After confirming earlier this year that the CPU in the 2013 Mac Pro was replaceable, Other World Computing announced Tuesday that it would offer its “Turnkey” upgrade service for Apple’s latest flagship workstation. The service, similar to one offered by the company for the previous generation Mac Pro, allows customers to send their systems to OWC’s service center, where Apple Certified technicians will perform the Mac Pro CPU upgrade and, if desired, an accompanying RAM upgrade.
Customers taking advantage of the program can trade-in their existing Mac Pro’s CPU for a rebate of between $100 and $750, depending on model. Assuming the minimum $100 rebate for the 4-core model, the following upgrade options are available:
| CPU | OWC Price | Street Price | Difference |
| Intel Xeon E5-2650 v2 8-Core 2.6GHz | $1498 | $1300 | $198 |
| Intel Xeon E5-2667 v2 8-Core 3.3GHz | $2448 | $2700 | ($252)* |
| Intel Xeon E5-2690 v2 10-Core 3.0GHz | $2396 | $2150 | $246 |
| Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2 12-Core 2.7GHz | $2978 | $2750 | $228 |
Note that the E5–2667 v2 has limited availability in the North American retail market, meaning that pricing on those available is marked up. Mac Pro owners looking to upgrade to this configuration are therefore better off from a cost perspective with the OWC Mac Pro CPU upgrade program.
For the remaining options, however, Mac Pro owners effectively end up paying OWC between about $200 and $250 to perform the upgrade and guarantee the parts. Considering that the Mac Pro CPU upgrade for the 2013 model is fairly difficult, the premium charged by OWC for the service may be enticing to some users.
There’s also the cost savings compared to the stock Apple upgrades. Upgrading from the 4-core to 12-core CPU during the Apple ordering process costs $3500, compared to the $2978 charged by OWC. Further, OWC’s options include 3.3GHz 8-core and 3.0GHz 10-core CPUs, neither of which Apple currently offers.
Those looking for a RAM upgrade can also have OWC install new DIMMs during the CPU swap although, as we’ve detailed, that process is quick and simple to do on one’s own.
The OWC Turnkey program for the 2013 Mac Pro is available now. It’s probably not a good investment if you’ve already paid Apple for upgraded hardware, but those running 4- or 6-core configurations will want to check it out.
