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

Much like upgrading the memory, upgrading the hard drives in the Mac Pro models is simple, but some basic instructions are helpful nevertheless.

All Mac Pro models have "four independent 3Gb/s Serial ATA cable-free, direct attach hard drive bays" with "four internal hard drive carriers included", and precisely the hard drives must meet these specifications:

• Type: SATA 3 Gbps*
• Width: 3.9 inches (102 mm)
• Depth: 5.7 inches (147 mm)
• Height: 1.0 inch

*The Mac Pro "Eight Core" 2.8 (Early 2008) also supports Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drives with the installation of the Mac Pro RAID card.

By default, a single 3Gb/s Serial ATA (8 Mb cache) hard drive is installed in the first of four bays. The original Mac Pro Quad 2.66 formally supports a total capacity of 2 TB and the Mac Pro "Eight Core" 2.8 (Early 2008) formally supports up to 4 TB. Although not mentioned on Apple's primary website, 1.5Gb/s Serial ATA hard drives also will work in all Mac Pro models and the Developer's Notes for each the original and Early 2008 models show an additional "two unpopulated 3 Gbps SATA buses for expansion".

The quick hard drive installation instructions are:

1. Backup all data on the Mac Pro and verify that the backup is successful.

2. Shut down the Mac Pro, unplug it, and disconnect any cords or cables.

3. Although it is probably most intuitive to just open the computer and remove or install hard drives from the side, Apple recommends that service technicians "open the computer, and lay it on its side with the access side facing up".

4. Flip the latch on the rear of the computer to the "up position" so it is no longer flush with the case (see below). When the latch is down, an orange indicator will be visible, the hard drives will be locked into place, and the drive carriers cannot be removed.

Photo Credit: Site sponsor PowerMax. PowerMax also provides a number of other photos that you may find helpful when upgrading the hard drives or other internal components.

5. Pull one or more hard drive carriers out of the drive bays.

Photo Credit: Site sponsor PowerMax. In this photo, drive carriers one, three, and four have been removed.

6. Attach a compatible hard drive to a hard drive carrier using a Phillips #1 screwdriver. Apple warns service technicians to "hold the drive by its sides" and to "be careful not to touch the printed circuit board on the bottom of the drive."

7. Slide the hard drive-equipped carrier back into an available bay until it clicks into place. No cables are needed.

8. Confirm that the hard drives are installed properly and close the latch to lock the drives into place.

For more information on hard drives in the Mac Pro, you may wish to read special reports on exceeding the maximum formally supported drive capacity in RAID sets and finding the fastest possible boot drive courtesy of the always excellent BareFeats.

To purchase hard drives or memory for the Mac Pro models, please visit site sponsor Other World Computing.