How to upgrade SSD & RAM in the 2019 Mac Pro: NVMe

[@zackerymcpherson9409]

I believe the static bag attracts electricity to the outside of the bag to keep it from the inside, if this is true, you would not want to set it on the bag.

[@Ast3rixMusic]

Has anyone tried swapping those factory ssd's with non-apple branded ones yet and used the apple configurator to flash the T2 chip firmware on to them yet? I can't believe apple did this stuff. They charge to much for apple branded components. SSD's and memory are cheaper as third party purchases. They really need to allow us to put in third party ssd's this makes no sense for a machine that costs as much as a car.

[@BrianLife]

Thanks, Can this New SSD be used as the Bootable? Im looking to completely change drives. My internal 1TB SSD is full. I would like to back it up, then Migrate that complete bootable back up over to a New 4TB SSD drive...? I have the M.2 and an SSD PCIe, card 4TB. Is this all I need? I'm on a Mac Pro 2019?... How can I do this? Please.

[@patelspd]

It shows up as external also yours do as well from the video?

[@dmann200]

I don’t see any link for the ssd adapter card. Can you provide it?

[@photoshopcafe]

Its in the description, but here: amzn.to/2tMCAGT

[@nicksaya]

Hi I’m rebooting up on my 2019 Mac Pro tower from external. That all works great but I want to clone that drive to the internal drive that the mac comes with. Problem is when I boot up from external the internal mac drive doesn’t show on desktop. I see all other drives. So when I go to my cloning program I can’t select the internal mac drive to clone to. Why is this? Is there a fix?

[@明李-c3z]

Does it available to use the PCIe SSD as internal storage for OS installation? The stock SSD modules from apple are absolute expensive.😭😭😭😭

[@kylelog2022]

thank you so much. can i have a question? i bought a wd blue 3d nand sata ssd m.2 2280 and pci e m2 card. but it is not working on my mac pro 2019. could you recommend me?

[@ryananderson8576]

so i bought the OWC accelsior 4 m.2 nvme board and put 4 Samsung 970 evos plus on it brand new and my 2019 mac pro would not turn on i got 2 blinking amber lights so i tried just 1 of Samsung 970s and it read so then i tried 2 still 2 amber lights so i then tried formating each 970 and again same issue and will only allow 1 970 to work i tested the accelsior for n a different computer no issues with the accelsior so is this a Mac OS Monterey issue?

[@jimmuller9863]

I see you added the 32Gb RAM in the outer two slots (3 and 10), but Apple advise that the higher capacity RAM needs to be added smallest to largest capacity in the order of the channels, which would suggest the the 32Gb RAM should be installed in slots 4 and 9 (channel 5). Any reason why you did it this way rather than following Apple advise?

[@teddym2808]

Wouldn't it be better to put some thermal pad and small heatsink on the NVME drive?

[@2krazyketos]

I’m looking at buying the base Mac Pro and possibly upgrading to the Radeon Pro W5700X with 16GB. Do you suggest that or upgrading the gpu in my own? I heard you loose thunderbolt ports if you upgrade on your own. BTW, upgrading from a 2017 27” iMac with a 4.2. Looking for better video editing performance in final cut and premier.

[@photoshopcafe]

The 16 Radeon looks like a nice option. Wasn't available when I got mine.

[@2krazyketos]

@@photoshopcafe so do you think its worth the $600 upgrade? Is it true if you remove the stock GPU, you lose thunderbolt ports? I'm getting the base hard drive and processor figuring processors will lower in price in the future. Right now I can get the mac pro for $5500 plus $550 for the 16 radeon so I feel like its a good deal

[@editmonsterkurt]

Thanks for the great info sir. Have a great day

[@JesseMoffett]

Wait so with the adapter, you don’t need to have Apple configure the T2 chip? You can just to it all yourself?

[@photoshopcafe]

Yes, you can add yourself.

[@everlastinggaming6507]

So installed the items and the write is running 500 mb/s slower than yours any reasons why?

[@HQA0]

Is it bootable?

[@JesseMoffett]

is getting the 256GB the best deal, and upgrade from their....or is their any advantages to jumping up to the 1TB from Apple?

[@photoshopcafe]

I got the 1Tb because this is my boot disk and I want to have all my apps on it in one place, 1Tb seems to be the best size for me.

[@RusstafaB]

Great video good to see you are very careful about ESD Thanks

[@photoshopcafe]

Russtafa B yeah, In a former life I.was a telecommunications technition

[@justinmathew130]

very good video

[@paulchiu]

Hi Why start with the 48G RAM for your 12 core? why not start with just 32G RAM? Is there an advantage this way? Thanks.

[@photoshopcafe]

No, I should have started with 32Gb, but I ordered day 1 so I was unsure of upgradability at that time as noone had tried yet, so I wanted at least enough to work with if I couldn't upgrade right away. Knowing what I know now, I would have gotten 32 and then added my own.

[@paulchiu]

@@photoshopcafe Thanks! I am ordering before 12/31 to take advantage of the 6% Apple Card rebate. Thinking of the 12 Core version as well. Like you, I also use the Macbook Pro 16 as daily and travel driver. Is it true that the 12 core Mac Pro runs silent and runs Photoshop and Final Cut Pro slightly faster with less fan noise over the Macbook Pro 16 top version? Thanks again

[@photoshopcafe]

@@paulchiu Yes, its absolutely silent.

[@Generalstussner]

Why did you insert the card in an x16 slot? The adapter card is just x4.. :-) I have a similar card in a thunderbolt case, it works nicely.

[@photoshopcafe]

It doesn't do any harm, its not taking full advantage of the x16, but I put it further away from the I/O board so I can get more airflow around it, as I said, I doubt that does anything, but until I need to use an x16 slot, I don't see any problem. Am I wrong?

[@AaronDigitalMuppet]

Also, will Bootcamp have any problem with installing Windows on this SSD set up?

[@teddym2808]

I have a question.. will this take a standard pcie card for extra USB 3.0 ports? I'd like certain USB 3.0 stuff on their own bus, and thunderbolt stuff on their own bus. The Sonnet 4 port USB3 card is the one I am thinking of.. Also, is it easy to attach power to such a card or do I need to buy an adapter for that too? Definitely want it powered, like a powered USB 3 hub so to speak but it has it's own dedicated bus on a pcie card.

[@samgeurdi6351]

The internal drive is running through the t2 encryption chip. If you run the Evos in a raid over a multi board you can clock it around 7000MB/s

[@photoshopcafe]

I don't believe the EVO is running through the T2. The preinstalled SSD is though.

[@samgeurdi6351]

photoshopCAFE “Internal” is the one that comes preinstalled and needs to be handled by Apple if you need to upgrade that storage since it runs through the T2 security chip. You however have a extension with the Evo wich can achieve 7000MB/s in a Raid configuration set-up. Sorry for the confusion.

[@photoshopcafe]

@@samgeurdi6351 Yup, you can't change it yourself.

[@thetube4607]

Hi Colin. Which other upgrades can be carried out DIY on the Mac Pro? and what would be the optimum number of Cores to have, to achieve the best configuration for the least amount of bucks? I sound a miserable sod but a few grand in my pocket is better than it being in Apple's! Great video btw. PPS. I hear they are looking for someone to replace Tommy Lee Jones in the new Men in Black VIII. lmao!

[@diatomsaus]

I would suggest a cheap heatsink cover for the EVOPlus SSDs, those heat up drastically when in use. Mine would sometimes shut down if I perform other actions (ie mass delete files, use as scrap disc) when processing image stacks. The 970Pro does a way better job.

[@photoshopcafe]

Macro Cosmos Microscopy good to know. Hopefully the cooling in the MP is good enough, I'll keep my eye on that. Any sugestions on a good HS?

[@diatomsaus]

@@photoshopcafe Not sure about desktops, for my laptop, I just put a piece of metal shielding on. Fixes most of the crashes. It will still stuff up under intense workloads if I don't leave it alone. I would say the average newegg HS does the trick. If the cooling of the mac pro is alright or one doesn't do intense stuff (focus stacking 300+ frames, panorama stitching etc, rendering huge videos), I think it's fine. Those 970Pro ones are way too expensive and hard to get in my country.

[@photoshopcafe]

@@diatomsaus I'm also concerned that a heatsink could block the airflow of the cooling, because of the way Appple are cooling, for example, Apple say dont use heatsinked RAM because the buildup of heat could damage the board. So I won't do anything unless I get issues.

[@diatomsaus]

@@photoshopcafe Yeah that's the best choice I would say, don't fix something that isn't broken. I agree.

[@sepperl8200]

Which screen do you use with the pro?

[@photoshopcafe]

I'm using 2 screens, a Samsung 4k and a BenQ photographer monitor, Im going to review the monitor soon. Its really nice with super accurate color.

[@sh1701-A]

I really don't like the T2 chip. It stops us from being able to upgrade the internal Apple Provided SSD.

[@photoshopcafe]

This is true

[@2krazyketos]

Do you recommend upgrading ssd though apple or buying the stock one and adding a pci with m2 SSD.

[@NickGodwin]

I’ve just purchased the PCie and SSD on here, delivering 2 days. cost me £185. The apple version is £600. I’ll try to post here what the result was.

[@Gw49172]

Can you use the m.2 for the installation of mac os itself?

[@photoshopcafe]

I don't believe so because of the T2 security chip.

[@Gw49172]

@@photoshopcafe ah man.. I was just thinking if you reinstall macos then you should be able to select that disk.. atleast i hope so..

[@jonesconrad1]

Really would like one these.... It would be nice if the GPUs would work tensorflow, but I don't think that's on the cards anytime soon.

[@CTJonze]

Does the nvme ssd run hot?

[@TheRTM]

will this work if I upgrade the rame with one 128G Dimm?? (or would I have to buy two?)

[@ManoChandraDhas]

Thanks Colin. I am just about to upgrade an iMac 2017. Your video just gives me a little more confidence even though it is probably a little more tricky than the one you've just done. For a novice like me, it is a gutsy move. I've watched some related videos on KZbin several times and think I can handle it. I am going from 8GB RAM to 32GB and also swapping the internal hard drive for a SSD. Only reason: to get Adobe CC working properly 😊

[@photoshopcafe]

If you don't currently have an SSD, making this upgrade will make a huge impact on performance.

[@chuckmoser8125]

I can’t thank you enough for this video. You saved me some serious cash. I canceled my order with bigger drive and memory, and reordered the base model... my Amazon parts are on the way.

[@VanOuzala]

Hello, i bought the same SSD controler than you but i have this message : " The pci cards installed are not available according to the optimal configuration " (but the SSD is more fast than the Apple's SSD) It is possible this card damaged my Mac Pro ? I used the number 6 PCI. Thanks

[@billgears1979]

Thanks for the video it’s encouraging To do it yourself

[@jaimeduncan6167]

Great video , for a car like this one the better option is to install them in a x8 slot. A single m.2 Nvme uses just 4 lanes.

[@photoshopcafe]

Jaime Duncan fwiw I put it further away from the I/o card to get better airflow over it. I don't know if that will actually make any difference. But it's not doing any harm putting it in a double slot, just not taking full advantage of it?

[@jaimeduncan6167]

@@photoshopcafe yes you are correct, it does not do any harm.

[@TheFirstMikeJones]

Amazing! Do you recommend similar ssd/card setup but with dual slots? Would like to try and get a single volume of 4TB at that speed.

[@photoshopcafe]

Sure you could, add 2 2Tb ones and combine them with raid.

[@ricardorgomez]

Well done. Most people don't talk about grounding yourself before installing items like this. Unless you're walking on carpet, you ground yourself almost automatically but still a good thing to do. Keep up the good work.

[@drRomanIDrozd]

This is a shock. No regular slots for standard SSD 2,5" or NVMe (M2)!!! Simply, you MUST pay for adapters - look at price for stable adapters from Sonnet or OWC - next 300-400$. Ok. I understand that Apple is so innovative, so evolutional... So why PCI 3.0???? Are you kidding? PCI 4.0 exists from a few year... Apple projected machine with PCI 3.0, standard from 2010!!!! This is JOKE! I am in next shock, in this video no any critical words about so old technology for so expensive unit. That's why Apple company can give so high price even for old standard of connection. No bays for 2,5 or 3,5", no M2 connection, no PCI 4.0 ... But this guy in video seems very very content... We professional are tired every time buy and buy ADAPTERS... This is disaster.

[@photoshopcafe]

This is a tutorial on how to upgrade, people don't want to hear me talk endlessly, they want to see the steps. Reviews are for the other stuff, so this is a good comment, but would be better suited for my review video.

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

Great video. But while adding RAM is good, by going from 6 to 8 sticks, you went from 6 channel RAM TO 4 channel. This will in theory slow down your RAM speed. For best performance one should either use 6 or 12 DIMMS.

[@photoshopcafe]

Thanks for the info, I just now tried dropping it to 6 and even went back to the original 6, then I went to 8 and then 10, and ran benchmarks 6 didn't give me more speed, in fact 10 gave me the most. I pulled the original ram and tested again using only 3rd party, Im wondering if the benchmark isn't working correctly (novabanch) on the Mac Pro (or if there is a different issue) , same test with my MacBook Pro gets 26,000

[@bommaritohawaii]

If I start with the 32 GB base model, I can add one additional 32 GB slot that I purchased on Amazon or do I need to purchase two of those?

[@sueshepherd8120]

Colin love this tec stuff I will upgrade to this model I hope later this year I currently have the tube looking Mac Pro I am not a professional but do a lot of work for the community I like the speed etc that the ProMac gives me From what you have said I was thinking upgrading to the 12 core and 32 card Can you confirm this is good basic system I know that the ram has been an issue for me with the tube version I work with big files use Topaz quite a bit thank you Also the number of USB ports is rather limiting for back up storage

[@ZhuJo99]

Sue Shepherd you don’t need multiple cores for Photoshop. Anything with one core will be enough. Even any old Mac from 2010.

[@aurelian8383]

i liked your video but there is something wrong with your ram ... overall my imac pro has about 2.2 faster ram speed and it should not be like this because your ram is faster and much newer ...

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

By adding only 2 DIMMs, he downgraded RAM speed by going from 6 channel to 4 channel. For best performance I recommend using either 6 or 12 DIMMs

[@snowwold4767]

Thanks

[@J4ckCr0w]

That's ready to heat up.

[@FTF96]

Thanks for this, I have no idea what 15 people disliked about this, but it's exactly what people wanted to know. Sure upgrading basic components isn't complicated but the heads up on specifically what cheaper components and where to get them is invaluable. Will you be doing a video on upgrading the processor too?

[@ericduplessis5281]

Damn! That RAM you linked out to on Amazon has jumped in price by $120, since you last made this video.

[@photoshopcafe]

really? I'm glad I got it when I did!

[@edwindharris]

Thank you for the video. Answered all my questions about the new Mac apart from one - does the use of non-apple parts effect the warranty? Thank you in advance, Ed

[@photoshopcafe]

no, it shouldn't.

[@christopherwhipple1765]

Colin, thanks for this video, my Mac Pro just arrived yesterday and I plan to do similar upgrades. Specific to your specialty, does Photoshop exploit the higher amount of Ram? Could you do a video on how to set it up to do that as well as the best set up to exploit that 1 TB of storage maybe as a scratch disk?. Would that be a good use of the NVME drive? Thanks in advance.

[@photoshopcafe]

christopher whipple the first thing I did was set the new drive to primary scratchbdisk. The extra ram is especially good when I have things like premiere pro, Lightroom and Photoshop running at the same time. It really removes the bottlenecks

[@christopherwhipple1765]

Thanks Colin. Your advice is always welcome. I ordered my Mac Pro from B&H of one they had in stock 12 core with 96 GB of memory and 2TB storage. I’m thinking of filling up the other 6 memory slots to go to 192 GB. Would Photoshop and Lightroom or other photo apps take advantage of that or would I receive more benefit from going to 8TB OF NVME storage with more scratch disk and photos storage

[@photoshopcafe]

@@christopherwhipple1765 I kept the ram monitor open while working on a decent size composite and it was using all the ram. I think 96Gb will be more than enough for Photoshop unless you are making billboards.

[@christopherwhipple1765]

Thanks Colin. Will I see you at Imaging USA again this year??

[@photoshopcafe]

@@christopherwhipple1765 Unfortunatly no, I'll be at CES instead.

[@ginoamadori]

nice USB and great price con the expansion. thanks for the tips

[@ArtSoundStudio]

Why is this video so blurry and unshaped?

[@photoshopcafe]

I don't know, do you have a slow connection? Its sharp here

[@Jack-fx8ry]

Since your model looks to cost around $15,000 USD, cost surely doesn't matter to you, no? But then why do the DIY upgrade? That would mean you do want too save money. But if you want to save money, why buy a $15,000 machine in the first place?

[@photoshopcafe]

Actually about 10k, because its the tool I need to do my job. I know you are going to say "why not a PC" I am typing this on a PC, I use both, but I have to have a MAC too for my work, where I live LA area, my industry is all on mac. I also work with the music and video industries where its only mac. So no, I'm not made of money, but Ill get years of use out of this computer and it will pay for itself many times over, just like my last one did, and it still works after 7 years of daily use.

[@photoshopcafe]

And I like working on MAC :) I have both, but I like MAC better.

[@dalsegno1251]

Weird question.

[@vitus6644]

are you still planning to make videos about photoshop? i thought this channel is about photoshop

[@photoshopcafe]

I posted a new Photoshop tutorial 2 days ago and at least 1 a week for the past 3 years ;) When I do a tech video, it doesn't replace a Photoshop tutorial, it's in addition to, and a lot of people really like my tech videos too

[@JohnnyFantaOrange]

Thanks great video, to the point, no endless self promotion and informative. I will probably never own a Mac Pro but I still find your videos interesting.

[@ZhuJo99]

New Mac Pro, massive multicore monster for Photoshop that isn’t able to utilize multiple cores and powerful GPU at all due to lazyness of Adobe? OK.

[@safetydoggo2721]

Hehe How much ram does your cheese grater have?

[@photoshopcafe]

144Gb now

[@KainsTorment]

my 2019 Mac Pro 16 Core came with 8 TB SSD can i add more and whats the highest SSD i hear it 4 TB? and how many SSD's can I fit inside my mac?

[@photoshopcafe]

With the expansion slots and 3rd party boards (Sonnet and OWC I believe) that can each hold 4 SSD's, that's a max of 16 TB per module.

[@cactustweeter2890]

Nice upgrade for less money.

[@AaronDigitalMuppet]

The ram says $292.99 on Amazon now. I thought you said 200?

[@ezrashanti]

Prices change. They're on sale for 12 more hours at NewEgg for 233 (10% off)

[@Killermike2178]

I'm sorry, I just have to ask out of morbid curiosity, what is your accent? It sounds like an Australian and American hybrid.

[@photoshopcafe]

Killermike2178 close, NZ/USA

[@WarriorsPhoto]

@@photoshopcafe That answers my question as well. I can rest easy now.

[@jannes340]

I thought that was a cheese grater lmao

[@IceColdKilax]

I love how Apple Fans are making videos and going crazy over mundane simple things us PC users have been doing for years like adding in an SSD or RAM. Hold my beer Apple.

[@photoshopcafe]

There are plenty of videos on how to upgrade a PC. And for the record, I have built many PCs myself, I use both.

[@RX793]

"us PC users" As if nobody was able to change SSDs or RAMs on Apple products before. Stop embarrassing yourself.