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Level 1

35 points

Excessive fan

Hello

im hoping someone out there can shed any light.

I have an early Mac Pro 3.1 8 core, 3.2Ghz machine.

Pretty stable machine despite age. I updated to the latest 10.10.4 Yosemite software. Since then 4GB of RAM disappeared only leaving me with 8GB in total and every time I try and render from my 3D scene (Cinema 4d) the fan gets scarily loud I'm worried it's going to cook my Mac. Didn't have that behind prior the update and now worried to render off my sequence in case the fans die. I have tried re-seating the RAM and switching the sticks round with to

and bottom riser but no luck. One thing that is apprarent is the RAM sticks get incredibly hot very quickly after short use whereas this was not the case prior.

Any ideas would be welcomed. Not sure this update is right my my older Mac.

on a separate note. My mac keeps making intermittent chiriping sounds. has been doing so for a couple of years. Definitely not the hard drive as I changed it over a year ago and sound hasn't stopped. the sound appears to be coming from the front of the Mac. The heat sink cover keeps popping open and have taped it down with insulation tape but the heat keeps pulling the tape open. I am aware this chirping sound is a problem with the older Mac Pros.

Look forward to any replies.

Best

Sophia

Posted on Jul 4, 2015 11:01 PM

34 replies

Sophia Author

Level 1

35 points

Jul 6, 2015 12:54 PM in response to The hatter

is it okay to mix brands of RAM if the specs are the same?

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:08 PM in response to Sophia

Sometimes the SAME brand but different batches have been a problem, but only trial and error can determine. There is no hard fast rules and generally they "ought" to 'play nice.' Especially true of FBDIMMs. And all FBDIMMs other than any firmware code (SPD) are the same - and will work in a system designed for FBDIMMs, whether 800MHz (1600MHz front side bus - as the 2008) or 667MHz (half the speed of front side bus in 1,1 and 2,1).

Hey, even OWC has had to send out three complete kits to customers to get a working set! so it is iffy as can be 😉

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:08 PM in response to Sophia

Most of the time that is OK but sometimes not.

Try with only one brand installed

Sophia Author

Level 1

35 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:12 PM in response to lllaass

ok that's good as I already purchased the more expensive Crucial sticks but have found RAM over £100 cheaper which put me off as that's quite a difference. I might look into getting the cheaper RAM as well

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:18 PM in response to Sophia

Here's the caveats:

Price and brand are not major determinants for getting good RAM.
Don't buy RAM that does not carry a manufacturer's Lifetime Warranty.
Avoid vendors with poor return policies.
Sometimes even slight differences in manufacture can cause a module not to work in a given computer.

I recommend OWC, DataMem, and Crucial for memory vendors.

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:21 PM in response to Sophia

I would not bother with Crucial.

People are selling "pulls" from their servers online like ebay and they work just fine and can be had for a penny!

Amazon has 2x2GB $US23 (new) for an idea.

In 2008's the 'ideal' is to load up all 8 DIMM slots - but look close at how much your apps and system need. You can get a great boost in performance thru the use of an SSD - though there you want to put it in slot #2 PCIe

Sophia Author

Level 1

35 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:26 PM in response to The hatter

Ideally I can do with more RAM, 16GB still not enough for my 3D rendering and now using RealFlow. Yes that's exactly what I'm thinking..pack it up with as many 8GB as the Mac allows.

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:44 PM in response to Sophia

Going back to your 1st post - you seem to have some other possible issues that are "unresolved" with CPU headsink and possibly more.

Before dumping good money into this "project" - and while you can throw 32GB of server FBDIMMs in there to help - and a PCIe SSD can work in any Classic Mac Pro... have you considered "parting ways" with the 2008 even though it is 3.2GHz (top model and 8-core, real cores) in favor of a 2009+ which you can upgrade more easily and get possibly better performance and renders out of? Upgrading 4,1 or 5,1 is very popular and can offer 64GB (8x8GB) along with 12-core @3.4GHz

Or have someone if not you take a good look at either reseating cpu and heatsink (and clean things up?) or even find some Harpertown 5400's as replacements - if needed.

Not sure what GPU or even if that would matter - the 2008 (Barefeats test results of cards and apps) does not offer the same performance there as in a 2010/2012.

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:46 PM in response to Kappy

But today and with FBDIMMs you are better off getting on ebay.

And there are reports of 16GB FBDIMM modules working - which of course was prohibitively expensive and never endorsed - but possible.

Sophia Author

Level 1

35 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:56 PM in response to The hatter

Yes you could be right there. I bought the highest spec at the time, 3.2Ghz but sure it's dated now. I did notice a couple of years ago the Mac did start to make intermittent chirping or cricket sounds. When I googled it apparently this is quite common with the 2008 models. there is a cover inside that keeps popping up and I tape it down with insulation tape. I think that's the heatsink cover. I've got 3 internal hard drives that I use all of them all the time so if I take it in for a check up and service I will have to copy the system onto a fresh HD. I do know someone who replaced the Hd with an SSD and they said it made a huge difference...I think it's worth it.

i'm waiting for the new Mac Pro's to come out and buy a new one and use this Mac as a node so worth getting it looked at as it's still got quite a bit of life and power left in it.

Sophia Author

Level 1

35 points

Jul 6, 2015 2:05 PM in response to The hatter

The heatsink cover is definitely a problem as no matter how much i tape it down with insulating tape it still pops up after a while. Could it be as simple as that and that's why my machine might be overheating?

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Jul 6, 2015 3:56 PM in response to Sophia

Some "reading" material for your pursuit 😉

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_pro/faq/mac-pro-how-to-upgrade-process ors.html

http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/strange-cpu-core-temps.1871061/#post-2108077 0

http://www.bing.com/search?q=mac+pro+2008+cpu+heatsink+removal

CPU Upgrade: All things related therein:

http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/all-we-know-about-maximizing-cpu-related-per formance.1333421/

Sophia Author

Level 1

35 points

Jul 7, 2015 10:46 AM in response to The hatter

Well...the new RAM arrived today..installed it and I thought I'd swap over the 2GBx2 that failed...I had 2x2x2GB that didnt show....I added the 8GB that I recieved today...I already had 8GB that was working and bingo out of the 4 sticks of 2x2GB only one was defected and swapped them over so now I have 20GB. Just set off my 3D render to see if all ok and the machine is now rendering without crazy fan noise..just a little more in the irradiance cache prepass as you would do and now all ok.

Perhaps the mac is not in bad shape after all and was just one ram stick that was causing the over heat. I did stupidly leave the defective ram in the machine until now which was not a good idea. Just a thought...my graphics card is the ATI Radeon HD 5770. I understand it's not produced anymore. if it fails again what options do I have?

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

Jul 7, 2015 10:53 AM in response to Sophia

Many options. Most PC cards work. Of not a Mac Flashed card nothing shows on the screen until the drivers are loaded and thus not OK for booting to Recovery and some other special startups. Some NVidia cards also require drivers yo download from Nvidia.

Some cards also allow use of 4K or even 5K monitor

User Tip: Mac Pro silver tower (2006-2012) Replacement Graphics cards

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Jul 7, 2015 10:53 AM in response to Sophia

Sounds good!

Adobe and CUDA and top cat, GTX 980 if you are on Yosemite. Otherwise AMD 7970 or above. But check Barefeats for 3D apps tests.

I would invest in PCIe-SSD (256-1TB), and stick good RAM in but always try with just a new set and see how that behaves.

Also high capacity drives have excellent performance from track density so 4-6TB+ drives can work well if needed for your project data.

Excessive fan