Need Help with replacing a Apple a1310 Video Card

[postman56]

Hello my Apple Mac Pro 4.1 2009 desktop suddenly won't launch and the video card fan is running high from the start up, no chime, no keyboard access,so I suspect it's the A1310 Geforce NVIDIA video card.
Can someone please suggest what my options are for a replacement.
Much Appreciated
Ken Gold

 

[bsbeamer]

Believe this GPU is an NVIDIA GT 120.

What OS version?
Is the machine an authentic 4,1 or has it been hacked/upgraded to ID as a 5,1?
Have you replaced or changed the CPUs ever?
Have you changed any configurations recently?

 

[postman56]

Hello, this is an original 4.1 with 10.8 OS.
It's never had any service to it, and no recent configurations other than running two monitors.
The unit starts, no chime, no keyboard or monitor action unfortunately.
I've removed extra audio pro-Tools cards, ram,replaced the little battery but no change.
Much appreciated

 

[bsbeamer]

If you need to stick with Mountain Lion, your options for "brand new" GPU will be very tough. You'll likely need to look at the used market.

Look for GT 120 Mac Edition for a direct replacement. Radeon HD 4870 was an OEM upgrade at the time, but would not suggest that GPU.

Might be better looking for an ATI Radeon HD 5770 or ATI Radeon HD 5870 if you just want something working out of the box without much fuss for fairly low cost. (Lots of 5770's under $50 USD these days on eBay.) HD 5770 was part number MC742ZM/A. HD 5870 was part number MC743ZM/A.

Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition is compatible, but hard to find genuine models. NVIDIA GTX 680 Mac Edition, but hard to find genuine these days. There are many newer GPU options, but likely would need to update the OS to use them and/or install drivers. Be careful with "flashed" GPUs on eBay.

That being said, have you reset PRAM yet?

 

[tsialex]

Hello my Apple Mac Pro 4.1 2009 desktop suddenly won't launch and the video card fan is running high from the start up, no chime, no keyboard access,so I suspect it's the A1310 Geforce NVIDIA video card.
Can someone please suggest what my options are for a replacement.
Much Appreciated
Ken Gold

This could be SPI corruption or backplane failure. If it is just the GPU, remove it and try to access your Mac Pro from the network, Mac Pro boots without the GPU and you can access ScreenSharing/Remote Desktop/any network shares.

 

[postman56]

This could be SPI corruption or backplane failure. If it is just the GPU, remove it and try to access your Mac Pro from the network, Mac Pro boots without the GPU and you can access ScreenSharing/Remote Desktop/any network shares.

Sorry SPI, and blackplane failure, is this anything I can do

 

[tsialex]

Sorry SPI, and blackplane failure, is this anything I can do

If you know your way around a hot air station, you can extract the SPI flash and reprogram it. If not, the cheapest option is to buy a replacement backplane on eBay and replace it yourself, for a 2009 you can get one around $80, it's an afternoon work, to clean up your Mac Pro and replace the backplane.

 

[postman56]

So I sourced a couple Nvidia Quadro video cards that were performing in a 4.1 previously stated the owner, and unfortunately neither would bring up any screen.
The computer appears to be starting up properly,I see a red light on the lower board, I'm not sure if thats good or not, and the fan on the new installed video card is running.
Being a new card, to I need to start the unit up on a CD or different OS to change the display, although I can't see a thing?
Do I need to know something else, or start looking at a different fix.

 

[chrfr]

So I sourced a couple Nvidia Quadro video cards that were performing in a 4.1 previously stated the owner, and unfortunately neither would bring up any screen.
The computer appears to be starting up properly,I see a red light on the lower board, I'm not sure if thats good or not, and the fan on the new installed video card is running.
Being a new card, to I need to start the unit up on a CD or different OS to change the display, although I can't see a thing?
Do I need to know something else, or start looking at a different fix.

The red light should not be there. Did you connect the additional power cables for the Quadro cards?
Operating system version may also be an issue. If yours is too old it may not have the required driver for whatever card it is that you bought.

 

[postman56]

This card is the Nvidia Quadro FX1800 , I do see a tiny connector on the side , but I thought this didn't need the additional power?
Is there a small connector somewhere I didn't see?

 

[chrfr]

This card is the Nvidia Quadro FX1800 , I do see a tiny connector on the side , but I thought this didn't need the additional power?
Is there a small connector somewhere I didn't see?

That card probably doesn't need extra power, but it's not a native Mac card, so you won't get boot screens. As a result, troubleshooting your computer will be more difficult with these cards.

 

[bsbeamer]

You may want to reach out to the seller. Do not believe FX 1800 has native drivers built into macOS. Was the card modified or hacked to be a "Mac Version" with an EFI? If so, may be one of the very few out there for this particular card/model.

Do you have NVIDIA web drivers installed?

 

[postman56]

I had an original A1310 installed when this whole instance occured.I was just given the cards, so no cost and he had ementioned they were working in a 2009 4.1, but there not working in mine (

 

[Alex Sanders74]

When the computer is powered on does it stay running on a higher fan speed and then power off after a few seconds? You mentioned a red light on the lower board. Can you send a pic of which one is lit up?

Have a feeling this isn't your Graphics card that's the issue, but no startup chime isn't encouraging.

 

[postman56]

When I go to start it, it clicks on fir a second and doesn’t start. If I press the
power button again it will star and run fine.
Red light stays one, no chime, although
the unit never chimedwhen I stated it first thing every morning.
[doublepost=1549909370][/doublepost]

When I go to start it, it clicks on fir a second and doesn’t start. If I press the
power button again it will star and run fine.
Red light stays one, no chime, although
the unit never chimedwhen I stated it first thing every morning.

 

[Alex Sanders74]

The CPU has an error (PROCHOT) that's in the service manual for that tower. Either there's something wrong with the tray, the CPU or the Northbridge rivets have popped. There's some discussion of this in the link below....

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ng-broken-northbridge-heatsink-rivet.2046462/

Someone with more experience in this area can likely determine if those Northbridge heatsink clips were broken, whether it would prevent it booting. Regardless, it's worth checking as these are critical.

 

[postman56]

I’m not 100 percent sure this is the problem but I discovered a broken RJ it
on the cooler system.
The spring is no where to be found
so I’m going to need a solution fast.
Much Appreciated

 

[Alex Sanders74]

Lucky guess on my part... lol. Glad to have helped. most likely this is the culprit, but finding those rivets will be challenging. There's a link on this forum post to eBay that has them. If you find some that work, please let me know as I'd be interested in getting some for this inevitable job. Make sure you reapply Thermal paste when you reattach that heatsink.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/replace-northbridge-heatsink-clips.2162641/#post-26955869

FYI, not trying to be rude here, but give that tray a good blast of air. That dust won't help keeping things cool.

 

[postman56]

Anyone with spares of these, so I don't have to buy them in Japan and wait a month?
clip (snap rivet) for Northbridge heat-sink on 2009 Mac Pro 2X2.26

 

[Alex Sanders74]

There's another post about this problem where a guy used zip ties to bandaid this problem. Order those rivets maybe and zip tie as a temp fix....

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...dge-heat-sink-on-2009-mac-pro-2x2-26.1637891/

 

[postman56]

Thanks everyone for the most valuable help. It in fact was a broken Northbridge snap rivet on the processor ,
underneath the cooling housing. Repaired it with a borrowed rivet, and heat transfer compound and we're running like new.