Can the Mac Pro be run with the side panel open? (Hum issue.)

[pianojoe]

My question sounds strange, I know. I wonder if it was possible to use my Mac Pro without the door. Back in the Powermac G5 days, we learned that the door and the plastic cover were mandatory to direct the airflow.

I'm using a Mac Pro in my recording studio, and, even though it is a very quiet machine, it emits a noticable hum around 120Hz, coming from the RAM section. It's almost inaudible when the door is open, but it gets notably louder when the door is attached. Must be the side panel vibrating in resonance. I put four drives in the machine, but the hum doesn't come from there.

I'd rather not leave the door open due to dust / airflow issues. What do you think? Anybody else got this problem?

 

[seclusion]

I run my machine in my studio as well. My hum is from a Sata drive.
I pull out the drive that's vibrating and all is well.
No noise from my machine otherwise.
Later

 

[supercooled]

Are the fans/decibel ratings the same from the dual to quad cores? I'm particularly interested in the 2.66's and its decibel output. My MBP runs great but when there are intensive processing, it runs to 5k-6k RPM. Can you put it into perspective for me?

 

[sblasl]

I would not run my Mac Pro with the side panel off for any extended period of time. I'm sure that the fan calibrations are configured with the panel being in place.

If I recall, the internal temperatures in critical areas will be higher because the airflow is not being directed as efficiently.

 

[tribe3]

The humm is usually the HDD's screws not tight enough. Those Apple screws are not easy to tighten correctly -- odd phillips size or not deep enough -- Try the screws that came with your new HDs or tighten existing ones more.

 

[abmet]

My Mac Pro started humming after a few months. It would stop if I touched the side panel, so I pulled out both hard drives and tightened the screws, which eliminated the noise.

 

[DoFoT9]

uumm why does having the case off REDUCE air flow?? i thout it would increase it

 

[bigbird]

uumm why does having the case off REDUCE air flow?? i thout it would increase it

The fans are designed to push/suck air through pathways in the closed computer. Engineers fine tune the length and size of these pathways to optimize air flow. As soon as you run the computer with an open side, airflow is disrupted and those designed pathways are gone. The fans will be pushing/sucking air, but in all likelihood that air will not flow where it is supposed to. It's like removing the front air dam on most cars. That air dam, often referred to as a spoiler (incorrectly), directs air up and into the front of the radiator. Some people think that by removing it their fuel economy or performance will improve. All they'll end up with is overheating.

 

[Mxsix]

The case design wasn't made to run without the side panel. You need to put it back on and find the culprit of the humming. Are you running multiple hard drives? That's usually the case. I used to run 2 HDDs and couldn't stand the hum and always use 1 now.

 

[DoFoT9]

The fans are designed to push/suck air through pathways in the closed computer. Engineers fine tune the length and size of these pathways to optimize air flow. As soon as you run the computer with an open side, airflow is disrupted and those designed pathways are gone. The fans will be pushing/sucking air, but in all likelihood that air will not flow where it is supposed to. It's like removing the front air dam on most cars. That air dam, often referred to as a spoiler (incorrectly), directs air up and into the front of the radiator. Some people think that by removing it their fuel economy or performance will improve. All they'll end up with is overheating.

aahh ok that wuld make sense. wierd how things work. thnks for the info