turning on Mac Pro with side cover removed?...

[fat binary]

Hi,

Is it safe to start-up a Mac Pro with the side cover removed? (I mean, apart from the obvious not touching any parts while it's running!) Or won't it start at all if it "detects" that the cover has been removed?

My Mac is making this weird noise, and I wanted to have a look to see if there are any cables or screws that are not in place.

Thanks.

 

[maghemi]

There is nothing to stop you from starting your machine with the cover off.

 

[fat binary]

Thanks maghemi, I just did it and noticed that the disk in bay 2 was approx. 1/2 millimeter from being pushed in all the way.

Noise is gone.

 

[Pixellated]

I have a friend who runs his G5 Quad with the cover off all the time, like you found, there is no problem with it.

 

[Dragonforce]

Well, I wouldn't do that all the time.
The Mac Pro and Power Macs have thermal zones which won't
work as well as with the side panel closed and locked. The air flow
just doesn't work as intended.

 

[Transporteur]

I have a friend who runs his G5 Quad with the cover off all the time, like you found, there is no problem with it.

The Quad has a clear plastic cover which sustains the airflow even without the metal cover.
The MacPro doesn't have such a cover so you should really close it when you're done.

 

[JPamplin]

Here's an interesting tidbit...

Hi there,

I have a 2006 Mac Pro, and when I first got it, I noticed this annoying and rather loud hum that would come and go. Turns out it was drive sleds and various parts that weren't firmly seated in place that allowed the hard disks' vibration to permeate through the case. It created a resonance effect, in essence.

Solution? Two: first, take some self-adhesive foam padding and apply some to the door like this. Second, and this sounds a little arcane but it works: turn the Pro over on its left side until it's 1-1.5 inches off the floor, then let it drop! Anything that needs to be firmly seated on the motherboard will settle in place. Obviously be careful here - carpeted floor would be better.

But you CAN run it with the cover off, it's safe. Just not ideal, as the airflow is designed to cool most efficiently with the cover on.

Hope that helps,

JP

 

[flatfoot]

Second, and this sounds a little arcane but it works: turn the Pro over on its left side until it's 1-1.5 inches off the floor, then let it drop! Anything that needs to be firmly seated on the motherboard will settle in place.

You are not seriously suggesting this, are you?
How about "firmly seating anything that needs to be firmly seated" by hand instead of risking damage to your Mac Pro?

 

[JPamplin]

You are not seriously suggesting this, are you?

Why yes, yes I am.

You'd be surprised what can rattle in that enclosure - anything with a rotating mass can cause a resonance (power supply, rear fan assembly, front fan assembly, DVD enclosure, any SATA carrier or drive, etc.) - you can't expect someone to completely disassemble every part and reseat it.

I'm only talking about an inch off the floor, it's not going to hurt it. It shouldn't be running of course. I've done this a few times to my 1,1 and it's solid as a rock.

JP

 

[snberk103]

I think I would make sure that the "pile-driver" technique should only be attempted on a carpet. I don't know that using a hard-surfaced floor is going to be good at all - even at only an inch. I can see your logic that an inch wouldn't hurt anything.... but I'm not going to try it. Luckily my MP is quiet.

 

[Shownarou]

Why yes, yes I am.

You'd be surprised what can rattle in that enclosure - anything with a rotating mass can cause a resonance (power supply, rear fan assembly, front fan assembly, DVD enclosure, any SATA carrier or drive, etc.) - you can't expect someone to completely disassemble every part and reseat it.

I'm only talking about an inch off the floor, it's not going to hurt it. It shouldn't be running of course. I've done this a few times to my 1,1 and it's solid as a rock.

JP

There really aren't that many parts to just take the time to just push down and make sure things are seated properly...this just sounds like laziness..

 

[gglockner]

Dynamat to the rescue

I found that 1 piece of Dynamat, applied to the side cover, solved my resonance problem. I first confirmed that it was the side cover that was resonating by removing the cover while the Mac Pro was running. I measured the case to determine where to place the Dynamat - I wanted the material to fit in the area between the drive sleds and the processor trays. I applied the Dynamat, replaced the cover, and voila - no more noise.

 

[J the Ninja]

I found that 1 piece of Dynamat, applied to the side cover, solved my resonance problem. I first confirmed that it was the side cover that was resonating by removing the cover while the Mac Pro was running. I measured the case to determine where to place the Dynamat - I wanted the material to fit in the area between the drive sleds and the processor trays. I applied the Dynamat, replaced the cover, and voila - no more noise.

In the future, this stuff is better than Dynamat and cheaper:

http://www.secondskinaudio.com

Frankly, I think the MP should come with something like that and a sheet of foam on the side panel to begin with. Helps a lot with muffling fan noise.