Apple Mac Pro "Six Core" 3.5 (Late 2013) Specs
Identifiers: Late 2013 - MD878LL/A - MacPro6,1 - A1481 - 2630
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There is no mistaking the "Late 2013" Mac Pro models for earlier ones as they present an Apple described "radical" departure from the large, highly expandable tower case design of yore and instead feature a compact dark gray, glossy cylinder design that is approximately one eighth of the mass but has limited internal expansion.
Apple explains that these "Space Gray" cylinder Mac Pro models are "designed around an innovative unified thermal core" and have not only faster processors than earlier models but also dual workstation class graphics processors, faster memory, and faster PCIe 2.0 x4 flash storage. Instead of internal expansion, the system provides extensive high speed ports for external connectivity options.
Specifically, this model -- the Mac Pro "Six Core" 3.5 (Late 2013) -- is powered by a single 3.5 GHz Six Core 22-nm Xeon E5-1650v2 processor with a dedicated 256k of level 2 cache for each core and 12 MB of level 3 "Smart Cache." By default, this model was configured with 16 GB of 1866 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM, a 256 GB SSD, and dual AMD FirePro D500 graphics processors with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory each.
Connectivity includes six Thunderbolt 2 ports, one HDMI 1.4 UltraHD port, 4 USB 3.0 ports, and Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports in addition to 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.
Originally, this model reportedly supported as many as three 4K displays or six Thunderbolt displays. However, on June 16, 2015, without updating the graphics cards themselves, Apple quietly increased the official support to as many as three 5K displays (5120x2880) -- two using Thunderbolt 2 ports and one using the HDMI port. The support for as many as six 2560x1600 displays using all six Thunderbolt 2 ports remained unchanged.
Also see:
- What are the differences between the standard "Late 2013" Mac Pro models? What are the differences between the standard and custom configurations of the "Late 2013" Mac Pro line?
- What are all the differences between the "Late 2013" Mac Pro models and the "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models that they replaced?
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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: |
October 22, 2013* |
Discontinued Date: |
December 10, 2019 |
| 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.
*This system first was revealed as a "sneak peak" on June 10, 2013 (but with limited specifics), "introduced" in more detail on October 22, 2013, became available for purchase on December 19, 2013, and first shipped on December 30, 2013.
On April 4, 2017, as part of what effectively amounted to an atypical apology from Apple about the direction of its professional Mac hardware, this model had its price slashed significantly.
Also see: All Macs introduced in 2013. |
| Processors: |
1 (6 Cores) |
Architecture: |
64-Bit |
| Geekbench 2 (32): |
16749 |
Geekbench 2 (64): |
18867 |
| 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 MacPro6,1 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): |
3211 |
Geekbench 3 (32): |
18266 |
| 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 MacPro6,1 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): |
3574 |
Geekbench 3 (64): |
20654 |
| 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 MacPro6,1 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): |
3790 |
Geekbench 4 (MC): |
17335 |
| 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 MacPro6,1 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): |
814 |
Geekbench 5 (MC): |
4607 |
| 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 MacPro6,1 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: |
3.5 GHz |
Processor Type: |
6 Core Xeon E5-1650v2 |
| Details: |
The 64-bit 22-nm "Xeon E5" processor, or more specifically the "Ivy Bridge-EP" based E5-1650v2, has six independent "cores" each with a dedicated 256k level 2 cache and 12 MB of level 3 "Smart Cache." It also supports "Hyper-Threading" -- which "allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core" (so OS X recognizes twelve total cores on this model, six real and six virtual) -- and "Turbo Boost" -- which "automatically boosts the processor speed based on workload" up to 3.9 GHz for this model.
Also see: How fast are the "Late 2013" Mac Pro models compared to one another? How fast are the "Late 2013" Mac Pro models compared to the "Mid-2012" models replaced? |
| Turbo Boost: |
3.9 GHz |
Custom Speeds: |
3.0 (8), 2.7 (12)* |
| Details: |
*Via custom configuration, this model also could be equipped with a 3.0 GHz Eight Core Xeon E5 (E5-1680v2) or 2.7 GHz Twelve Core Xeon E5 (E5-2697v2) processor. Originally, these custom processor configurations were an additional US$1500 or US$3000, respectively. On April 4, 2017, Apple quietly dropped the price of these custom processor options to US$800 or US$2000, respectively.
For reader convenience, EveryMac.com also has documented these configurations as their own models -- the Mac Pro "Eight Core" 3.0 (Late 2013) and Mac Pro "Twelve Core" 2.7 (Late 2013). |
| Processor Upgrade: |
LGA 2011 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: |
5 GT/s (DMI2)* |
Cache Bus Speed: |
3.5 GHz (Built-in) |
| Details: |
*This system has a "Direct Media Interface" -- specifically DMI2 -- that connects between the processor and chipset in lieu of the traditional system bus. |
| ROM/Firmware Type: |
EFI |
EFI Architecture: |
64-Bit |
| L1 Cache: |
32k/32k x6 |
L2/L3 Cache: |
256k (x6), 12 MB* |
| Details: |
*Each core has its own dedicated 256k level 2 cache and the system has 12 MB of level 3 "Smart Cache" as well. |
| RAM Type: |
PC3-15000 DDR3 ECC |
Min. RAM Speed: |
1866 MHz |
| Details: |
Uses "1866 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM" (PC3-15000) modules.
Also see: How do you upgrade the RAM in the "Late 2013" Gray Cylinder Mac Pro models? How much RAM do they actually support? |
| Standard RAM: |
16 GB* |
Maximum RAM: |
128 GB* |
| Details: |
In the standard configuration, 16 GB of RAM was installed as four 4 GB modules, but if a "Six Core" processor option was selected as a CTO upgrade for the entry-level ME253LL/A model, it originally was possible to configure this system with just 12 GB of RAM. With 16 GB of RAM, no slots are free.
*Apple formally supports 64 GB of RAM in this model, but third-parties have determined it can support 128 GB of RAM.
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: |
This system has four user-accessible memory slots. |
| Video Card: |
AMD FirePro D500 x2* |
VRAM Type: |
GDDR5 SDRAM |
| Details: |
*In the standard configuration, this system has dual AMD FirePro D500 graphics processors with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory each. This graphics processor has 1526 stream processors, a 384-bit-wide memory bus, 240 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and provide 2.2 teraflops of performance. However, if a "Six Core" processor option was selected as a CTO upgrade for the entry-level ME253LL/A model, it originally was possible to configure this system with slower dual AMD FirePro D300 graphics processors.
Via custom configuration, this model also originally could be upgraded to "dual AMD FirePro D700 [graphics processors], each with 6 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, 2048 stream processors, [a] 384-bit-wide memory bus, 264 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 3.5 teraflops performance" for an extra US$600. Apple dropped the upgrade price of this graphics processor to US$200 on April 4, 2017.
Also see: What are the default graphics cards provided with the "Late 2013" Gray Cylinder Mac Pro? What graphics card options are available? How do you upgrade the graphics card? Is it possible?
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: |
3 GB |
Maximum VRAM: |
3 GB |
| Details: |
Other graphics cards could be pre-installed at the time of purchase. Subsequent upgrades also theoretically may be possible, but the design is proprietary and third-parties are unlikely to create products given the limited market size. |
| Display Support: |
Up to 6 Displays* |
Resolution Support: |
5K (5120x2880)* |
| Details: |
*This system originally supported up to three 4K displays (3840x2160), but on June 16, 2015, Apple quietly increased this official support to as many as three 5K displays (5120x2880) -- two using Thunderbolt 2 ports and one using the HDMI port -- or as many as six displays up to 2560x1600 using Thunderbolt 2 ports. |
| 2nd Display Support: |
Dual/Mirroring |
2nd Max. Resolution: |
5K (5120x2880) x2* |
| Details: |
*This model originally supported as many as three 4K displays (3840x2160), but on June 16, 2015, Apple quietly increased the official support to as many as three 5K displays (5120x2880) or as many as six Thunderbolt displays (up to 2560x1600). |
| Standard Storage: |
256 GB SSD |
Std. Storage Speed: |
N/A |
| Details: |
At the time of purchase, this model also originally could be configured with 512 GB or 1 TB of flash storage for an additional US$300 or US$800, respectively. On October 27, 2016, Apple cut these upgrade prices to US$200 and US$600, respectively. Finally, on July 9, 2019, Apple cut these upgrade prices again to US$200 and US$400, respectively.
Also see: How do you upgrade the storage in the "Gray Cylinder" 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 Australia, site sponsor Upgradeable sells SSDs and other upgrades for this Mac Pro.
Also see: SSD Compatibility Guide for All G3 & Later Macs. |
| Storage Dimensions: |
Proprietary |
Storage Interface: |
Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x4) |
| Details: |
*This model uses a PCIe-based SSD rather than a SATA-connected one. Specifically, it uses a custom Apple design with a PCIe 2.0 x4 interface, which is capable of a theoretical maximum of 2 GB/s. |
| Standard Optical: |
None* |
Standard Disk: |
None |
| Details: |
*This Mac Pro does not have an internal optical drive. Site sponsor Adorama offers the external Apple USB SuperDrive for US$79. It writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL at 4X, DVD-R and DVD+R at 8X, DVD-RW at 6X, DVD+RW at 8X, reads DVD at 8X, writes CD-R at 24X, writes CD-RW at 16X, and reads CD at 24X.
Site sponsor Other World Computing also has a variety of compact external optical drive options that may be of interest, including some with Blu-ray capability.
Also see: What external optical drive options are available for the "Gray Cylinder" Mac Pro models? |
| Standard Modem: |
None |
Standard Ethernet: |
Gigabit (x2) |
| Details: |
This system has dual 10/100/1000BASE-T [Gigabit] Ethernet (RJ-45) ports. |
| Standard AirPort: |
802.11ac |
Standard Bluetooth: |
4.0 |
| Details: |
802.11ac Wi-Fi standard (802.11a/b/g/n compatible) and Bluetooth 4.0 standard. |
| USB Ports: |
4 (3.0) |
Firewire Ports: |
None |
| Details: |
This Mac Pro model has four USB 3.0 ports on the back of the system. |
| Expansion Slots: |
None* |
Expansion Bays: |
None* |
| Details: |
*This Mac Pro has no expansion slots in the traditional sense (PCIe, for example) nor expansion bays for additional storage.
Also see: What Thunderbolt external expansion boxes are available for the "Gray Cylinder" Mac Pro models?
In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells a wide variety of external expansion options and hand-picked accessories including external storage, stands, keyboards, cables, adapters, speakers, and more for this Mac Pro. |
| Incl. Keyboard: |
None |
Incl. Input: |
None |
| Details: |
Just like the Mac mini series, this Mac Pro does not ship with a keyboard and input device by default. |
| Case Type: |
Cylinder |
Form Factor: |
Mac Pro (Gray Cylinder) |
| Details: |
This Mac Pro uses a glossy, dark gray, machined aluminum cylinder shaped case. |
| Apple Order No: |
MD878LL/A |
Apple Subfamily: |
Late 2013 |
| Details: |
The Apple order number should be unique to this system. |
| Apple Model No: |
A1481 (EMC 2630) |
Model ID: |
MacPro6,1 |
| Details: |
Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model.
Also see: All Macs with the A1481 Model Number, the 2630 EMC Number, and the MacPro6,1 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 10.9.1 (13B4116) |
Maximum MacOS: |
12.x (Monterey)* |
| Details: |
*This system fully supports the last version of OS X 10.9 "Mavericks," OS X 10.10 "Yosemite," and OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" including Metal graphics acceleration. It is fully supported by the last version of macOS Sierra (10.12) and macOS High Sierra (10.13), also. Running macOS High Sierra (10.13) or later, it supports HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding), but it does not support hardware accelerated HEVC.
This model is compatible with the final version of macOS Mojave (10.14), macOS Catalina (10.15), and macOS Big Sur (macOS 11), as well. It additionally supports the final version of macOS Monterey (macOS 12), but it does not support Universal Control or AirPlay to Mac in addition to the more minor Spatial Audio, Portrait Mode, 3D Landmarks, and Interactive Globe features. It does not support macOS Ventura (macOS 13) or later.
Also see: Which Macs are compatible with macOS Monterey (macOS 12)? What are the system requirements? What are the major new features? Do all features work with all supported Macs? |
| Minimum Windows: |
8 (64-Bit)* |
Maximum Windows: |
10 (64-Bit)* |
| Details: |
*The pre-installed version of Apple's Boot Camp BCA formally supports the 64-bit version of Windows 8 on this model. Boot Camp 5 originally supported the 64-bit version of Windows 7, as well, but Apple quietly dropped support for it on March 5, 2014. Boot Camp 6 supports the 64-bit version of Windows 10. Earlier versions of Windows are not supported. |
| 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: |
9.9 x 6.6* |
Avg. Weight: |
11 lbs. (4.99 kg). |
| Details: |
In inches - height by diameter (25.1 cm by 16.8 cm). |
| Original Price (US): |
US$3999* |
Est. Current Retail: |
US$250-US$450 |
| Details: |
*US$3999 is the original price for the standard MD878LL/A configuration. If the original entry-level ME253LL/A model was upgraded to a "Six Core" processor at the time of purchase via custom configuration, but still configured with just 12 GB of RAM and the D300 graphics processors (rather than 16 GB of RAM and the D500 graphics processors like the standard MD878LL/A model), the original price was US$3499. On April 4, 2017, Apple cut the price of the standard MD878LL/A configuration to US$2999.
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. |
Global original prices for the Mac Pro "Six Core" 3.5 (Late 2013) 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$4099 |
Brazil: |
R$17.499 |
| Mexico: |
MXN $65,999 |
United States: |
US$3999* |
Original Prices - Europe
| Austria: |
€3999 |
Belgium: |
€4049 |
| Denmark: |
DKK 31,499 |
Finland: |
€4099 |
| France: |
€3999 |
Germany: |
€3999 |
| Ireland: |
€4099 |
Italy: |
€4049 |
| Luxembourg: |
€3848,22 |
Netherlands: |
€4049 |
| Norway: |
NOK 34.990 |
Portugal: |
€4099 |
| Spain: |
€4049 |
Sweden: |
SEK 36.995 |
| Switzerland: |
CHF 4'499 |
United Kingdom: |
£3299 |
Original Prices - Asia
| China: |
RMB 28,888 |
Hong Kong: |
HK$31,188 |
| India: |
Rs 299,900 |
Indonesia: |
Rp 50,999,000 |
| Japan: |
¥418,800 |
Korea: |
KRW 5,290,000 |
| Malaysia: |
RM 12,999 |
The Philippines: |
PHP 205,990 |
| Singapore: |
S$5,688 |
Taiwan: |
NT$132,900 |
| Thailand: |
THB 132,900 |
Vietnam: |
VND 93,999,000 |
Original Prices - Australia & New Zealand
| Australia: |
A$5299 |
New Zealand: |
NZ$6599 |
If you have additional original prices for this model, please get in touch. Thank you.
Ten of the most popular Q&As about the Mac Pro models follow.
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6 (Thunderbolt 2), 1 (HDMI 1.4 UltraHD) 
None 
None 
None 
None
None
4 (3.0)
None
2 (RJ-45)
None
None
1*
1*
1*
1*
1
None
1
N/A