Apple Mac Pro “Eight Core” 2.26 (Early 2009/Nehalem) – Professional 64-bit Workstation

Identifiers: Early 2009 · MB535LL/A · MacPro4,1 · A1289 · EMC 2314

Introduction / Discontinuation

• Released: March 3, 2009
• Discontinued: July 27, 2010
• Device Type: Professional desktop workstation

Overview

The Mac Pro “Eight Core” 2.26 (Early 2009) introduced Apple’s transition to the Intel Xeon Nehalem architecture. Powered by two 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Xeon E5520 processors (8 cores total, 16 threads with Hyper-Threading), it featured Turbo Boost for dynamic performance scaling and QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) to replace the traditional frontside bus. This was Apple’s most advanced professional tower of the time, designed for video, audio, and 3D production.

Externally identical to the earlier 2008 Mac Pro, the 2009 model redesigned the internal layout with a removable processor/memory tray, four PCIe 2.0 slots, four FireWire 800 ports, and support for up to 128 GB of ECC DDR3 RAM in later macOS versions.

Technical Specifications

• Boot ROM: MP51.0089.B00 (official High Sierra) -> upgraded to
• CPU: 2× Intel Xeon E5520 @ 2.26 GHz (Quad Core, Nehalem)
• Architecture: 64-bit, Hyper-Threading (16 threads), Turbo Boost to 2.53 GHz
• Caches: 256 KB L2 per core, 8 MB shared L3 per CPU
• System Bus: 6 GB (6x1GB) DDR3 ECC SDRAM standard (1066 MHz), max 128 GB, 8 slots
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, 512 MB GDDR3 · 1× Mini DisplayPort + 1× Dual-Link DVI
• Display Support: Up to 2 displays by default (up to 2560×1600 each), up to 8 displays with 4 GPUs
• Storage 1: Hitachi HDE721064SLA360 640GB SATA 3Gb/s Buffer: 16MB 7200rpm
• Storage 2: Western Digital WDC WD3200AAJS 320GB SATA 3Gb/s Buffer: 8MB 7200rpm
• Storage 3: empty
• Storage 4: empty
• Optical: 18× Dual-Layer SuperDrive
• Networking: Dual Gigabit Ethernet · Bluetooth 2.1+EDR · AirPort 802.11a/b/g/n optional
• Ports: 5× USB 2.0 (480 Mb/s) · 4× FireWire 800 (800 Mb/s)
• Expansion: 4× PCIe 2.0 slots (2× x16, 2× x4) · all support full-length cards
• Form Factor: Tower · Aluminum enclosure with removable processor/memory tray
• Dimensions / Weight: 20.1 × 8.1 × 18.7 in · 41.2 lbs (18.7 kg)
• 4,1 – Pre-Installed macOS: Mac OS X 10.5.6 Leopard – OCT 2007
• 4,1 – Maximum macOS: Mac OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan (official) – 2015
• 4,1 – Windows Support: Windows XP SP2 – Windows 8.1 (Boot Camp / Virtualization)
• 5,1 – Pre-Installed macOS: MacOS X 10.7.4 Lion – 2012
• 5,1 – Maximum macOS: MacOS X 10.14.x – Mojave – 2018
• 5,1 – Windows Support: XP SP2 (32-Bit) – 8.1 (64-Bit) (Boot Camp / Virtualization)
• Original Price (US): US$3,299
• Current Collector Value: ~US$400–$550 (depending on condition and upgrades)

Design & Build

• Iconic aluminum tower enclosure shared with earlier Mac Pros and Power Mac G5.
• Redesigned interior with a removable CPU/RAM tray for easier upgrades.
• Tool-less drive bays with direct-attach SATA connectors for quick swaps.
• Quiet, industrial-grade cooling for professional studio environments.

Performance & Features

• Dual Quad-Core Nehalem Xeons with Hyper-Threading provide 16 logical cores in macOS.
• Turbo Boost automatically increases clock speeds for lightly-threaded workloads.
• Supports up to 128 GB DDR3 ECC RAM (OWC discovered higher limits than Apple’s official 32 GB).
• PCIe 2.0 expansion for pro-grade graphics, RAID, and I/O cards.
• Capable of driving multiple 30″ Apple Cinema Displays simultaneously.

Collector Notes

• One of the first Macs to introduce the Nehalem Xeon architecture, bridging Intel Core i7-era features into the Mac Pro line.
• Highly regarded for reliability, expandability, and professional use in audio/video production.
• Popular upgrades include SSDs on SATA or PCIe cards, more powerful GPUs (Radeon HD 5870, Metal-capable cards), and maxed-out ECC memory.
• Still usable today with macOS El Capitan or patched newer versions via community tools
• Upgrade CPU from Xeon E5520 x2 (8×2.26 GHz) to Xeon X5570 x2 (8×2.93 GHz)
• Give it a try with: Intel Xeon W5590
• Upgrade RAM from (6x1GB) to 8x 16GB DDR3 1866 Mhz 2RX4 ECC (128GB)
• Upgrade to 4 x 2TB HDD

Historical Context

The Early 2009 Mac Pro marked a leap forward in professional Mac computing, introducing Intel’s
Nehalem Xeon processors, Hyper-Threading, and Turbo Boost to Apple’s workstation line.
It set a new standard for performance and expandability, serving creative professionals through the late 2000s
and early 2010s. Even today, it remains a favorite among collectors and modders thanks to its robust aluminum
design and up-gradable internals.

Compatible GPUs

• MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDDR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon PULSE RX 580 8GB GDDR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition
• NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition

Update Firmware MP51.0089.B00 (official High Sierra) -> upgraded to 144.0.0.0.0

Trying to install MacOS X 10.14.6 – Mojave (2018) using a not supported GPU – MSI RTX 2060 Ventus 6G OC (MS-V375) we get this error

All available versions: