MacPro unresponsive after sleep

If it happens in recovery mode, and if you can't run the AHT with all wired peripherals disconnected except keyboard, mouse, and monitor, then you have a hardware fault.

Whatever the code, when you start getting 4SNS errors from AHT I think it is time to take to apple for checking/repair.

I was the one who posted about the 5870 crappy fans. But as I also said there, that problem only showed the various sensors were behaving correctly, i.e., shutting the machine down due to overheat. Getting AHT errors indicates a more serious problem.

Really? Ugh. My fan fan was stopped - nudged it and it got going again. So yes, it was correctly sensing themal overload. I read in another forum that the AHT code I got was related to the temp sensor. Which ties in to the overheating. I want to beleive of course that the thermal shutdown is recorded by the diagnostics and thus prompts the AHT error. Everything seems fine now.

While you pointed to my post about the video card fans you never said that was happening to you. Only that the card was hot and you were getting the sensor error from AHT.

I guess I could conceive of a case where the fan stops while running AHT and it would show up as a sensor error report.

The more definitive test is run with the cover off and take a peek every so often to see if you can actually catch the fan stopped. Then give it the nudge before it over heats. With my first card it was easier to detect because it didn't always start when booting. The second card stopped some time after booting. Sort of hit and miss to catch it failing.

I have an ongoing job for which I need this machine (I have a backup 8-core too) so can't take this in to Apple unless it does fail completely or otherewise forces my hand - switching machines mid-job is also a headache.

Well until you can get it replaced you can keep an eye on it (literally). Also add a temperature utility like iStat Pro, iStat Menus (I use this one), Temperature Monitor, Hardware Monitor, etc. You can see if some of the temps are rising which would be your cue to check the fan.

If you can convience apple of this problem (somehow I did for the second card) they will simply ship you the card and you ship the bad card back. You don't even have to go to an apple store.

I have iStat Menus and it's giving a reading of 25˚C ambient, 74˚C Slot 1. I'll keep an eye on that.

For comparison my slot 1 temp is 54˚C at the moment and ambient is 27˚C.

Below is my profile for my machine.

I also have the same situation as you where it won't startup on boot, but will run continuously after nudging. I leabe my machines on all the time, but went away for the w.e. and had shut the machines down. I haven't had a problem before that.

I already had this card replaced when new because of the static issue. They wanted the machine brought in but I explained that wasn't going to happen so they send me a card which I swapped. I'm out of warranty but I may try giving them a ring and seeing if they'll replace it.

Sounds like you are having the exact same situation with your card. D@mn fans! I got my third card (2nd replacement) in December. So far so good. But the first replacement lasted a year before it started to fail. So who knows? This is precisely why I keep those temps in the menu bar now.

At least I'm getting my money's worth out of applecare.😉

I know if this 3rd one fails apple want's me to bring the machine in for voltage checks in case there is not enough voltage reaching the fan motor. I don't believe that for a moment but that is what it will take to get a 4th card if this one fails.

An ATI card without Apple firmware will not show a picture under Mac OS X. A PC card with flashed Apple firmware will not show a picture until Mac OS X is fully operational, so no alternate booting, disk Repair, or debugging.

Of course even replacements are crap shoots as I speak from experience.

It's a day later for me on this thread and I was thinking about that idea of the fan not getting enough voltage from the power supply. Even though I said I don't really believe that, it makes me wonder if some of those non-mac users "out there" using 5x70's (or other 5000 series cards) on pc's have uncounted this problem? Just how common is this problem in general with the 5000 series cards? Or is it just specific to the apple version of these cards? I admit I never did a google search to find an answer to that question.