Mac Pro A1186, will new early 2009 chassis fit all components?

Hey guys!

So I started a new job and I was given a Mac pro A1186,

its a 2006 model however the chassis is badly damaged and

smashed up to the point where Its very difficult to open.

I found a new chassis from early 2009 on ebay but I was wondering

if the chassis are interchangable as far as the parts go?

I compared two pictures side by side and it appears pretty similar

other than the 2009 has some metal bay holder

towards the bottom.

Just hoping maybe someone that has experience

with this kind of migration could give me a defintive

answer so I could order the chassis right away if

they are indeed compatible.

So a little more research shows that the stilts where the motherboard goes seem to have a different configuration. So while I may be able to possibly leave out certain screws if I was desperate ultimately they do not appear compatible.

I seriously doubt that parts from a 2009 Mac laptop will fit in a 2006 laptop.

FYI...I know that you listed the model as an A1186 (which does make it a laptop computer)...but you really shouldn't abbreviate it as a "Mac Pro". A "Mac Pro" is a very large desktop computer.

There are "MacBooks", "MacBook Pro's" in Apple's laptop "lineup"...but not "Mac Pro's".

- Nick

hi Nick!

The Apple in question is indeed the very large desktop computer,

Its a mac pro, if one types in A1186 apple into Google the desktop model returns,

I definitely agree that laptop components surely would not be interchangeable

over several year differences if at all.

However in the case of a desktop I figured there may be more room for flexibility and

adaptation however the screw configuration appears differently so I think I answered my

own question.

My large chassis is rather destroyed from the previous owner so I was hoping to order

a new bare bones chassis off eBay



Thank you so much for taking the time to answer

Sorry...my fault. I should have checked before I posted. There are a lot of MacBooks with the model designation "A1181"...and when I saw "A1186" I automatically thought "MacBook".

So you are indeed correct...the model number A1186 is a Mac Pro.

Back to your question. When you say "chassis" do you mean the whole aluminum case? If so...I have owned both Mac Pro models you mentioned...a 2006 Mac Pro...and a 2009 Mac Pro.

Here is what I can tell you. As you know...both Mac Pro's have an "upper area" (where the logic board is mounted in the back)...and a "lower area" where the ram is installed.

It's this "lower area" that is radically different between a 2006 and a 2009 Mac Pro. The 2006 has two ram "riser" cards in this lower area...the 2009 Mac Pro has a radically different easy to remove tray for access to the cpu's and ram (photos below). As you can see they are MUCH different.

If you want to replace the chassis in your 2006 Mac Pro...find another 2006 Mac Pro chassis for best compatability & success.

I'm with Nick having extensively worked on a Mac Pro 1.1 updating everything on it.

A perfect answer, Thank you Nick

As a result I am purchasing a used A1186 chassis from ebay,


I am curiously going to try and have the used chassis powder coated in bright white

to breathe some new life into it and bring back a little bit of when a lot of Apple's

products were made in white


I suppose this thread is completed, my first post!

Nick, Thank you so much for the lightning fast responses, the extremely

detailed & accurate response.


(Which also saved me the error of buying a 200$ chassis that I would have been stuck with.)

avner said:

As a result I am purchasing a used A1186 chassis from ebay,

I am curiously going to try and have the used chassis powder coated in bright white

Nick, Thank you so much for the lightning fast responses, the extremely

detailed & accurate response.

(Which also saved me the error of buying a 200$ chassis that I would have been stuck with.)

Click to expand...

You are very welcome...that is why folks join. To ask questions...get answers...and in some cases...avoid costly purchases.

A word of caution. I know that this is an older computer...and so there may not be as much risk. But since I'm an avid used computer purchaser (and I resell when I upgrade to something newer & used)...customizing a computer's appearance (as you mentioned)...may come back to "bite you in the rear"...when it comes to resale time.

A custom paint job may appeal to some folks...but most folks purchasing a used computer...just want it to look like a "stock" computer...as it looked when new. A customized appearance will almost certainly make it harder to sell later...and reduce it's value compared to other computers exactly like it.

Of course do what you want...it's your computer.

- Nick

Oh I most certainly agree with you in regards to leaving it stock.

This tower is absolutely for me only, its from 2006 making it already almost 8 years old as is.

Considering it was just purchased by my company by the time they upgrade it will be worth next to nothing, so I figured I may as well make it to my taste not to mention the replacement chassis although it has no dents is very much scratched.

Thanks Again Nick

avner said:

Considering it was just purchased by my company by the time they upgrade it will be worth next to nothing, so I figured I may as well make it to my taste not to mention the replacement chassis although it has no dents is very much scratched.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure of your location...but a 2006 Mac Pro here in the United States is probably worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 dollars.

It sounds like you got this computer for free...which is awesome. But what if you could fix it up...sell it for $500...throw in a some extra cash...and get a better, newer, and faster Macintosh computer?? Would that impact things??

If this Mac Pro was only worth $50 bucks...I say go for it. But it's actually worth closer to $500 (give or take).

avner said:

Thanks Again Nick

Click to expand...

You're very welcome.

Just my 2 cents regarding the paint job. You gotta do what ya gotta do! I think think I remember someone doing one in blue.

- Nick

regarding pci slots?

Hey Nick I was wondering if I could ask you another question regarding my Mac Pro 1.1,

I installed Windows 7 x64, (even though the efi is only 32 bit, its still very easy)

However, with all the drivers 100% installed the audio still only comes out of the

internal speaker no matter what I try.

So I ordered off amazon the ASUS XONAR D1 -7.1 Channel PCI Audio Card Sound Card

However although I thought I did my research the card arrived today and it did not fit.

The card is a pci card, clearly its too big for the empty slots in my mac pro.

So I don't know too much about the difference between PCI and pci express (pci-e)

but it appears that the mac pro 1.1 (early 2006) from what I read online is pci-e.

I was wondering if you could lend me your expertise and tell me exactly what kind

of expansion slots I have so I know exactly what kind of sound card is compatible with my

mac pro. Short of some kind of adapter I think I will need to return my current sound card.



By the way, the new chassis is currently being powder coated pure white So excited!

Thank you so much for your time!

avner said:

...tell me exactly what kind of expansion slots I have so I know exactly what kind of sound card is compatible with my mac pro.

Click to expand...

Your Mac Pro has 4 PCIe slots (one double-wide 16-lane PCIe slot and three full-length PCIe slots).

The "double-wide" PCIe slot is usually where the video card is installed.

- Nick

p.s. Something to think about. I realize that you got this Mac Pro for free...and you were going to purchase a good chassis via e-Bay. But if you're running into a lot of headaches getting this computer setup to run Windows...it might be a lot easier to just get yourself a used Windows desktop computer...with all of the appropriate hardware already in place.

Sound advice, as always

What threw me off and caused me to order a PCI sound card is the fact

that the PCI-e slots were the same size and all the PCI-e cards seem to be

a fraction of the length so I was thrown off.



So for the sake of eliminating confusion I will try and best explain the situation since

I can see why it seems so odd that I am going through all this trouble when I can simply

get any pc to do the job.

I started a new job a few weeks ago and I was allowed to use this A1186,

My boss told me that he paid 1200$ for it just a few months ago thinking he got an

incredible deal.

Knowing well that although the Mac Pro chassis has not changed in almost a decade

my first instinct was to look up the model number and the average retail worth.

It has an Ati x1900 video card / 14gb ram / 1tb hdd / 2.66 ghz Intel Xeon .

Ebay's completed listings show that these can sell for as little as 260$, which is pretty

demoralizing considering my boss paid 1200.

He said the guy installed a bunch of "software" that was worth a small fortune,

Anyone with any intelligence knows thats worthless.

Not to mention that the entire chassis was absolutely obliterated both the top and bottom

handles are completely smashed, twisted and bent out of shape to the point where I could

not even open the chassis to access the internal bay without bending all the metal out

of the way.

So in short it is not my personal computer to keep and so the very sound choice of

selling it, adding cash and stepping up to a better one is not in my hands.

I am however allowed to upgrade it as it is so I ordered a A1186 chassis from ebay which

was 79$ shipped.

I received it and although it hand no dings or dents whatsoever it was heavily scratched.

Still being the eyesore that it was, I decided to have it powder coated since the mac pro

chassis is pure aluminum and can withstand the powder coating oven temperature of 400

degrees.



I absolutely adore Apple products, they are simply quality pieces.



I really like to use the Windows Operating System with Mac hardware,

plus I really enjoy the Xeon CPUs, its just fun having so much power even if they are old.


Which is why I am happy to put in the effort

to get this little one back into running condition.



I feel that I owe you an explanation since you so graciously answered all my questions so

quickly & accurately and this whole situation just seems weird.



So in short I more or less have to make do as best as I can with what I have.


At this point though I cannot even upgrade to OSX mavericks due to the lack of

a 64 bit efi, which is most frustrating.

Unless I upgrade the video card and use Chameleon loader to emulate a 64 bit efi

which I will have to re-hack after every update, which would be a nightmare.


I would really like to sell the Mac Pro and buy a new one.


Nick in your expert opinion could you direct me to the absolute best value of a Mac Pro.

Assuming I could get about 500-600$ for this current one and I add about 500-700 more

What do you think is the absolute best value of a Mac Pro that I can buy.


Its just there are so many iterations of the Mac Pro

Multiple amounts of Cores, Different generation CPUs etc


it is so very difficult to determine

what is a good value as well as being future proof.

I would really like to be able to run OSX Mavericks


I sincerely appreciate all your help

Oh and just to add since for the sake of not contradicting myself,

I know I said that I am not allowed to sell it,

and then I said I want to.

What I meant is although its not mine, I think that if I can make a sound proposal

to my boss with regards to selling it and getting one of much better value he may allow me

to but first I need to know exactly what kind of model number I should be looking at

so I can calculate the cost differences.

Thank you!

avner said:

chassis is pure aluminum and can withstand the powder coating oven temperature of 400 degrees.

Click to expand...

I sure hope that the power supply was removed before the powder coating is baked on! Unless the new chassis didn't come with a power supply.

avner said:

I really like to use the Windows Operating System with Mac hardware, plus I really enjoy the Xeon CPUs, its just fun having so much power even if they are old. Which is why I am happy to put in the effort to get this little one back into running condition.

Click to expand...

Understandable. Nothing wrong with a dual-boot Mac Pro. I was just thinking that things might have been getting a bit complicated by having to source a sound card.

avner said:

I would really like to sell the Mac Pro and buy a new one.

Click to expand...

I guess after the detailed background you mentioned for this computer...is this computer yours (fee to upgrade & sell)...or is it really your bosses computer?

avner said:

...in your expert opinion could you direct me to the absolute best value of a Mac Pro.

Click to expand...

Are you talking about the Mac Pro we have been talking about in this thread? Or are we talking about a different Mac Pro for your own personal purchase & ownership?

avner said:

Assuming I could get about 500-600$ for this current one and I add about 500-700 more. What do you think is the absolute best value of a Mac Pro that I can buy.

Click to expand...

You seem to know your way around e-Bay...so e-Bay is probably your best place to shop. To get a better idea of the various generations of Mac Pro's...check out this site:

Mac Specs, Prices, Answers & Comparison @ EveryMac.com, Est. 1996

...and of course check out the specs for the various models...and compare this to what you see on e-Bay.

Another good website to get ballpark (fair-values) of used Mac Pro's is:

Mac2Sell - Argus, Evaluation, Guide to used Mac, iPad, iPad mini, iPhone & iPod - Occasion

Don't forget. A brand new Mac Pro model is supposed to be released in December (first true redesigned Mac Pro in a long time). And with this release...it's possible that the prices of used older design Mac Pros could be affected (maybe...maybe not).

Hope this helps...good luck in your search.

- Nick

p.s. Once you read up a bit on the details at Everymac.com...and you are more familiar with things. Personally I would recommend getting a Mac Pro model 4,1 (2009 era). FYI...the Mac Pro you currently have is a 1,1. I don't know if any Mac Pro 4,1's will be in your price range. I think that they're the best value for the money at the moment (I also used to have one)!

avner said:

I know I said that I am not allowed to sell it, and then I said I want to.

What I meant is although its not mine, I think that if I can make a sound proposal to my boss with regards to selling it and getting one of much better value he may allow me to but first I need to know exactly what kind of model number I should be looking at so I can calculate the cost differences.

Click to expand...

I read this post after I posted my post above this. Not that it's overly important...but I'm still sort of confused if this Mac Pro is yours...if it will be yours...or if the new one will be yours (or your boss's)??

- Nick

Oh the chassis was absolutely bare when I submitted it for the powder coating.

I even went as far as removing the rubber stoppers that are placed for support around the

chassis as well as having certain parts masked such as the front and rear ports.


To clarify all the confusion, this mac pro belongs 100% entirely to my boss.

Even if I sell it in order to buy a better model, It would still belong to him.


When I asked about possibly directing me to buying a new one, I was not referring to the one I already have. That one I plan to hopefully sell once I get the all the parts transferred into the new chassis. That is an entirely separate nightmare altogether

I was hoping for direction as to the various differences between the various makes and models of mac pros as you so kindly directed me to knowledgeable sites.

Now that I have even the most basic mac pro I dont ever want to go back to a simple pc.

Hopefully I answered all your questions, thanks again Nick!

btw, i found this locally, Mac Pro Westmere 3.2GHZ 256GB SSD 5,1 4/8 core NEWEST MODEL for 1800$ is that a good deal?

My boss wants me to find him an excellent deal

Thank you!

avner said:

...i found this locally, Mac Pro Westmere 3.2GHZ 256GB SSD 5,1 4/8 core NEWEST MODEL for 1800$ is that a good deal?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what model that is...it doesn't seem to match any stock configurations...and I don't understand what "4/8 core" means. It either has 4 cores or 8 cores.

If this was just a "copy & paste" from the seller's advertisement...maybe they got something incorrect.

- Nick

My guess would be a 2012 3.2, it would still identify as a 5,1, even though it's still a Nehalem. I don't think I'd give $1800 for it though, given that you seem plenty comfortable messing around with computers. $1100 would buy a 4,1, a W3580, 256GB Sam Evo, (though I'm very happy with my 120GB/1TB Cav Black Fusion) and likely a little left over for more memory if you shop carefully.

That said, even a base 2009 with an SSD or Fusion setup will feel absurdly fast compared to a 1,1. I know because I did just that, with an unfortunate but brief iMac stop in the middle. There are multiple sites selling 4,1s for $699 complete with keyboard and mouse. I call that a screaming deal, one that makes 1,1s very difficult to justify.

$1500 would bump you up to a W3680, and could be WAY faster than the 5,1 depending on what you use if for. I'm getting ready to make the jump to either the 3580 or 3680 right now, weighing the cost/benefit for my uses (not to mention what the wife will let me get away with) and getting ready for another 3 years with the old girl. The 7950 was the first step, just installed that a couple months ago, looking forward to the processor bump

Oh yeah, I'd LOVE to see the white powder coated chassis. I don't know if I could do it myself, but that sounds like it could be really nice looking...