Mac Pro CPU Upgradeability Confirmed With Processor Swap - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Mac Pro CPU Upgradeability Confirmed With Processor Swap

by

Following the release of the Mac Pro, a quick teardown by Other World Computing (OWC) revealed that the tower's Intel Xeon E5 processor was socketed and removable, theoretically allowing for future upgrades. All CPUs in the Mac Pro were found to use the same LGA 2011 socket standardized on the Mac Pro's motherboard.

Today OWC confirmed that the Mac Pro's processor is indeed upgradeable, successfully replacing the default Intel E5–1650 V2 6-core 3.50Ghz processor with an Intel E5–2667 V2 8-core 3.30GHz processor with 25MB of L3 cache, an option not offered by Apple. The upgraded processor gave OWC's machine a 30 percent multi-processor performance boost, outperforming Apple's standard 8-core option with a Geekbench score of 27004 vs. 24429.

upgradedmacpro
With a replaceable CPU, customers can purchase more affordable lower-configuration Mac Pros that can be updated in the future as processor prices drop. Prices for multi-core processors today remain high, with the CPU OWC used from Intel priced at $2000. Apple's own CPU upgrade options range in price from $500 to $3500. Based on the 3.7Ghz quad-core Intel Xeon E5 with 10MB of L3 cache, pricing from Apple is as follows:

- 3.5GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 with 12MB of L3 cache: +$500
- 3.0GHz 8-core Intel Xeon E5 with 25MB of L3 cache: +$2000
- 2.7GHz 12-core Intel Xeon E5 with 30MB of L3 cache: +$3500

The upgradeable CPU in the Mac Pro is a deviation from standard practice for Apple, with most consumer-oriented Macs featuring soldered processors. Along with a removable CPU, Mac Pro buyers are also able to upgrade memory and other components. In a recent teardown, iFixit gave the Mac Pro a repairability score of 8 out of 10, highlighting the easily accessible internal components and the non-proprietary screws.

Apple's Mac Pro is currently available exclusively through the online Apple Store. Due to low supply and high demand, new orders are not expected to ship until February or later, but customers who placed orders shortly after the computer went on sale have begun receiving units.

Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Mac Pro

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
Read Full Article
ios 26 iphone 16 pro lock screen notifications feature 1

iOS 27 Notifications Will Slide in From Left Side of Your iPhone's Screen

Friday June 5, 2026 7:24 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today revealed another iOS 27 change: notifications will slide in from the left side of the screen instead of from the top. In addition, accessing Notification Center on iOS 27 will require swiping down on the top-left corner of the screen. If you swipe down on the Dynamic Island area, a new "Search or Ask" interface tied to the revamped Siri will appear, instead of...
Read Full Article • 88 comments
WWDC26 Mock Feature 2

Will Apple Launch New Hardware at WWDC Next Week?

Friday June 5, 2026 7:56 am PDT by
Apple has several hardware releases in the pipeline, but will we see any of them unveiled at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference? WWDC is primarily a software event where new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS take center stage, but it's not unusual for Apple to introduce new hardware during the developer conference. Take WWDC 2017, for example, where Apple...
Read Full Article • 79 comments

Top Rated Comments

Lesser Evets Avatar
Lesser Evets
162 months ago
That ruins some doubters' rainy day parades. That new Pro isn't bad, from the reports coming out.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
P
proline
162 months ago
That ruins some doubters' rainy day parades. That new Pro isn't bad, from the reports coming out.
Don't worry, the whiners will move on to their next perceived issue or just go back to the garbage about lack of internal storage.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ugahairydawgs Avatar
ugahairydawgs
162 months ago
Too bad you can't order the new Mac Pro without any CPUs in it. The problem with ordering a lower model and then upgrading to a higher CPU model is that you're still stuck with the original CPU. I suppose you can try to sell it, but you're not going to get what you paid for it (relative to the cost of the machine) back. Unfortunately, Apple won't sell bare-bones machines and let users upgrade it themselves because they make all their BILLIONS by bending the customer over and shoving the parts in themselves at 200-600% markup. :eek:

Same as it is for any pre-configured OEM machine.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
sransari
162 months ago
NOWWW we're talkin...I understand that maybe Apple doesn't want to advertise after-market upgrades, but these types of simple, inexpensive, and effective upgrades is what makes Pro towers so valuable and desirable.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cal6n Avatar
cal6n
162 months ago

The upgradeable CPU in the Mac Pro is a deviation from standard practice for Apple, with most consumer-oriented Macs featuring soldered processors.

*snip*

Eh?

Although I agree that most consumer-oriented Macs have featured soldered processors for some time, the Pro line has employed socketed processors exclusively as a matter of course as far back as I can recall. Certainly as far back as the G3 PowerMacs and most likely even before that.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
Stephent
162 months ago
You live in hope… but don't forget that an upgradable CPU doesn't equal drive bays or PCIe slots.
To those people I would quote the Rolling Stones

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments