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Silver Tower Mac Pro Q&A - Updated May 28, 2013

• Feb 02, 2015  The Expansion Utility only works with 1,1 and 2,1 Macs (2006 and 2007 Models) only. The OP has a 3,1 (2008 Mac Pro) On the 3,1 the bottom two slots are 16 Lane, PCIe revision 2.
• Expansion Slot Utility in macOS Catalina, for the new Mac Pro pic.twitter.com/SL0YHS50id — Guilherme Rambo (@inside) July 1, 2019.

Jul 01, 2019  Apple ushered some major changes with the Mac Pro and though it gave us a lot of information regarding it at its WWDC unveiling, we are still learning some new details about it thanks to the second beta of macOS Catalina. First spotted by iOS developer Stove Moser, we learned about the revival of the Expansion Slot Utility app.

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How many PCI slots of what type are provided by the Mac Pro models? How do you install a PCIe card in the Mac Pro?

All Mac Pro models support PCIe (PCI Express) cards, but the type of cards supported varies, particularly between early and later systems. The installation procedure varies, too.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Mac Pro)

Identification Help

If you're not sure which Mac Pro you have, several lines share the A1186Model Number so this identifier is insufficient for the purpose of ensuring PCIe card compatibility. The A1289 model number is sufficient to identify the 'Early 2009,' 'Mid-2010' and 'Mid-2012' Mac Pro lines, which share the same PCIe slots.

However, each Mac Pro series can be identified uniquely externally by EMC Number and 'close enough' to an exact match to determine PCIe compatibility by the Model Identifier in software. In turn, each model can be uniquely identified via model identifier and one or more secondary identifiers (like processor speed and/or processor type).

The EMC number is located on the rear of the system in small type. To locate the model identifier in software, select 'About This Mac' under the Apple Menu on your computer and click the 'More Info...' button. If the Mac Pro is running OS X 'Lion' (10.7) or later, click the 'System Report' button after clicking 'More Info...' as well.

A full chart of the Mac Pro lines, corresponding identifiers, and PCIe compatibility is provided below.

EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature -- as well as the EveryMac app -- also can identify these systems by their Serial Numbers. More details about identifiers are provided in EveryMac.com's Mac Identification section.

Supported PCIe Card Types

The original Mac Pro models have four PCIe 1.0 expansion slots with one double-wide 16-lane PCI Express slot occupied by a NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT in the default configuration, and three full-length PCI Express slots open.

The 'Early 2008' Mac Pro models have two PCIe 2.0 and two PCIe 1.0 expansion slots, with one double-wide 16-lane PCIe 2.0 slot occupied by an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT in the default configuration. This leaves one 16-lane PCIe 2.0 slot and two four-lane PCIe slots open.

The 'Early 2009,' 'Mid-2010,' and 'Mid-2012' Mac Pro models have four full-length PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 expansion slots, two x16 slots and two x4 slots. In the default configurations, one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot is occupied by the graphics card. There is a 300W combined maximum for all PCI Express slots in these models as well.

These details are easiest to visualize as a chart (for simplicity, the Server models have been omitted, but they have the same PCIe support as the 'regular' models):

PCIe Card Installation Instructions

To add a PCIe card to the Mac Pro models, site sponsor Other World Computing provides helpful step-by-step videos of the simple procedure.

Mac Pro PCIe Card Installation Video
Original (2006 & 2007) & Early 2008 (A1186)

Mac Pro PCIe Card Installation Video
Early 2009, Mid-2010 & Mid-2012 (A1289)

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After watching these videos, it should be clear that installing a PCIe card in all Mac Pro models is simple. However, if you do not feel comfortable -- or have the time -- to perform the installation yourself, hiring a professional never is a bad idea.

PCIe Card Purchase Options

In addition to providing helpful upgrade videos, Other World Computing sells a variety of PCIe cards as well as other upgrades -- for all of the Mac Pro models.

Popular PCIe card upgrades from OWC include USB 3.0 cards, higher performance video cards, eSATA controllers, and PCIe cards equipped with fast SSDs, although other upgrade options are available, too.

Also see:

• 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 does the original Mac Pro allocate lanes for the PCIe bus? What configurations are possible?
• 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?

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Cylinder Mac Pro Q&A - Updated May 5, 2017

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How many PCIe slots of what type are provided by the Gray Cylinder Mac Pro models? What Thunderbolt 2 external expansion chassis are available?

Earlier Mac Pro models have industry-standard PCIe slots. However, the Gray Cylinder Mac Pro models have no PCIe slots at all.

In the company press release, Apple boasts that the Cylinder Mac Pro is 'the most radical Mac ever' and refers to it as a 'reinvented' Mac for professional users. When it comes to expansion, the Cylinder Mac Pro definitely is a radical departure from previous professional Macs.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Left - Tower Mac Pro, Front; Right - Cylinder Mac Pro, Back)

This shift from extensive internal expansion options with previous Mac Pro models to extensive external expansion options -- courtesy of six Thunderbolt 2 ports -- is one reason Apple was able to make the Cylinder Mac Pro so much smaller than its predecessor.

Although many long-term professional Mac users, particularly those with a significant investment in internal storage and PCIe cards might prefer to stick with an older Mac Pro (at least for now), it would have been necessary for many to migrate to Thunderbolt 2-based solutions when it became time to upgrade to a Cylinder Mac Pro.

However, as of April 4, 2017, Apple has quietly acknowledged that professionals prefer a more upgradable system and are hard at work on a 'modular design' with greater expansion potential.

Thunderbolt 2 External Expansion Chassis

The Cylinder Mac Pro has internally upgradable memory and a single SSD storage module, but adding PCIe cards requires one to purchase a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 expansion chassis for upgrades. External Thunderbolt 2 hard drives and RAID boxes can be added, too.

The number of Thunderbolt 2 expansion boxes available is increasing all the time, but two of potential interest are available from Sonnet Tech and site sponsor Other World Computing.

Photo Credit: Sonnet Tech (Left) & OWC (Right)

The box on the left, from Sonnet Tech, is the Echo Express III-D, which provides three PCIe slots and a built in 300 watt power supply.

The box on the right, from OWC, is the Mercury Helios, which provides a single x16 PCIe 2.0 double width card slot at an affordable price point.

For the Mercury Helios, OWC also provides a helpful instructional video that covers installation of a PCIe 2.0 card (specifically the OWC Accelsior Pro Q, although the process is nearly identical for any standard PCIe card):

From watching the video, it is clear that installation is straightforward.

Cylinder Mac Pro Expansion Chassis Summary

Ultimately, by purchasing a Thunderbolt 2 expansion chassis it is possible -- and even quite easy -- to add a PCIe card or multiple PCIe cards to a Cylinder Mac Pro.

However, it will be necessary for users who need PCIe expansion to calculate the cost of adding an expansion chassis to a new Cylinder Mac Pro.

Of course, for those who like PCIe expansion in one neat, if comparatively massive computer, there is no shame in preferring an older Mac Pro model, either, at least for now.

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Cylinder Mac Pro Expansion Chassis Purchase Options

No matter which expansion chassis you purchase for your Cylinder Mac Pro, be sure to buy from a quality vendor with a good reputation in your country.

In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor OWC sells both the Sonnet Echo Express III-D and their own Mercury Helios Expansion Chassis.

In Australia, site sponsor Macfixit sells a variety of Thunderbolt 2 PCIe Expansion Chassis from Sonnet and OWC alike with fast, flat-rate shipping Australia-wide and a money back guarantee.

In Southeast Asia, site sponsor SimplyMac.sg sells a variety of Thunderbolt 2 products, including the Sonnet Echo Express III-D, with free delivery -- and optional installation service -- in Singapore as well as flat rate shipping to Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea.

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EveryMac.com is provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the author thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Use of any content or images without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.