New 2023 Mac Pro Teardown Reveals A Massive M2 Ultra Die On A Huge Motherboard With An Overkill Cooler But No Modular RAM

Shortly after the new Mac Studio teardown, the team at iFixit performed a disassembly of the latest Mac Pro, revealing that Apple re-used the enormous cooler that was required on the previous-generation model, which featured Intel’s Xeon processors. However, while the exterior aluminum shell and the majority of the internals share similarities, Apple has made upgrading the components impossible this year, as you will soon find out.

Fortunately, access to the storage is simple, requiring the removal of the RAM housings, but RAM is soldered to the 2023 Mac Pro motherboard

Opening the aluminum lid is simple, with the iFixit host removing the casing using a part-free handle, but she accidentally made contact with the camera due to the part’s massive size. While getting access to the internals is simple enough, upgrading them is another story. The disassembly process reveals that the RAM housings no longer support modular memory sticks but hide the replaceable storage modules, with a vacant slot present too.

Unfortunately, Apple has confirmed to iFixit that you cannot manually populate the available slot, so consumers need to configure their machine on Apple’s website, or else they will be left with an unused port. Removing the PCIe cards is simple, and so is the power supply housing. The teardown also revealed that Apple used the same beefy cooling solution as it did with the Intel-powered version, suggesting that the company is re-using existing parts to likely get rid of excess inventory.

As you can see, the RAM cannot be upgraded on the 2023 Mac Pro

The triple-fan cooler can be removed with ease, and just like last time, there are golden contacts present on the side for a ‘wireless’ connection, making the removal process a breeze. It was also found that Apple was using the same massive motherboard to incorporate the M2 Ultra, which was unnecessary since a small logic board present on the 2023 Mac Studio was more than sufficient.

While iFixit did not provide a repairability score, consumers interested in the 2023 Mac Pro should be informed that you can also kit out the latest Mac Studio with the exact same M2 Ultra and other specifications while saving a decent $3,000. If you want to check out the entire teardown by iFixit, while also checking out the cheese-grating section at the end, be sure to watch the video above.

Written by Omar Sohail