Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

U.K. People, where do you buy Mac Pro upgrades?

sparkie1984

sparkie1984

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Dec 20, 2009
2,909
2,227
a small village near London
basically for those that haven't seen my other threads I acquired a 2009 Mac Pro which I want to turn into a daily use machine it's the base spec one 2.66ghz 3gb ram and a raid card.

What I want:

-PCIE ssd, I have a MacBook 2015 and would like speeds near that if even possible? The ssd thread confuses me about what my actual options are

- usb 3

- more ram say up to 6gb

- a better graphics card than the standard one but doesn't need to be bleeding edge

- be able to use the latest keyboard and trackpad, so airport card?

I'm not using it for heavy work or gaming, just want a half decent powerful machine.

What I'm not sure of is where to buy the bits from in the uk as almost every link on this site is US.

Thanks for any help
 
For PCIe SSD, get a New Mac Pro SSD and then install it via a PCIe card adaptor. Should be very straight forward. Just make sure you buy the right stuff (all info in that thread).

Inateck KT4004 should be the most painless USB 3 upgrade for 4,1.

3x2G DDR3 RAM, it should not be a problem for you. In general, ECC RAM is a better choice. But if you can get some cheap non-ECC desktop DDR 3 RAM, they will work as well.

Get a standard clock (800MHz) PC 2x6pin 7950 (or R9 280), and then flash it by yourself would be the easiest and relatively cheap option for GPU upgrade.

There is no requirement to have airport card. You can use those keyboard and trackpad via the lightning cable only.

But I have no idea where can buy those stuff in UK, sorry, can't help. May be easier to buy on the internet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sparkie1984
I'm in the Netherlands, but I'll answer all the same. I have a 2009 Mac Pro as well as a 2010 Mac Pro.
I used to buy everything from Dabs when I lived in the UK, I also used Amazon quite a lot.

PCI-E ssd
Click to expand...
The PCI-E SSD thread mentions many models. One that sticks out is the Capricorn Velocity. A quick check shows me that it is available through Amazon.

usb 3
Click to expand...
You need to read this thread and then work out what devices are available in the UK. Maybe try out Dabs, you could also try Amazon. A quick check shows me that the Sonnet Allegro is available through Amazon as is the Inateck KT4004.

more ram say up to 6gb
Click to expand...
I get all my RAM from Kingston (not the town but the electronics company).

a better graphics card than the standard one but doesn't need to be bleeding edge
Click to expand...
eBay has a lot of options including flashed cards, most retailers still have some cheap(ish) models that are still of use. For instance I recently picked up an HD 7950 for my 2010 and flashed it myself. You could also try Amazon.

be able to use the latest keyboard and trackpad, so airport card?
Click to expand...
The only option I would use for this is MacVidCards. Yes it will have to come from the U.S. and I'm afraid you may have to pay some import charges and tax on it.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
  • Like
Reactions: sparkie1984
thanks guys, appreciate the help.

I am fairly technical but get bogged down on large threads trying to keep up with what works and what doesn't.

I will have a flick through the threads mentioned. and drop a line to ,mac video cards about how he deals with it all
 
does anyone else do the airport cards apart from mac video cards? perhaps someone in the uk or europe?

The $60 shipping is quite a lot of money (I am not saying he's ripping us off, I appreciate its being shipped round the world) and perhaps I could find one from someone more local to cut the costs down a bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back