Upgrading the CPU in a 2009 Mac Pro

From 4 to 6 cores

I originally wrote this post on Medium several years ago, but I’ve decided to move it here. It has been very popular and these Mac Pros are becoming old enough to be considered retro by some.

For many years, I was the proud owner of a 2009 Mac Pro¹, which I’d owned since 2010. I owned this Mac longer than any other prior Mac² which might explain why the on…