Mac Pro (2009 - 2012) Upgrades

This page deals with the Mac Pro "Nehalem" and "Westmere", produced from March 2009. For all earlier Mac Pros please see this page.

The Mac Pro "Nehalem" was released in March 2009, moving the range to the Intel Xeon 3500 and 5500 "Nehalem" processors, and moving from the DDR2 FB-DIMM memory to DDR3 PC8500 ECC DIMMs (fully compatible with DDR3 PC10600) which can be used in triple-channel mode. The two FireWire 400 connectors were also replaced with an additional 2 FireWire 800 ports and the optical drive moved from IDE to a SATA interface.

These Mac Pros were released in two major configurations: The lower end 4-core, which has a single quad core CPU and has 4 memory sockets each capable of taking an 8GB module for a total of 32GB (24GB in triple channel mode).

The high end 8-core machine has 2 x quad core CPUs and 8 memory sockets, each capable of taking an 8GB module for 64GB total.

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

In August 2010 Apple updated the Mac Pro with the new Intel Xeon "Westmere" processor, although they continued to sell the Nehalem machines as a low end option. All 2010 models can also use 8GB RAM modules for a maximum of 32GB or 64GB, depending on the number of slots.

The Westmere machines came with configurations based around two quad core or one or two 6-core processors. The memory type on the 6 core and 12 core 2010 machines has been upgraded to DDR3 PC10600 (1333MHz) memory. The quad and 8 core machines (both Nehalem or Westmere) use the same PC8500 (1066Mhz) memory as the 2009 machines, but are also fully compatible with the DDR3 PC10600 (1333MHz).

Apart from an upgrade to the graphics cards, this is the only difference between the machine as far as upgrading them.

Apple specs for the 2010 machines can be found here.

The lineup was refreshed in June 2012, but with little change to upgrades. Apple specs here.

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. The earlier models are dealt with here.

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.

Some models have 4 memory sockets while others have 8. The easiest way to find out how much memory your 2009, 2010 or 2012 Mac Pro can take 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.

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.

The important thing is that the 4 core and 6 core models have 4 memory sockets (max RAM 32GB in 4 x 8GB) and the 8 core and 12 core have 8 (max RAM 64GB in 8 x 8GB). There are also differences in the memory bus speed for the machines. 4 and 8 core models are 1066MHz while 6 and 12 cores are 1333MHz (PC10600). In practice all 2009 - 2012 Mac Pros can use the 1333MHz memory, and due to the increasing difficulty to source the slower RAM we sell this for the entire range. In the slower machines the RAM will downclock to the 1066MHz speed automatically.

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.

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 need a 6 pin - 9 pin FireWire cable.

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

Any complete machines of this type or similar that we have for sale are listed here. Please note that these are refurbished models with a 3 month warranty, and that delivery is likely to take 3 - 5 working days. These can be purchased online with the standard website courier delivery charge for the mainland UK only. Please contact us for a quote on shipping to other areas.

Here are the various repair services we offer for this Mac. You can have us take the machine in for evaluation, or book a fixed-price repair if you already know what the fault is and the service is listed below (for services without parts, please see the relevant tab on this page for compatible parts that we sell). If you know what the fault is, but we don't have a fixed-price repair listed below, please contact us for a quote.