jnahnet

Q: I need help with adding memory to my Mac Pro tower

I have a Mac Pro G5 tower. After installing El Capitan, it slowed to a crawl. I took it to

the local computer shop and they ordered 4GB to add. This has taken 2 weeks, when the

memory arrived, it didn't fit. Is it that hard to add memory, is this something I can do myself?

How do I make sure it "fits"? I'd appreciate any help and thank you in advance.

OS X El Capitan

version 10.11.4

Processor: 2 X 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon,  Memory: 2 GB 800MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM,

Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 12, 2016 6:19 PM

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Q: I need help with adding memory to my Mac Pro tower

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  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jul 12, 2016 6:39 PM in response to jnahnet
    Level 5 (7,552 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 12, 2016 6:39 PM in response to jnahnet

    No it is not difficult, you just need to obtain the correct memory modules & then take some care when inserting them.

     

    Apple have guides for older Mac Pros, if you take off the door you will see instructions are also printed inside that indicate what order modules need to be added (they normally need to be in pairs).

    Mac Pro (Mid 2012 and earlier): How to remove or install memory - Apple Support

     

    You need to take care with static electricity when handling the modules, but that is not difficult unless you run around like a mad thing when doing the job. Grounding yourself on the case is normally enough before you remove the power connector as shown in Apple's guides. You also need to avoid using too much force but hopefully that is apparent to you already .

     

    Many online RAM providers will sell modules for your model, just take care to use reputable suppliers. Many people here recommend OWC, http://OtherWorldComputing.com/ I tend to use Kingston modules which are easier for me to find locally.

     

    If you are still unsure, seek out an Apple store but Apple did try to make it a painless process in these models.

     

    P.S, you don't have a G5 - that is the very old model with a different processor (that can't run 10.11). Look at the 'Apple menu > About this Mac' to see the model name.

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Jul 13, 2016 1:11 AM in response to Drew Reece
    Level 10 (189,016 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 13, 2016 1:11 AM in response to Drew Reece

    The poster has a 2008 Mac Pro since it is running El Capitan and has 800 MHz FB-DIMM memory