
Apple Support Article HT4433 helped explain the process, but for those familiar with hardware upgrades it is a very straightforward procedure.įor the processors, I decided to go “all out” and get the highest performance processor I could find. It is a completely tool-less process and requires only removing the side panel from the computer, and then removing the processor tray from the bottom. The Mac Pro RAM is surprisingly easy to upgrade, second in ease perhaps only to the Mac Mini. Prices have now dropped even further, and the same 6x4GB configuration of RAM now costs only $244 as of the date of this article. I started with the easy part, and ordered 24GB (6x4GB) of RAM from Other World Computing. Considering the options, I decided to accept the risk and move forward with the upgrade.Īpple’s support article explains everything you need to know about RAM upgrades.
#Buy ram for mac late 2011 upgrade#
The RAM would be simple, but I knew the CPU upgrade would be a challenge and that there was a risk that I could irrevocably damage my Mac. The upgrade would come in two phases: RAM and CPU. But if you choose to follow my lead and upgrade your own Mac Pro, please understand that you do so at your own risk. In my case, the warranty had expired so I had nothing to lose in that department. I’d like to take the time to mention here that everything discussed in this article, except for the RAM upgrade, most definitely voids your warranty. Back in June, with the impending launch of Final Cut Pro X and the increasing number of other high-performance applications that seemed to be running slower and slower on my Mac Pro, I knew the time had come to perform the upgrade I had planned.


As one of Apple’s few remaining “upgradeable” line of computers, I hoped to upgrade the processors and RAM in the future. When I purchased the machine about two and a half years ago, I knew I wanted eight cores but at the time I could only afford the 2.26GHz option and 6GB of RAM. My primary workstation is a 2009 8-core Mac Pro.
