Apple Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.8 (2010/Nehalem) Specs
Identifiers: Mid-2010 - MC250LL/A* - MacPro5,1 - A1289 - 2314-2*
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The Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.8 (Mid-2010/Nehalem) is powered by a single 2.8 GHz Quad Core 45-nm Xeon W3530 (Nehalem) processor with a dedicated 256k of level 2 cache for each core and 8 MB of "fully shared" level 3 cache. Via custom configuration, it also could be equipped with a single 3.2 GHz Quad Core "Nehalem" Xeon (W3565) processor or a single 3.33 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (W3680) processor.
By default, it was configured with 3 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM, a 1 TB (7200 RPM, 32 MB cache) 3Gb/s Serial ATA hard drive, an 18X dual-layer "SuperDrive" and an ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory.
Expansion includes two external 5.25" "optical" bays (one free by default), four internal 3.5" "cable-free, direct attach" hard drive bays (three free by default), and four PCIe 2.0 slots (one free PCIe 2.0 x16 slot and two free PCIe 2.0 x4 slots with the default single graphics card installed).
Ports include five USB 2.0 ports, four Firewire "800" ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet, two Mini DisplayPorts and a dual-link DVI port, among others. AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR is standard.
Although the "Mid-2010" models look essentially the same externally as the "Early 2009" models, all "Mid-2010" models are equipped with faster graphics and there are significant technical differences for the higher-end "Westmere" model as well with faster processors and as many as twelve cores (two six core processors) via custom configuration.
Also see:
- What are the differences between the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models? What are the differences between the standard and custom configurations of the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro line?
- What are the differences between the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models and the "Early 2009" Mac Pro models that they replaced?
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- Tech Specs
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Tech Specs
Click on a category for related details. The most commonly needed info is "open" by default, but all info is important. Asterisks (*) reference data in details fields.
| Introduction Date: |
July 27, 2010* |
Discontinued Date: |
June 11, 2012 |
| Details: |
The "Introduction Date" refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The "Discontinued Date" refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended.
*On August 9, 2010, Apple began accepting orders for this model.
Also see: All Macs introduced in 2010. |
| Processors: |
1 (4 Cores) |
Architecture: |
64-Bit |
| Geekbench 2 (32): |
8673 |
Geekbench 2 (64): |
9715 |
| Details: |
Geekbench 2 benchmarks are in 32-bit and 64-bit modes, respectively. These numbers reflect an average of user provided 32-bit and 64-bit results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.
You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit and 64-bit Geekbench 2 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.
To dynamically compare Geekbench 2 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Geekbench 3 (32): |
1992 |
Geekbench 3 (32): |
7511 |
| Details: |
These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 32-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.
You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.
To dynamically compare 32-bit Geekbench 3 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Geekbench 3 (64): |
2139 |
Geekbench 3 (64): |
8369 |
| Details: |
These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 64-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.
You also might be interested in reviewing all 64-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.
To dynamically compare 64-bit Geekbench 3 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Geekbench 4 (SC): |
2484 |
Geekbench 4 (MC): |
8047 |
| Details: |
These Geekbench 4 benchmarks are are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. All Geekbench 4 benchmarks are 64-bit. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.
You also might be interested in reviewing all single core and multicore Geekbench 4 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.
To dynamically compare Geekbench 4 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Geekbench 5 (SC): |
514 |
Geekbench 5 (MC): |
1953 |
| Details: |
These Geekbench 5 benchmarks are are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. All Geekbench 5 benchmarks for the Mac are 64-bit. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.
You also might be interested in reviewing all single core and multicore Geekbench 5 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.
To dynamically compare Geekbench 5 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Processor Speed: |
2.8 GHz |
Processor Type: |
Q. Core Xeon W3530 |
| Details: |
The 64-bit 45-nm Xeon W3530 (Nehalem) processor has four independent processor "cores" each with a dedicated 256k level 2 cache, 8 MB of "fully shared" level 3 cache, an integrated memory controller, and "a 128-bit SSE4 SIMD engine". It also supports "Hyper-Threading" -- which "allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core" (so Mac OS X recognizes eight total cores on this model, four real and four virtual) -- and "Turbo Boost" -- which "automatically boosts the processor speed based on workload" (so if an application is only using one of the four cores it will automatically increase the speed of the core in use and turn off the unused cores), in this case up to 3.06 GHz.
Also see: How fast are the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models compared to one another? How much faster are the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models compared to the "Early 2009" Mac Pro models replaced? |
| Turbo Boost: |
3.06 GHz |
Custom Speeds: |
3.2 (4), 3.33 GHz (6)* |
| Details: |
*Via custom configuration, this model also could be equipped with a single 3.2 GHz Quad Core "Nehalem" Xeon (W3565) processor for an additional US$400 or a single 3.33 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (W3680) processor for an additional US$1200.
As requested by readers, EveryMac.com also has documented these custom configurations as their own models. |
| Processor Upgrade: |
LGA 1366 Socket |
FPU: |
Integrated |
| Details: |
*Details regarding the processor mounting can be added when they become available. By default, this type of processor uses a Socket P (LGA 3647). |
| System Bus Speed: |
4.8 GT/s* |
Cache Bus Speed: |
2.8 GHz (Built-in) |
| Details: |
*This has a "QuickPath Interconnect" (QPI) system described as a "bidirectional, point-to-point connection" that provides "quick access to the disk, I/O, and other Mac Pro subsystems" in lieu of a "traditional" system bus. Intel reports that it runs at 4.8 GT/s. |
| ROM/Firmware Type: |
EFI |
EFI Architecture: |
64-Bit |
| L1 Cache: |
32k/32k x4 |
L2/L3 Cache: |
256k (x4), 8 MB* |
| Details: |
*Each core has its own dedicated 256k level 2 cache and the system has 8 MB of "fully shared" level 3 cache as well. |
| RAM Type: |
PC3-8500 DDR3 ECC |
Min. RAM Speed: |
1066 MHz |
| Details: |
Uses "1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM" (PC3-8500) modules.
Also see: How do you upgrade the RAM in the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models? How much RAM do they actually support? |
| Standard RAM: |
3 GB |
Maximum RAM: |
48 GB* |
| Details: |
By default, 3 GB of RAM is installed as three 1 GB modules. One slot free.
*Apple officially supports 16 GB of RAM in this model, but as first noted by OWC, it actually could support 32 GB of RAM. Later, OWC bumped this unofficial maximum RAM to 48 GB.
In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells memory -- as well as other upgrades -- for this Mac Pro.
In the UK, site sponsor Flexx sells memory and other upgrades for this Mac Pro.
In Germany, site sponsor CompuRAM sells memory and other upgrades for this Mac Pro.
In Australia, site sponsor Upgradeable sells memory and other upgrades for this Mac Pro.
Also see: Actual Max RAM of All G3 & Later Macs. |
| Motherboard RAM: |
None |
RAM Slots: |
4* |
| Details: |
*Four memory slots are provided on the "slide out" processor tray. Note that this model supports triple channel memory addressing and performance is improved by installing memory in groups of three. |
| Video Card: |
Radeon HD 5770 |
VRAM Type: |
GDDR5 SDRAM |
| Details: |
By default, an ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory is installed in a double-wide, 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot. The card has two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port. By custom configuration it also can be equipped with an ATI Radeon HD 5870 which also has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory for an additional US$200 or two ATI Radeon HD 5770 video cards for an additional US$250.
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?
In Spain, site sponsor iRepairs provides affordable repair and data recovery services. In-person and by mail repair services include the graphics card, power supply, and more for this Mac Pro.
|
| Standard VRAM: |
1 GB |
Maximum VRAM: |
1 GB |
| Details: |
Other graphics cards can be pre-installed at the time of purchase or can be installed later. |
| Display Support: |
Up to 6 Displays* |
Resolution Support: |
2560x1600* |
| Details: |
*Apple advertises that this system is capable of supporting up to six displays but notes that "connecting more than three displays requires installation of two ATI Radeon HD 5770 video cards". Apple also notes that there is "a maximum of two DVI-based displays per graphics card." By default, one ATI Radeon HD 5770 video card is installed and this default video card is capable of supporting three displays -- digital resolutions up to 2560x1600 and analog resolutions up to 2048x1536. |
| 2nd Display Support: |
Dual/Mirroring |
2nd Max. Resolution: |
2560x1600 |
| Details: |
The ATI Radeon HD 5770 is capable of supporting three 30-inch displays with a resolution of 2560x1600 in either dual display or mirrored mode.
Also see: Apple Cinema Displays. |
| Standard Storage: |
1 TB HDD |
Std. Storage Speed: |
7200 RPM |
| Details: |
By default, this system shipped with a single 1 TB (7200 RPM, 32 MB cache) Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive. Via custom configuration, Apple offered to swap the 1 TB drive with a 2 TB drive for an extra US$150 or with a 512 GB SSD for an extra US$1250.
Also see: How do you upgrade the hard drives in the Mac Pro models? How many drives of what type are supported?
In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells storage upgrades for this Mac Pro.
In the UK, site sponsor Flexx sells storage upgrades for this Mac Pro.
In Australia, site sponsor Upgradeable sells storage upgrades for this Mac Pro.
Also see: SSD Compatibility Guide for All G3 & Later Macs. |
| Storage Dimensions: |
3.5" (25.4 mm) |
Storage Interface: |
Serial ATA (3 Gb/s) |
| Details: |
Apple formally supports up to 8 TB of storage with four 3.5" 2 TB hard drives (one in each internal bay).
Also see: 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? |
| Standard Optical: |
18X DL "SuperDrive" |
Standard Disk: |
None |
| Details: |
Apple reports that this SATA "18X" double layer DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive "writes DVD+R and DVD-R discs at up to 18x speed, DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 8x speed, DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed, DVD-RW discs at up to 6x speed, reads DVDs at up to 18x speed writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at up to 32x speed, [and] reads CDs at up to 32x speed."
Also see: What options are available for the second "optical drive bay" on the Mac Pro? How do you install a second optical drive or replace the primary one? |
| Standard Modem: |
None |
Standard Ethernet: |
Gigabit (x2) |
| Details: |
The system has "two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T [Gigabit] Ethernet (RJ-45) interfaces with support for jumbo frames." |
| Standard AirPort: |
802.11a/b/g/n |
Standard Bluetooth: |
2.1+EDR |
| Details: |
AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR is standard. |
| USB Ports: |
5 (2.0) |
Firewire Ports: |
4 (800) |
| Details: |
This Mac Pro model has five USB 2.0 ports on the system (two on the front panel and three on the back) and four Firewire "800" ports (two on the front and two on the back). Apple also advertises that there are "two USB 2.0 ports on [the] included keyboard". |
| Expansion Slots: |
4 PCIe 2.0* |
Expansion Bays: |
4 3.5", 2 5.25" |
| Details: |
*This model has four full-length PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 expansion slots, two x16 slots and two x4 slots. In the default configuration, one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot is occupied by the graphics card. Apple also reports that "all slots provide mechanical support for 16-lane cards" and there is a "300W combined maximum for all PCI Express slots."
In the default configuration, one internal 3.5" bay is occupied by a hard drive and three are free, and one external 5.25" bay is occupied by a "SuperDrive" and the other is free.
Also see: How many PCI slots of what type are provided by each Mac Pro model? How do you install a PCIe card in the Mac Pro?
In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells a wide variety of internal and external expansion options and hand-picked accessories ranging from internal PCIe cards to external storage, stands, keyboards, cables, adapters, and more for this Mac Pro. |
| Incl. Keyboard: |
Apple Aluminum KB |
Incl. Input: |
Magic Mouse |
| Details: |
Shipped with an "ultra-thin aluminum" Apple Keyboard with an embedded numeric keypad (0.33 inches at the front edge) and the Apple wireless "Magic Mouse", where the "entire top is a seamless multi-touch surface" that allows one to "navigate using intuitive finger gestures". As an optional US$69 upgrade, this model also could be configured with a "Magic Trackpad" that provides multi-touch input like on a recent Apple notebook. |
| Case Type: |
Tower |
Form Factor: |
Mac Pro |
| Apple Order No: |
MC250LL/A* |
Apple Subfamily: |
Mid-2010 |
| Details: |
*On Apple's marketing documentation for this model, the company listed the Order Number as MC250LL/A. However, in the Online Store, the company used MC560LL/A. Both are documented accordingly. |
| Apple Model No: |
A1289 (EMC 2314-2*) |
Model ID: |
MacPro5,1 |
| Details: |
Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model.
*Although later systems, and official government filing documents, list the EMC number for this model as 2314-2, EveryMac.com has been able to establish via hands-on inspection and reader feedback that early systems share the 2314 EMC number (no hyphen 2) as the previous "Early 2009" Mac Pro line.
Also see: All Macs with the A1289 Model Number, the 2314-2* EMC Number, and the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier.
For more about these identifiers and how to locate them on each Mac, please refer to EveryMac.com's Mac Identification section. |
| Battery Type: |
N/A |
Battery Life: |
N/A |
| Pre-Installed MacOS: |
X 10.6.4 (10F2521) |
Maximum MacOS: |
X 10.14.x* |
| Details: |
*This system fully supports the last version of OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" and OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" with the exception of the "AirPlay Mirroring" and "Power Nap" features. It also supports the last version of OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" and OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" and is compatible with Mac-to-Mac AirDrop, but other advanced features are not supported. It is capable of running macOS Sierra (10.12) as well, although the Universal Clipboard, Auto Unlock, and Apple Pay features are not supported. This model is capable of running macOS High Sierra (10.13), and it supports HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding), but it does not support hardware accelerated HEVC.
Finally, this model is compatible with the last version of macOS Mojave (10.14) when equipped with a "recommended Metal-capable GPU." It does not support macOS Catalina (10.15) or subsequent versions of the macOS.
Additionally, please note that OS X "Lion" 10.7 and subsequent versions of OS X are not capable of running Mac OS X apps originally written for the PowerPC processor as these operating systems do not support the "Rosetta" environment. To run PowerPC applications on this Mac, it will be necessary to use Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard".
Also see: Which Macs are compatible with macOS Mojave (10.14)? What are the system requirements? Are 32-bit apps compatible? |
| Minimum Windows: |
XP SP2 (32-Bit)* |
Maximum Windows: |
8.1 (64-Bit)* |
| Details: |
*Apple's Boot Camp 4 supports the 32-bit version of Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, as well as the 64-bit version of Windows Vista on this model. Apple's Boot Camp 5 supports the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Although Apple does not support Windows 10 via Boot Camp 5 (officially or otherwise), this system meets Microsoft's hardware requirements and it very well may be possible to boot Windows 10 on this Mac. If you have installed Windows 10 on this system (successfully or unsuccessfully), please share the results of your experiment. Thank you. |
| MacOS 9 Support: |
None |
Windows Support: |
Boot/Virtualization |
| Details: |
Also see: Are there any third-party programs to run Mac OS 9/Classic applications on Intel Macs?
For more on running Windows on Intel Macs, please refer to the exhaustive Windows on Mac Q&A. |
| Dimensions: |
20.1 x 8.1 x 18.7 |
Avg. Weight: |
39.9 lbs. (18.1 kg) |
| Details: |
In inches - height by width by depth, (51.1 cm, 20.6 cm, 47.5 cm). |
| Original Price (US): |
US$2499 |
Est. Current Retail: |
US$400-US$500 |
| Details: |
Please note that on average the estimated current retail pricing of used systems is updated twice a year (please refer to the date on the bottom of the page for the date last updated).
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. |
Ports
Global Original Prices
Global original prices for the Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.8 (2010/Nehalem) in 34 different countries and territories follow; organized alphabetically by region.
For global original prices for Intel Macs in one particular country on a single page, please refer to EveryMac.com's Global Original Prices section.
Original Prices - North & South America
| Canada: |
C$2599 |
Brazil: |
R$8.299 |
| Mexico: |
MXN $39,999 |
United States: |
US$2499 |
Original Prices - Europe
| Austria: |
€2399 |
Belgium: |
€2449 |
| Denmark: |
DKK 18,999 |
Finland: |
€2499 |
| France: |
€2399 |
Germany: |
€2399 |
| Ireland: |
€2449 |
Italy: |
€2399 |
| Luxembourg: |
€2327,57 |
Netherlands: |
€2399 |
| Norway: |
NOK 20.990 |
Portugal: |
€2449 |
| Spain: |
€2399 |
Sweden: |
SEK 23.995 |
| Switzerland: |
CHF 2'899 |
United Kingdom: |
£1999 |
Original Prices - Asia
| China: |
RMB 19,998 |
Hong Kong: |
HK$19,488 |
| India: |
Rs 163,440 |
Indonesia: |
Rp 25,499,000 |
| Japan: |
¥228,800 |
Korea: |
KRW 3,490,000 |
| Malaysia: |
RM 8,199 |
The Philippines: |
PHP 134,990 |
| Singapore: |
S$3,688 |
Taiwan: |
NT$86,900 |
| Thailand: |
THB 87,900 |
Vietnam: |
VND 56,999,000 |
Original Prices - Australia & New Zealand
| Australia: |
A$3499 |
New Zealand: |
NZ$4499 |
If you have additional original prices for this model, please get in touch. Thank you.
Popular Q&As
Ten of the most popular Q&As about the Mac Pro models follow.
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3 
None 
None 
None* 
None
None
5 (2.0)
4 (800)
2 (RJ-45)
None
None
None
2
2
1
N/A
None
1
N/A