Save thousands on 2019 Mac Pro RAM with DIY upgrade

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware
The new Mac Pro can hold up to 1.5 terabytes of memory, but paying Apple's prices for more RAM from the base amount at the time of order can add up to $25,000 to the cost of the workstation. AppleInsider offers some aftermarket upgrades as cheaper alternatives to boost the memory capacity of your new 2019 Mac Pro with a quick DIY upgrade.

2019 Mac Pro RAM area for DIY upgrade


The reincarnation of the creative workstation, the new Mac Pro is built to be upgraded and serviced with ease. An easy-to-remove enclosure provides access to practically all of the main replaceable components, which savvy users could upgrade to more powerful versions down the line.

Apple itself fully intends the modular Mac Pro to be serviced by its customers, and has even released instructions on how to install RAM and MPX modules. This makes the Mac Pro ripe for after-purchase upgrades when an increase in performance is required.

Inflating Orders

One of the primary ways a Mac Pro order can swell in terms of cost is due to the memory options Apple provides at the time of purchase. The base models include 32 gigabytes of RAM, consisting of four 8GB DDR4 EEC memory sticks, with other options incurring an upgrade charge.

On the low end, this consists of $300 for two extra 8GB sticks to bring the total to 48GB, making it a relatively cheap upgrade on the scale. All other configurations of memory require a change from 8GB sticks to versions with higher capacity, and in turn making them four-digit and five-digit purchases.

For 96GB consisting of six 16GB modules, Apple charges $1,000, with 192GB (32GB modules) at $3,000, and 384GB (64GB modules) for $6,000.

Those wanting 768GB of memory have the choice of paying $10,000 for 12 64GB-capacity modules that fill every available memory slot. Alternately, for $14,000, the same 768GB can be made up of six 128GB memory modules.

The list of available memory upgrade options within the Mac Pro sales page
The list of available memory upgrade options within the Mac Pro sales page


In all of these cases, with the exception of the 12-module version of 768GB memory, there are sufficient memory slots available for future upgradability, so there is still considerable room for expansion.

For customers opting for a 24-core or 28-core processor, a further option is also available for 12 128GB modules, bringing the Mac Pro to its maximum capacity of 1.5 terabytes of memory. For the privilege of this, Apple asks customers to pay $25,000.

In the case of other Mac and Macbook models where a later memory upgrade is not possible due to the use of soldered-in RAM, paying more upfront for memory makes sense. For the Mac Pro, an immensely upgradable machine with easily accessible memory slots, getting memory elsewhere may be a better plan for saving money.

Upgrade Rules

According to Apple's memory requirements for the Mac Pro, it requires the use of memory of either 2666MHz DDR4 ECC or 2933MHz DDR ECC varieties. Apple does not recommend the mixing of memory speeds, and advises it uses 2666MHz on the 8-core Mac Pro while the others use the higher-speed versions.

The memory modules need to be 288-pin DIMMs of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB in capacity. Apple suggests the use of the same capacity memory modules across all installed slots to "maximize performance."

The Mac Pro is able to support Registered (R-DIMM) or Load-Reduced (LR-DIMM) modules. Only one type or the other can be used, as mixing the two together will result in a memory error flash of the status indicator light when the Mac Pro is turned on.

Furthermore, workstations configured by Apple will include R-DIMMS for up to 192GB capacities, while those set for 384GB or more will use LR-DIMMS.

Given that users seeking to install large capacities of memory may opt for the 32GB version and simply buy the memory they want, the speed and R-DIMM or LR-DIMM status doesn't need to match. It only matters if the 32GB option is going to be part of the final memory amount, but this may be unlikely in many cases.

Memory Suggestions

What follows is a list of suggested memory upgrades that are compatible with the Mac Pro. They are all divided based on the different capacity levels of memory modules required for each upgrade, but not in the quantities required for each upgrade.

With the exception of the 48GB version, all others are based on removing all modules included as part of the 32GB configuration and replaced with 6 or 12 higher-capacity modules. The 48GB upgrade is the exception, as it is just the addition of two 8GB modules to the pre-installed four, so therefore it only has to match up in terms of specification.

While opting for 12 64GB modules may be appealing to achieve the 768GB level, bear in mind that the cost saving that can be achieved by doing this is also accompanied by the problem of not being able to upgrade further without replacing modules to 128GB versions.

This is worth remembering on all levels, but it is especially so for the more expensive end of the scale.

As an example of the potential cost-savings, take the 192GB memory option, which Apple charges $3,000. Opting for three packs of the Nemix 64GB kit, which each consist of two 32GB modules, costs $198.99 per pair or $596.97 for the lot, equating to a saving of over $2,400.

8 Gigabytes 16 Gigabytes 32 Gigabytes 64 Gigabytes 128 Gigabytes Overall, boosting the amount of RAM in your 2019 Mac Pro can save you thousands of dollars as a DIY upgrade.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    watto_cobrastevenozmrmacgeek
  • Reply 2 of 24
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    I’ve used OWC RAM for many years and they’re good, stable and have lifetime warranties. 
    edited December 2019 muthuk_vanalingamsandorwatto_cobradoozydozen
  • Reply 3 of 24


    Heh heh.  Just for laughs.  Not a serious play on what really works and what doesn't.  Have a good weekend all.
    watto_cobrachasm
  • Reply 4 of 24
    To max out the memory with OWC only saves you $1000.  Given the total cost of the machine that’s not worth it.  If you’re upgrading at a later date that changes things...
    watto_cobraphilboogie
  • Reply 5 of 24
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    This is nonsense. 

    Apple doesn’t make RAM chips, they buy them from Samsung, and you can too.
    muthuk_vanalingamnetroxsandorMplsPfastasleep
  • Reply 6 of 24
    the big question is, can you drop in your own Xeon-W
  • Reply 7 of 24
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    To max out the memory with OWC only saves you $1000.  Given the total cost of the machine that’s not worth it.  If you’re upgrading at a later date that changes things...
    So you would throw $1000 away? 

    Yes you need to install quality RAM, but that is readily available. Apple has always screwed customers over on RAM. With the iMac and MacBooks there’s nothing you can do since it’s soldered in place. For the Mac Pro there’s no reason you should pad Apple’s pocketbook for something as easy to install as RAM.
  • Reply 8 of 24
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    the big question is, can you drop in your own Xeon-W
    Some, not all.
  • Reply 9 of 24
    MplsP said:
    To max out the memory with OWC only saves you $1000.  Given the total cost of the machine that’s not worth it.  If you’re upgrading at a later date that changes things...
    So you would throw $1000 away? 

    Yes you need to install quality RAM, but that is readily available. Apple has always screwed customers over on RAM. With the iMac and MacBooks there’s nothing you can do since it’s soldered in place. For the Mac Pro there’s no reason you should pad Apple’s pocketbook for something as easy to install as RAM.
    If you’re paying 60K+ for the machine saving 1K isn’t worth it.  Let’s say something is wrong, and you take it to an Apple Authorized repair shop, they could waste your time arguing it might be the memory (even when it’s not).  They could also hassle you about the warranty.  
    (If you’re spending that kind of money, you bought the extended)

    If the machine was 15k then the 1K saving is more significant and probably worth the risk.

    I’m assuming if you’re maxing the machine it’s for work, and any downtime is money.
    philboogiemrmacgeek
  • Reply 10 of 24
    Eric_WVGG said:
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    This is nonsense. 

    Apple doesn’t make RAM chips, they buy them from Samsung, and you can too.
    Apple buys the premium (middle) of all wafers which is more expensive. Apple memory has always been more reliable. 
  • Reply 11 of 24
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    To max out the memory with OWC only saves you $1000.  Given the total cost of the machine that’s not worth it.  If you’re upgrading at a later date that changes things...
    What are you talking about? Here's the Apple vs OWC comparison for RAM. I don't see where you're talking about only saying $1000 when maxing out the RAM. You save more when getting the RAM sets over the single item price (except for 32GB).
  • Reply 12 of 24
    sandorsandor Posts: 655member
    MplsP said:
    To max out the memory with OWC only saves you $1000.  Given the total cost of the machine that’s not worth it.  If you’re upgrading at a later date that changes things...
    So you would throw $1000 away? 

    Yes you need to install quality RAM, but that is readily available. Apple has always screwed customers over on RAM. With the iMac and MacBooks there’s nothing you can do since it’s soldered in place. For the Mac Pro there’s no reason you should pad Apple’s pocketbook for something as easy to install as RAM.

    Well, Apple isn't the only one - HP and others charge premium prices for workstation components as well, as has been pointed out before.

    But this is precisely why the soldered ram is such an annoyance - we have 2011 era Mac Minis running happily with 16 GB of RAM & SSDs. 
    They are still quite capable computers & because of their upgradability will continue to stay in service for quite a while.
    The same thing with our 2012 Mac Pros - 128 GB RAM, SSD boot drives, internal 4x 10 TB spinning storage, FC & PCI expandability for USB 3.
  • Reply 13 of 24
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    Going back to 1988, the only memory problem I’ve ever had, was a 1MB module for my Quadra 950, from Apple, for the CPU based video out, right before I bought the Radius graphics card. I have literally installed, in my machines, my company’s machines, and in machines here in the NYC schools, when I was an advisor there for many years, many terabytes of RAM. Never had a single problem from any of it.

    just buy memory from established vendors, and you’ll be fine.
  • Reply 14 of 24
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member

    Eric_WVGG said:
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    This is nonsense. 

    Apple doesn’t make RAM chips, they buy them from Samsung, and you can too.
    But it’s not that simple either (and not all Apple memory is from Samsung). Companies buy machines with installed RAM because of convenience and service contracts.

    when you install your own RAM, you lose the singularity that is met when all is bought from the machine manufacturer, or VAR. so Apple, as an example, and all manufacturers act the same here, warrants everything bought from them. Buy your own parts, and you may find yourself dealing with several suppliers during a service call. Whi,e that’s ok for a consumer, often, if they’re willing to bother switching parts around for service, it’s rarely acceptable for a large organization.

    going back to the late 1990’s, when I bought a rather expensive 12” color laser printer for myself, and wanted to upgrade the RAM, an Hp engineer told me to not buy Hp RAM, and buy it from my usual vendor instead because of the price differential. The reason he cited for their 16MB modules costing $675 instead of the $225 I could otherwise get them for was for the reasons outlined above. He said that Hp had to certify each module first to fit to its service plan, and for me, it wasn’t worth it as RAM is so reliable (it is!).

    its the same thing for Apple and other vendors.
  • Reply 15 of 24
    DuhSesameDuhSesame Posts: 1,278member
    melgross said:

    Eric_WVGG said:
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    This is nonsense. 

    Apple doesn’t make RAM chips, they buy them from Samsung, and you can too.
    But it’s not that simple either (and not all Apple memory is from Samsung). Companies buy machines with installed RAM because of convenience and service contracts.

    when you install your own RAM, you lose the singularity that is met when all is bought from the machine manufacturer, or VAR. so Apple, as an example, and all manufacturers act the same here, warrants everything bought from them. Buy your own parts, and you may find yourself dealing with several suppliers during a service call. Whi,e that’s ok for a consumer, often, if they’re willing to bother switching parts around for service, it’s rarely acceptable for a large organization.

    going back to the late 1990’s, when I bought a rather expensive 12” color laser printer for myself, and wanted to upgrade the RAM, an Hp engineer told me to not buy Hp RAM, and buy it from my usual vendor instead because of the price differential. The reason he cited for their 16MB modules costing $675 instead of the $225 I could otherwise get them for was for the reasons outlined above. He said that Hp had to certify each module first to fit to its service plan, and for me, it wasn’t worth it as RAM is so reliable (it is!).

    its the same thing for Apple and other vendors.
    This is why I think there's no need for MacBook Pros to have RAM slots, as well the upper limit is in the CPU and you can only go so far.
  • Reply 16 of 24
    melgross said:
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    Going back to 1988, the only memory problem I’ve ever had, was a 1MB module for my Quadra 950, from Apple, for the CPU based video out, right before I bought the Radius graphics card. I have literally installed, in my machines, my company’s machines, and in machines here in the NYC schools, when I was an advisor there for many years, many terabytes of RAM. Never had a single problem from any of it.

    just buy memory from established vendors, and you’ll be fine.
    I have actually had quite a few RAM failures on sticks from every foundry. Error chance goes way up with density. 128 GB LR-DIMMs are generally implemented as 36 chips of 4 GB each (for those unaware, ECC involves using groups of nine RAM chips which provide the capacity of eight chips and one for error correction). That's a lot of high-density chips. Fortunately, ECC handles the overwhelming majority of the problems I've seen in sticks which have it.

    Hopefully Apple will warn you if one stick has a much larger number of ECC corrections than the others in the box.
  • Reply 17 of 24
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    DuhSesame said:
    melgross said:

    Eric_WVGG said:
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    This is nonsense. 

    Apple doesn’t make RAM chips, they buy them from Samsung, and you can too.
    But it’s not that simple either (and not all Apple memory is from Samsung). Companies buy machines with installed RAM because of convenience and service contracts.

    when you install your own RAM, you lose the singularity that is met when all is bought from the machine manufacturer, or VAR. so Apple, as an example, and all manufacturers act the same here, warrants everything bought from them. Buy your own parts, and you may find yourself dealing with several suppliers during a service call. Whi,e that’s ok for a consumer, often, if they’re willing to bother switching parts around for service, it’s rarely acceptable for a large organization.

    going back to the late 1990’s, when I bought a rather expensive 12” color laser printer for myself, and wanted to upgrade the RAM, an Hp engineer told me to not buy Hp RAM, and buy it from my usual vendor instead because of the price differential. The reason he cited for their 16MB modules costing $675 instead of the $225 I could otherwise get them for was for the reasons outlined above. He said that Hp had to certify each module first to fit to its service plan, and for me, it wasn’t worth it as RAM is so reliable (it is!).

    its the same thing for Apple and other vendors.
    This is why I think there's no need for MacBook Pros to have RAM slots, as well the upper limit is in the CPU and you can only go so far.
    Yeah. There’s a dichotomy between what people think they need, and what they actually do need. If you need 32GB, then just get it. If not, then don’t.

    whether people like it or not, luggables evolved into laptops, which evolved into notebooks. Each step has been lighter and thinner. At the same time, they’ve become more powerful. we can buy gaming laptops that still weigh over 7 pounds and have lots of upgradable options, but also have battery life that’s under 3 hours, for the most part. These things can cost $7,000. If people really want those, they’re available. But Apple has never, until iOS, been a serious gaming platform, and much of that is because Apple never felt comfortable with that.


  • Reply 18 of 24
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member

    zimmie said:
    melgross said:
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    Going back to 1988, the only memory problem I’ve ever had, was a 1MB module for my Quadra 950, from Apple, for the CPU based video out, right before I bought the Radius graphics card. I have literally installed, in my machines, my company’s machines, and in machines here in the NYC schools, when I was an advisor there for many years, many terabytes of RAM. Never had a single problem from any of it.

    just buy memory from established vendors, and you’ll be fine.
    I have actually had quite a few RAM failures on sticks from every foundry. Error chance goes way up with density. 128 GB LR-DIMMs are generally implemented as 36 chips of 4 GB each (for those unaware, ECC involves using groups of nine RAM chips which provide the capacity of eight chips and one for error correction). That's a lot of high-density chips. Fortunately, ECC handles the overwhelming majority of the problems I've seen in sticks which have it.

    Hopefully Apple will warn you if one stick has a much larger number of ECC corrections than the others in the box.
    You’re just unlucky. I don’t know what else to say. I’ve known almost nobody with RAM problems over the decades, though it was somewhat more common back in the 1980s and early 1990s.
  • Reply 19 of 24
    DuhSesameDuhSesame Posts: 1,278member
    melgross said:
    DuhSesame said:
    melgross said:

    Eric_WVGG said:
    It'll only save you money if the end result is stable. Not to sew FUD, but RAM upgrades are notorious for introducing difficult to determine crashes. When it comes to DIY RAM upgrades, don't be cheap.
    This is nonsense. 

    Apple doesn’t make RAM chips, they buy them from Samsung, and you can too.
    But it’s not that simple either (and not all Apple memory is from Samsung). Companies buy machines with installed RAM because of convenience and service contracts.

    when you install your own RAM, you lose the singularity that is met when all is bought from the machine manufacturer, or VAR. so Apple, as an example, and all manufacturers act the same here, warrants everything bought from them. Buy your own parts, and you may find yourself dealing with several suppliers during a service call. Whi,e that’s ok for a consumer, often, if they’re willing to bother switching parts around for service, it’s rarely acceptable for a large organization.

    going back to the late 1990’s, when I bought a rather expensive 12” color laser printer for myself, and wanted to upgrade the RAM, an Hp engineer told me to not buy Hp RAM, and buy it from my usual vendor instead because of the price differential. The reason he cited for their 16MB modules costing $675 instead of the $225 I could otherwise get them for was for the reasons outlined above. He said that Hp had to certify each module first to fit to its service plan, and for me, it wasn’t worth it as RAM is so reliable (it is!).

    its the same thing for Apple and other vendors.
    This is why I think there's no need for MacBook Pros to have RAM slots, as well the upper limit is in the CPU and you can only go so far.
    Yeah. There’s a dichotomy between what people think they need, and what they actually do need. If you need 32GB, then just get it. If not, then don’t.

    whether people like it or not, luggables evolved into laptops, which evolved into notebooks. Each step has been lighter and thinner. At the same time, they’ve become more powerful. we can buy gaming laptops that still weigh over 7 pounds and have lots of upgradable options, but also have battery life that’s under 3 hours, for the most part. These things can cost $7,000. If people really want those, they’re available. But Apple has never, until iOS, been a serious gaming platform, and much of that is because Apple never felt comfortable with that.

    Two slots of RAM always give you half of the maximum capacity which that's where most laptops did, nor you can overclock it.  64GiB with 2666MT/s is really the best one can offer.  The same thing in Skylake/Kaby Lake except their LPDDR support is lagging.

    That, and as far as I can tell, most PC builders never went beyond having more than one graphics card with one M.2 SSD, really no big difference to an iMac (Pro).  No platforms last forever, they still have to ditch all of it at some point -- what's the point then?  Then here's Thunderbolt 3, where essentially an external PCIe.

    Then, think about all the arguments we have with the xMac.
  • Reply 20 of 24
    mrmacgeek said:
    Apple buys the premium (middle) of all wafers which is more expensive. Apple memory has always been more reliable. 
    This guy appears to have schooled a whole bunch of you. His point exists in isolation from the notion of needless overcharging and gives real world context to all the "it's fine" or "just to be safe" hand-waving. What he said should most certainly trump any discussions of cost until he is adequately (in your opinion) refuted.

    If you're convinced that, for example, buying OWC RAM compromises nothing, or there's no reason you can't otherwise just circumvent Apple and buy RAM that has the same specs, that's fine; simply be prepared to hold your own in discussions about wafers and the wafer supply chain.

    That being said, there appears to have been very little meaningful conversation on this topic since he raised the stakes. Either defer to the knowledge of such people, ask them to elaborate, or question how they came to know what they claim to know.

    I'll do it right now, I swear! How do you know? In disseminating this fact are you violating a current NDA? Or, and I believe this to be of equal importance, are you "violating" the terms of an expired NDA?

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