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Silver Tower Mac Pro (Dual Optical) Q&A - Updated May 23, 2013
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What version of the Mac OS is pre-installed on the Mac Pro? What is the maximum version of OS X supported by each series?
Each Mac Pro model originally shipped with a different version of the operating system. Maximum OS X support varies between lines, also.
Specifically, the Mac Pro models support these operating system versions:
| Mac Pro | Original Mac OS X | Maximum |
| Original | OS X 10.4.7 (8K1079) | OS X 10.7.5 |
| Original (2,1) | OS X 10.4.9 (8P4037) | OS X 10.7.5 |
| Early 2008 | OS X 10.5.1 (9B2117) | Current |
| Early 2009 | OS X 10.5.6 (9G3553) | Current |
| Mid-2010 | OS X 10.6.4 (10F2521) | Current |
| Mid-2012 | OS X 10.7.4* (11E53) | Current |
*Unusually, although the "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models first had OS X 10.7.4 pre-installed (and subsequently shipped with more recent versions of OS X), they also are capable of booting Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard."
It also is worth noting that the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models first shipped with Mac OS X 10.6.4 "Snow Leopard" using the 64-bit kernal by default, which made them the first Macs to do so.
Also see: How can I upgrade or "hack" an incompatible Intel Mac -- like the original Mac Pro -- to run OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion"? Is it even possible?
Can the Mac Pro run all Mac OS X applications written for PowerPC-based Macs?
A good percentage of Mac OS X applications written for PowerPC-based systems can run on compatible Mac Pro models if they are running Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" or Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" via the "Rosetta Universal Binary Translator." However, these applications may run more slowly than they would if they were "native" for Intel-based processors.
The always excellent MacInTouch [no longer online] prepared a list of "Universal Binary" applications that will run natively on the Mac Pro and other Intel-based Macs. The same website also has a list of applications written for the PowerPC with readers opinions regarding their performance using "Rosetta". You may wish to consult these lists to ensure compatibility with any particular application of interest [no longer online].
Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" is the last version of Mac OS X that supports Mac OS X software written for the PowerPC processor. If the Mac Pro has been upgraded to run OS X 10.7 "Lion" or later, it cannot run PowerPC Mac applications at all.
If support for older software is important to you, it likely would be wise to purchase a used Mac Pro capable of running Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard." As of the date last updated (see top), this version of the operating system still is capable of running both the majority of Mac software written for Intel-based Macs as well as the majority of Mac OS X applications written for PowerPC-based systems, too.
Also see: "What is Rosetta? What does it support?" from the "Macintel" Q&A.
Can the Mac Pro run Mac OS 9/Classic applications?
Apple provides no support for running Mac OS 9 or the "Classic Environment" on Intel-based Macs. The Mac Pro relies on the "Rosetta Universal Binary Translator" to run software for Mac OS X for PowerPC, and this emulator cannot run "Mac OS 9/Classic" applications.
If you have a mission critical application that only runs in Mac OS 9, you likely would be best served by maintaining an existing PowerPC-based Mac. However, you may also be interested in reading "Are there any third-party programs to run Mac OS 9/Classic applications on Intel Macs?" from the Mac OS 9/Classic Support Q&A.
Yes. Like all other Intel-powered Macs, the Mac Pro line is fully capable of running Windows, Linux, and other operating systems via Apple Boot Camp or by using "virtualization" software.
For more information regarding Windows on the Mac, please refer to EveryMac.com's extensive Windows on Mac Q&A.
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