwidth PCI-Express for their 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 802.11n Card.

The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.

Listed below are power supplies, batteries and related products we supply for this Mac.

Listed below are power cables, tools and related products we supply for this Mac.

With USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 connectivity, the Mac Pro can use a wide range of external hard drives. Please note that to use a FireWire 400 peripheral on a FireWire 800 connection, you will either need a 6pin - 9pin FireWire cable, or this adapter.

Additionally its PCI-Express slots allow additional connectivities such as eSATA and SCSI to be added, allowing yet more external storage options.