1. Get the Right Kind of RAM

You can check what kind of RAM your Mac takes from the System Profiler. Go to the Apple Menu > About This Mac > More Info and then select the Memory category under Hardware on the left-hand side of the screen. The screenshot we used is from our MacBook Pro. For the mid-2010 Mac Pros, you'll need to purchase 1333MHz DDR SDRAM.

Mac and PC RAM are the same, so if you decide to go with better-known PC brands for cost effectiveness it'll be fine. Kingston and Corsair make reliable high performance RAM, and brands like OWC and Ramjet have upgrade kits catered specifically to Mac users.

2. Open It Up

To install more RAM, you'll have to get inside the Mac Pro. Before you do, however, remember to unplug the Mac Pro and then touch a metal surface to remove any static electricity that you may have stored away in your fingers. Flip the switch upward to release the latch to the side panel on the Mac Pro. Then, remove the door of the Mac Pro on the side that's facing you by pulling it out toward you and then up. Set it aside somewhere carefully.

To get to the RAM, you'll need to push in the gray part of these specific tabs...

…like so, to pop out the pull-tabs.

Then, you'll carefully pull the tray toward you so that you can have full access to where the RAM is seated.

Now the tray should be pulled out.

Before you move on, we should mention that for the following photos, we removed the front two sticks of RAM only so that we could take better photos for your reference. You don't have to copy what we're doing here, especially if you're just adding on to the RAM you already have in your Mac Pro. You can still follow along with the instructions to install new RAM.

3. Out With the Old

To pop out the RAM, press down on the tabs on each side until you see that the RAM is no longer held in place.

Then, just carefully pull upward with your fingers to unseat the RAM. Ta-da!

4. In With The New

If you have a quad- or six-core processor, your Mac Pro can only take 4 sticks of RAM -- and only in this order.

Start by putting in the first stick of RAM into slot 1 and then continue in chronological order. The memory modules must be installed in this manner, otherwise your system won't recognize them. And well, that's just a waste of money and time now, isn't it?

If you have a massive eight- or twelve-core Mac Pro, then this is the correct order for seating the memory modules. These particular Mac Pros have an extra RAM tray, you lucky dog.

Now, to actually -- physically -- put in the new memory modules (or, similarly, add on to what you already have), carefully push in the RAM from the top on either side until you hear that the tabs have pushed in…

They should look like they're literally "seated" in the slot. If you have some trouble, remember that you can always pull it out and try again.

It's important to get the RAM properly seated from the get-go, otherwise your computer won't recognize that it's there (or worse, it may not even start up!).

The RAM tray in your Mac Pro should look like this. A medley of colors!

When you're finished, carefully push the tray back into place, push the tabs back in and then replace the side panel on your Mac Pro. When you turn on your computer, you should see that the RAM is identified under "About this Mac." Have fun!