Mac Pro Server Mid-2012

The Mac Pro "Quad Core" 3.2 Server (Mid-2012/Nehalem) features a single 3.2 GHz Quad Core 45-nm Xeon W3565 (Nehalem) processor with a dedicated 256k of L2 cache for each core and 8MB of "fully shared" L3 cache. Through custom configuration, this model also could be configured with a single 3.33 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (W3680) processor for an additional US$500, two 2.4 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (E5645) processors for an additional US$1075, two 2.66 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (X5650) processors for an additional US$2275, two 2.66 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (X5650) processors for an additional US$2275, or two 3.06 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (X5675) processors for a mere US$3475 extra. As requested by readers and because of significant technical differences between some systems, EveryMac.com has cataloged these custom options as distinct models.

By default, this Mac Pro Server is configured with 8GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM, two 1TB (7200 RPM, 32 MB cache) 3Gb/s Serial ATA hard drives, an 18X dual-layer "SuperDrive" and an ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory.

Expansion includes two external 5.25" "optical" bays (one available by default), four internal 3.5" "cable-free, direct attach" hard drive bays (three available 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).

Port selection includes five USB 2.0 ports, four Firewire "800" ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet, two Mini DisplayPorts and a dual-link DVI port, and more. AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR comes standard.

Please note that the "Mid-2012" Mac Pro Server models practically are identical to the "Mid-2010" Server models before them, but there are some differences in terms of specs and identifiers and EveryMac.com has documented them as distinct models, accordingly.

The 2012 server model was effectively a re-release of the 2010 model, with no significant hardware changes. [5] However, this fact did not diminish the machine's value. The 3.2 GHz Nehalem processor, combined with a configuration optimized for server use (8GB RAM, dual HDDs, and pre-installed OS X Server), remained a highly attractive option for users seeking a stable server within the Apple ecosystem. [5] Despite its two-year-old design, the robust build quality and unparalleled expandability provided significant peace of mind for long-term operation. While some lamented the lack of technological advancement at the time, its reliability as a mature platform was highly praised. [43]