Most Frequently Asked Silver Tower Mac Pro (Dual Optical) Q&As:

How do you upgrade the hard drives in the Mac Pro models? How many drives of what type are supported?

What are the default graphics cards provided with each Mac Pro? What Mac Pro compatible video cards are available for purchase later? Which video cards have which ports?

How do you upgrade the hard drives in the Mac Pro to SSDs? What SSD options are available? Which SSD configuration provides the fastest performance?

What are the differences between the "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models and the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models that they replaced? Are there any differences? How can these lines be differentiated from one another?

How do you upgrade the RAM in the "Mid-2010" and "Mid-2012" (Nehalem/Westmere) Mac Pro models? What type of RAM do these models use? How much RAM do they actually support? Are these models backwards compatible with earlier Mac Pro RAM?

How fast are the "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models compared to one another? How fast are the "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models compared to the "Mid-2010" models replaced? Are they actually faster?

How do you upgrade the processors in the "Original/Early 2008" Mac Pro models? How are the processors mounted?

How do you upgrade the RAM in the "Early 2009/Nehalem" Mac Pro? What type of RAM does it use? How much RAM does it actually support? How do you install RAM to maximize performance?

What are the "pros and cons" of the Mac Pro? Is it right for my needs?

How do you install a second optical drive or replace the primary one in the Mac Pro models? What options are available for the second Mac Pro "optical drive bay"?

For all Dual Optical Drive Mac Pro (2006-2013) Q&As, check out the Silver Tower Mac Pro Dual Optical Q&A (Home). For other systems, visit the Q&A section.