The Apple Xserve Early 2009 is a Network Server computer that was designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple from 2009 to 2011 as part of the Xserve series. The computer has been introduced on April 7, 2009, and its price started at $2999.
The new Xserve features a 2.26 GHz / Two 2.26 GHz / Two 2.66 GHz or Two 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 series processor, 3 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, slot-loading 8x DVD-RW/CD-RW dual-layer “SuperDrive”, dual Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire “800”, and 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics.
This Xserve has been discontinued on January 31, 2011.
Today Xserve Early 2009 is 14 years old!

Xserve Early 2009 Release Date and Original Price
Introduced | April 7, 2009 |
Discontinued | January 31, 2011 |
Model Identifier | Xserve3,1 |
Model Number | A1279 |
EMC | 2279 |
Order Number | MB449LL/A |
Original Price | $2,999 $3,599 $4,999 $5,599 $6,199 |
Colors | Aluminum |
Weight | 30.8 – 38.3 Ibs. 13.970 – 17.372 KG |
Dimensions | 1.73” H x 17.6” W x 30” D 4.39 cm H x 44.7 cm W x 76.2 cm D |
Rack Support
- Supports most industry-standard (EIA-310-D) four-post racks and cabinets with a rack depth of 24 inches to 36 inches deep
Tech Specs
Processor
Processor | Quad-Core Xeon E5520 “Gainestown” (2.26 GHz) Two Quad-Core Xeon E5520 “Gainestown” (2x 2.26 GHz) Two Quad-Core Xeon E5550 “Gainestown” (2x 2.66 GHz) Two Quad-Core Xeon E5570 “Gainestown” (2x 2.93 GHz) |
Processor Speed | Quad 2.26 GHz 2x Quad 2.26 GHz (2x Quad-Core) 2x Quad 2.66 GHz (2x Quad-Core) 2x Quad 2.93 GHz (2x Quad-Core) |
Architecture | 64-bit |
Number of Cores | 4 per processor (4 or 8 cores in total) |
System Bus | Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) |
Cache | 8 MB shared L3 per processor |
Storage & Media
Storage | 160 GB 7,200 rpm (HDD) 1 TB 7,200 rpm (HDD) 2 TB 7,200 rpm (HDD) 128 GB (SSD) |
Media | 1 – 8x DVD-RW/CD-RW dual-layer “SuperDrive” slot-loading drive |
Memory
Built-in Memory | 3 GB |
Maximum Memory | 48 GB (Apple) 96 GB (Actual) |
Memory Slots | 6 – PC3-8500 240-pin DDR3 ECC SDRAM 1066 MHz (Quad-Core) 12 – PC3-8500 240-pin DDR3 ECC SDRAM 1066 MHz (8-Core) |
Interleaving Support | No |
Display
Built-in Display | None |
Graphics
Graphics Card | NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 |
Graphics Memory | 256 MB GDDR3 SDRAM |
Display Connection | 1 – Mini DisplayPort |
Display Modes | N/A |
Expansion
Expansion Slots | 1 – half-length (6.6-inch) configurable (8-lane PCI Express 2.0 or 133 MHz PCI-X) 1 – 9.25-inch 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 |
Bays | 3 – Apple Drive Module bays |
Hard Drive Interface | 3 – 3 Gbps Serial ATA (SATA) or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) |
ADM Compatibility | 160 GB 450 GB 1 TB |
Internal RAID | Optional Xserve RAID Card with 512 MB cache and 72-hour cache battery backup; support for RAID 0, 1, and 5 |
Connections
Ethernet | 2 – 10/100/1000BASE-T (support for jumbo frames) |
Modem | None |
Wi-Fi | None |
Bluetooth | None |
Fibre Channel | Optional |
USB | 3 – 480 Mbps |
Serial | 1 – DB9 (RS-232) |
SCSI | None |
FireWire | 2 – 800 Mbps |
Audio In | None |
Audio Out | None |
Display | 1 – Mini DisplayPort |
Software
Original OS | Mac OS X Server 10.5.6 (Unlimited Clients) |
Maximum OS | OS X 10.11.6 |
Firmware | Intel Extensible Firmware Interface |
Bundled Software | None |
Power
Backup Battery | Unknown |
Maximum Continuous Power | Unknown |
Line Voltage | 100V – 240V AC |
References:
Apple Support – Xserve (2009): Technical Specifications