How to Install a PCI Express Card on a Mac Pro
The Mac Pro desktop computer is designed with a modular construction. This makes adding a PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) card a quick affair that can be accomplished within 10 minutes. You will need a single tool--a Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver--but no special skills or expertise in working with computers. Installing the PCI Express card does not violate any warranties on the Mac Pro.
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Instructions
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Remove all cables from the Mac Pro. Let the Mac Pro cool down for an hour if it has just been shut down.
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2
Pull up on the release latch at the upper-left corner on the back of the Mac Pro. Pull the side panel off the Mac Pro’s frame with your hands. Place the side panel aside for later reassembly.
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Pull the fan assembly near the middle of the Mac Pro straight out with your hands. Place the fan assembly aside for later reassembly.
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4
Remove the screw from the upper-left corner of the metal tab that is attached to one of the PCI slots that is now revealed, with the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver. Pull the metal tab out of the Mac Pro with your fingers. Place the metal tab and screw aside for later reassembly.
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Remove the PCI Express card from its protective bag. Hold the PCI Express card by its edges so that the pins attached to it are facing down and the connectors that are on it are facing left.
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Insert the PCI Express card into the slot that had the metal tab attached to it. Push the PCI Express card down into the slot until it clicks into position.
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Attach the screw taken off the metal tab to the upper-left corner of the PCI Express card with the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver.
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Place the fan assembly back into its original position. Place the side panel back onto the Mac Pro’s frame. Pull the release latch on the back down. Reattach all of the cables.
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Tips & Warnings
Early models of the Mac Pro have a plastic shield covering the interior components that must be removed before accessing the PCI Express card slots.
An anti-static strap will keep static electricity from damaging any internal component of the Mac Pro that you might inadvertently touch.
