# 2.88+ MacPro owners - heads up and survey on freezing



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

After a few days of running perfectly my desktop 2.88 just froze for no reason I could discern.

Put it down to a batch of RAM and swapped it out for more even tho there was no report of RAM errors.

Then a bit later noticed the screen saver locked up- sure enough another freeze with the new batch 

So checked on line and I'm not alone.
Did an archive and install just to make sure it was nothing software related.

So far so good but very early to tell. 

If anyone else has had unexpected freezes please post it up.

BTW these are very sweet machines.


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## jtmac (Apr 23, 2003)

The 2.88 I bought from MacDoc has been running flawlessly for a couple of weeks.
It's the best desktop I've ever used. I couldn't be happier, having traded up from a G5 Quad.

I started with a clean Leopard install and don't sleep mine, which might explain my lack of issues with screen lockups, panics and UPS overloads. However, I've been following the many accounts at "Accelerate Your Mac"

2008 Mac Pro Owner Reports


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## nowlive (Jan 11, 2008)

Logic board maybe?


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

I've been following user reports on MacInTouch & XLR8yourmac too. For a while it seemed perhaps related to the ATI video card, but nothing definite on that idea.
I just received my shipping notice today, so it'll be another week till I can chime in. It's a CTO dual 2.8 with the NVIDIA 8800 vid card.


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## csonni (Feb 8, 2001)

I can't see how a machine that crashes and has issues can be considered "sweet."


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Ferrari's need tuning too.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

gwillikers said:


> For a while it seemed perhaps related to the ATI video card, but nothing definite on that idea.


Agreed. We also had a Mac Pro give off the effect of freezing - dead video card. (ATI.) The problem is not limited to current-generation Mac Pros.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I reset the PRAM which some suggested online and no issues so far.

Been testing some new drives looking for a Tornado killer and so reconfiguring the system - lots of cloning etc and no hiccups - 

Will let it sleep when I go to get the kid and see what happens on wake up.

We had very few issues with 2.0/2.66 freezing - mostly it was riser cards that failed.

The 2.88s are reeeeeeealllllllly quiet and awesome 12 meg caches......hard to believe but sure can feel the quickness.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

*I'd suggest people be cautious with sleeping these until Apple has a fix. *

Very odd behaviour coming out of sleep - there is no indication there is a restart but that's what happens. 

I don't usually sleep mine either but tried again tonight as a test. 

Working fine otherwise.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

MacDoc said:


> *I'd suggest people be cautious with sleeping these until Apple has a fix. *


IMHO, from what I have gathered (on Apple discussions and elsewhere), this is an ATI video card issue, and it's unlikely to be an OS X issue, because it has been reported to occur under Boot Camp (VISTA) as well.

With the delivery of the NVIDIA 8800 cards, this problem will be narrowed down very soon. People are receiving the NVIDIA cards as I write this. Mine is scheduled for a Wednesday delivery this week.

Personally, I think it's more of an ATI overheating issue than a driver issue. But that's just a wild guess. I pray, (obviously) that it's not a MacPro hardware issue.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I concur. I doubt it's overheating tho as sleep is involved.
Our 8800s arrive this week as well - looking forward to it.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

MacDoc said:


> *I'd suggest people be cautious with sleeping these until Apple has a fix. *.


The fix is to replace the problematic part under warranty. I doubt we'll see an OS, driver, or firmware update to address the issue. Defective hardware gets replaced.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Well my MacPro (NVIDIA 8800) arrived and I've been putzin' around with it (can't get this goofy grin off my face).  

So far no wake from sleep issues, but the longest I've slept it is about 15 minutes. Adding some RAM and drives later.

I'll report back if anything untoward happens.

_(man, is this keyboard ever small & thin)_


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'm jealous.
Interesting tidbit - I slept the MacPro successfully and it woke up fine but this time the screen was on rather than off..

This also came up - resetting the smc.

Mac Pro: How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC)



> The System Management Controller (SMC) is a chip on the logic board that controls all power functions for your computer. If your computer is experiencing any power issue, resetting the SMC may resolve it. The SMC controls several functions, including:
> 
> * Telling the computer when to turn on, turn off, sleep, wake, idle, and so forth.
> * Handling system resets from various commands.
> ...


BTW I'm pretty impressed with the 2600xt card for speed.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

*2008 MacPro 2.8 8-core (GeForce 8800GT)*

*It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that I have just experienced a restart after waking from sleep*.  The machine had been in deep sleep for hours, and after hitting the space bar the machine rebooted. I then experienced very choppy (pixelated) video from EyeTV (all channels, and restarting my Plextor PVR did not solve it)

What's worse is that I reset the SMC, and did a PRAM reset (3 chimes) and the EyeTV video remains choppy. EyeTV is nearly unwatchable right now, despite the fact that it was fine yesterday.

This problem has now become so widespread that Apple Support must be pulling their hair out. I'll likely call Apple Support on Friday. 

This can't be anything but hardware. It's occurring with a wide variety of configurations, and is as variable as any problem I've ever seen on a Mac. I say this after having spent much time reading the myriad of reports on Apple Discussions, XLR8yourmac, and MacInTouch.

*This issue is NOT isolated to the ATI 2600XT video cards.*


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Lot's more reports that this issue is occurring with the GeForce 8800 on MacRumors (starting with post #60).


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Mine has stopped completely.
I did the Combo updater and it happened once.

I reset the PRAM and it has not happened since. 

It's really weird that it's only with very long sleeps the reboot occurs.

Choppy video tho sounds like a defective card.


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## Mrsam (Jan 14, 2006)

I have a 2.8 with the 2600XT and all has been wel so far.... Hopefully it stays that way. The machine is a Beast BTW.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Yeah very nice eh - do you sleep it overnight?? I wonder if possibly the sleep issue has something to do with the monitor(s) attached.

I have a 30" Dell plus a 17" Samsung. That said since 10.52 and a PRAM zap I've had no further issues.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Mine has been off for about 10 hours, and is running fine so far today (EyeTV too), but it boggles the mind how wide in variation the problem is. It's both vid cards, it includes stock non-upgraded machines, and it's all models of MacPro that are represented.
It seems unlikely to be a driver issue, it's not 3rd party RAM, and it seems at least to me, unlikely to be software. That leaves hardware, and perhaps logic board.  

I'm running 2 Dell 20" monitors. I'll definitely try the SMC and PRAM reset again if need be. I'll be following the various forums with interest.

The mystery continues.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I think power management that is getting corrupted 

Recall how bad the poor sods with 1.8 singles got nailed with 2 years worth of headaches due to firmware issues Apple could not resolve.
Do your fans ever wind up??


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

MacDoc said:


> Do your fans ever wind up??


No, they've been near silent.
What resolved the power management problem in that case?


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Wasn't power management it was a firmware issue - time resolved it - 2 years it took 

But firmware controls all sorts of aspects of the machines. Pure speculation on my part - we've seen no firmware updates yet.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Just got home from work... the MacPro had been in deep sleep for many hours, and no problem. No video problems of any kind. _"knocking on wood"_

On an unrelated note, it sure is disappointing to see how poorly some older Mac games run on this new GeForce 8800. Call Of Duty 2 looks like crap, but surprisingly, Return To Castle Wolfentstein looks fine. I haven't tested other old games yet, except for Close Combat- First To Fight, which is also fine.
I've heard mention that some of the older Mac games would have to updated to run well on this card, and that that's very unlikely to happen in some cases. Too bad. 

MacDoc, do you have any insight on how the OEM 8800GT performs under Boot Camp, specifically with XP??


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

No sorry - I'm a MacHead 100%.


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## infinity8 (Feb 19, 2006)

Interesting stuff! I hope things get resolved. Keep us posted.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

It IS resolved at my end anyways. :clap:

I've never liked Apple's sleep mode anyway but in the interest of clients had to test it.
They are terrific machines and I tell you the base 2600xt card is a treat.


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## Mrsam (Jan 14, 2006)

MacDoc said:


> Yeah very nice eh - do you sleep it overnight?? I wonder if possibly the sleep issue has something to do with the monitor(s) attached.
> 
> I have a 30" Dell plus a 17" Samsung. That said since 10.52 and a PRAM zap I've had no further issues.


I put it to sleep before I left for work today, so hopefully it'll be fine when I get home. If it crashes I'll be sure to post.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Mine woke up fine again today. I gave it a hug and offered to take it out for dinner.

I agree, these are terrific machines indeed.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Mines been a treat and new defragged with iDefrag even sweeter.


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## Mrsam (Jan 14, 2006)

Just got home woke the computer from sleep and it rebooted


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Mrsam said:


> Just got home woke the computer from sleep and it rebooted


Do an SMC reset. And do a PRAM reset (2 chimes).


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'd also suggest doing the Combo 10.5.2 updater as well rather than the piece meal upgrade.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Ack - it's back - I did not reset the smc so I'll keep my fingers crossed.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

MacDoc said:


> Ack - it's back - I did not reset the smc so I'll keep my fingers crossed.


So, are you seeing a lockup after the "reboot when waking from sleep", or just a reboot when waking from sleep? Mine was the latter, no lockup, and it only has happened once. The more days that pass, the more comfortable I'm feeling that all is well.

I had quite a time getting the 8800GT working properly under XP, but I'll save that for another thread. As for gaming under XP, CoD4 is pretty much blowing my mind on this video card. :clap: 
I've ordered Crysis, so that will really be something to test on this setup.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Only a reboot after sleep.


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## Mrsam (Jan 14, 2006)

Yup Reset PRAM and SMC and it's still doing it. Something that I did notice though... it doesn't do it when I put it to sleep under vista.... which leads me to believe it's probably a software/firmware issue. Hopefully Apple releases a fix soon!


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Mrsam said:


> Hopefully Apple releases a fix soon!


I'm sure they will, but it may take a little while. Firmware updates are a tricky business and require lots of testing.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Yeah I think it's firmware - machine is brilliant otherwise - maybe I'll swipe an 8800 just for fun or try two 2600s see if there is any change.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Some say running dual monitors fixes the problem. I doubt that though.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'm running dual monitors but I do tend to turn them off so perhaps I'll leave both on tonight and then sleep.


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## Night_Sailor (Feb 20, 2008)

*Problem occures with Nvidia 8800 card also*

The problem occurs with both video boards.

I have a 3.2 GHz minimum config, 320GB HD, 2 GB Ram, with the following upgrades. Wireless keyboard and mouse, and Nvidia GeForce 8800 card.

I have had complete lockups, and cases where the mouse would move but not work. In some cases the command "." key would work, and in other it would not. I have sometimes been able to close applications, but I could not gracefully shutdown (i.e. pulling the plug was the only thing to restore things. I spoke to Apple who had be run some diagnostics on the hard disk. Some errors occurred which could not be fixed. For a while that seemed to work. However, I just had another failure. I plan to do a full install. I have disabled all power saver features. I'll report back on if these changes work.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

My machine is rock stable except for the wake from sleep.
What does your Hardware test show.

That's craziness


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## infinity8 (Feb 19, 2006)

I came across this, I'm not sure if this article will help your problem.

Mac Pro: How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC)


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Been there done that


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2008)

Hmm was seriously considering picking up one of these machines when I get back from spain in early march, but I'm wondering if I should wait .. I really don't want to buy into another G5 1.6 like nightmarish piece of hardware :/ Lots and lots of people are complaining about problems with them and I need a machine as my main workstation blew up day before i left on vacation


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

It's a very restricted problem - the machines are terrific otherwise and very good value for money.


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2008)

Not to be a naysayer MacDoc, but it sounds a lot to me like PCI or chipset problems from what I've read on it so far ... and if that's the case a firmware update might not fully solve the issues (it might work around them in a "creative" way but not solve them). I also rely on PCI cards for some of my work so I'm doubly cautious in that regard -- I've yet to find anyone that has additional PCI hardware comment on the stability or the functionality of the PCIe slots. I'm hesitant to buy into a machine like this until Apple can provide a working solution. 

I have a hard time swallowing the fact that it's terrific at this point in the game. A machine that can't sleep, has video corruption problems, and randomly freezes up doesn't fall into the terrific category to me  Unfortunately it's the only option from Apple for pro desktop machines so I'm hoping that they can resolve this issue sooner than later. 

I need a workstation when I return from vacation at the beginning of march and I'd love for it to be one of these 8-core machines, but I guess only time will tell. Here's hoping that they can solve the issues quickly. As stated before, it took 2 years for the original G5's to get sorted out in that regard.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

I'm relieved to say that it's now been a week with no problems, and that's having deep sleep activated throughout.
This is one hell of a machine, I'm very happy thus far. I feel for those that are having problems though.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

> it took 2 years for the original G5'


a) it took 2 years for the single 1.8 to get sorted out. not the entire G5 line - you are far over stating it.

b) the first G5 duals also had a problem with the 9600 card where the screen would stay black on boot - that was a hardware problem

c) the freezing and artifacting could easily be caused by RAM as there are many reports of over clocked 667 RAM being sold as compatible for the 800 mHz 2.8s or people just being dumb about it



> I have this exact same situation. I own 16GB of DDR2-667 and just bought a new mac pro(the 2.8GHZ Dual Quad, DDR2-800 announced on Jan 8). I am happy to report that the system properly recognizes the memory as 667MHZ and appears to work perfectly. When I go into System Profiler, it correctly shows all the memory as 667 with a status of OK.


 

d) Apple is clearly having problems with it's drivers in Leopard and it's not limited to the MacPro.



> Monday, February 18 2008 @ 01:45 PM PST
> Leopard Graphics Update 1.0: Repeatable freezes, uninstalling fixes
> 
> [Monday, February 18th]
> ...


We're just not seeing issues in the field other than the sleep one as long as RAM is done properly.
Many users still mix their ram and lose bandwidth and stability.

Apple's sleep has ALWAYS been problematic.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

MacDoc said:


> Apple's sleep has ALWAYS been problematic.


That's an understatement.


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## allanyong (Jan 22, 2006)

jtmac said:


> The 2.88 I bought from MacDoc has been running flawlessly for a couple of weeks.
> It's the best desktop I've ever used. I couldn't be happier, having traded up from a G5 Quad.
> 
> I started with a clean Leopard install and don't sleep mine, which might explain my lack of issues with screen lockups, panics and UPS overloads. However, I've been following the many accounts at "Accelerate Your Mac"
> ...


hey i am wondering where did u trade your g5, because i am about going to do the same thing. THank you!


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2008)

You make some good points MacDoc .. I guess I'll have to try things out and see where it's at when I return ... let's hope this gets fixed sooner than later. And you're right about Apple's sleep ... it's never been great, especially with addon PCI hardware.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

There's more and more reports about how running dual monitors is a fix (of sorts) for the reboot after sleep, and freeze issue. 
I'm running dual monitors, but I'm hesitant to test the theory, because I don't want to face the problem if it occurs, and, because I'm so darned happy right now.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Well might be a odd thing but the new MacPros all come with Bluetooth and by default it's on.
Try turning it off - see if helps.
It's been implicated in some sleep issues in portables.


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## steveohan (Jun 25, 2004)

im using a 2007 mac pro 3.0 w/ an ati x1900 card. im getting lots and lots of freezes these days. its driving me mad!
it usually happens when i open stacks or open a finder window in coverflow...


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Sounds like a RAM issue - have you checked it.


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## steveohan (Jun 25, 2004)

^ really? havent checked the ram...
there was no freezing in 10.5, but once 10.5.1 and 10.5.2 hit, it started...


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Doesn't matter - new upgrades can put iffy ram in play - use rember


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## steveohan (Jun 25, 2004)

thanks doc.
dling now...will report back


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## steveohan (Jun 25, 2004)

ram seems to be OK...


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

> i recently reset PRAM on a Mac Pro dual 2.8 (early 2008) and the machine failed to sleep when asked by energy saver preferences. trashing this file and restarting solved the problem:
> 
> /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.PowerManagement.plist


Mac Pro


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## infinity8 (Feb 19, 2006)

MacDoc, gwillikers I'm curios if problem have been resolved or narrowed down.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

infinity8 said:


> MacDoc, gwillikers I'm curios if problem have been resolved or narrowed down.


Mine has been fine, but hundreds of others aren't. The "Apple/Support/Discussions/MacPro" forum is testament to that. Everyone there is awaiting a firmware update from Apple to fix the problem once and for all. No other guaranteed solution has been found otherwise.

Sorry to say.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

I may have spoke too soon...
Twice now after waking from sleep, the circuit breaker that my MacPro is on has blown (immediately upon wake up). Easy to just think that the circuit is overloaded, but the only change on this circuit is changing from a G5 dual to this MacPro, no other changes.
These MacPro's definitely draw more current when ramping up. Perhaps it's not a MacPro problem per say, but maybe it adds some insight into the root of the reboot problem. Just a guess though.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I too think it's a power ramp up issue.

My current 8 core wakes up fine - couple of clicks, 8800 fan spins for a moment then it all pops up so far.
Gotta be some power management issue -


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2008)

Makes sense that this is the issue. It could also answer questions about the UPS problems people have been seeing. I'm gonna toss mine on my 1500 watt UPS when I get it going (it should arrive today) and see how it works out .. have great monitoring tools for my UPS ... hopefully it should shed some light on the subject (if it doesn't blow it up hehe).


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## Guest (Mar 6, 2008)

No freezing (as of yet) and no graphics corruption on my 8 core, running the 8800 video card. I do suffer from the reboot on wake (which is about 50/50 right now, sometimes it reboots, sometimes it wakes up). On wake-up there is a HUGE power drain on the UPS so I suspect we are onto something here. The sleep/wake problems are not a huge deal for me as I don't often sleep my machine anyway ...

Waiting on shipment of my MOTU PCIe 424 card, should arrive friday and we'll see how that goes.

A side-note ... ripping with Handbrake is a treat on this machine  Averaging around 200fps when going from DVD video->iPod/iPhone video for movies at the moment  Yay for multi-threaded ffmpeg!


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Interesting - I have no reboot on wake issues with this 8core/8800 rig tho I did with my 4core 2600. 

Maybe just some power management issue that teeters on some machines not others.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Interesting post on XLR8yourmac from (Steve 3/6/08) where he discusses the problem as being Firewire related.

I've only ever had the one reboot from sleep, and other than blowing the breaker twice, I'm a happy camper. Playing Crysis via Boot Camp is amazing.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Red herring- the reboot out of sleep nothing to do with firewire.
Beachballing for sure but not the reboot.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

MacDoc said:


> Red herring- the reboot out of sleep nothing to do with firewire.
> Beachballing for sure but not the reboot.


My favorite post on Apple Discussions was one where a MacPro user was convinced that switching from the mighty mouse to a logitech mouse cured his reboot problem. 
Whatever works I guess. :lmao:


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2008)

LOL, and if you stand on your left foot while holding down the control key ...

Like you said, whatever works. Still going strong here, haven't bothered to try the sleep/reboot stuff again, but other than that solid as a rock here. Hopefully my MOTU hardware shows up today, but from the tracking on the shippers site it seems like it might be stuck in Fort Erie today


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I defragged my Century drive yesterday on the 8core with the 8800card and was sitting there afterwards thinking to myself

This is the best Mac experience EVER - effortless - instant - just a joy to use.

Those big caches 2 x 12 meg on processor and a fully optimized wickedly quick drive.....pure bliss,

I mean you can get into MacPro 4core with a Century Drive and a 24" monitor for under $3k - how cool is that. 

even with a 30" it's under $4k :clap:


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## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

The 2.8 stinks! This just in from xlr8yourmac...

"What bothers me most is that the computer stinks. When first booted, we had to close the door to our office. The strong sweet artificial smell was very intense. I let it "burn in" by having all 8 cores up 100% load for 24 hrs and the stink does get less. But still I can smell in the house if the MacPro was running or not... This does bug me a lot. Especially after the 2006 MacPro suffered the same problem and Apple's QS does seem to be blind on that spot."


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I think the guys got an over sensitive nse or something - I've set up dozens of MacPros and never once noticed anything.

Some iMacs had a packing issue that was pretty dire on first sniff but this guy sounds like a plant or something.


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## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

Yeah, the guy's a head case. 

Personally, I love the faint smell of new electronics. Almost as much as that first waft when unpacking a brand new DSLR. I've certinly got a nose for Nikons.

Seriously, I ordered my 2.8 yesterday and will report back if there's anything fishy.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Apple has released an ATI 2600 firmware update.

No word on whether this is the long awaited fix, or not.

*(just FYI... this will not update the card if it is in the first revision Mac Pro quad 2.66 Ghz)*


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

ScanMan said:


> The 2.8 stinks! This just in from xlr8yourmac...
> 
> "What bothers me most is that the computer stinks. When first booted, we had to close the door to our office. The strong sweet artificial smell was very intense. I let it "burn in" by having all 8 cores up 100% load for 24 hrs and the stink does get less. But still I can smell in the house if the MacPro was running or not... This does bug me a lot. Especially after the 2006 MacPro suffered the same problem and Apple's QS does seem to be blind on that spot."


I've been using a 2.8 for a couple of months and have yet to notice any smell.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Well, it's starting to look like the firmware update for the ATI 2600 is not the fix that was hoped for. A few negative comments reported on xlr8yourmac, and in some cases it may even be better not to apply it at all.
Back to the drawing board.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Perhaps it's best to avoid the latest ATI firmware...



Apple Discussions Support Forum said:


> You can see a draft of the AMUG Mac Pro 2.8 GHz review that will be released on Friday here:
> 
> AMUG Apple Mac Pro 2.8 GHz (January 2008) Review
> 
> ...


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## spoonie (Nov 25, 2007)

Thanks for the firmware link, just updated. I didnt have any issues, but it never hurts to be proactive.

Now reads:
Chipset Model:	ATI Radeon HD 2600
Type:	Display
Bus:	PCIe
Slot:	Slot-1
PCIe Lane Width:	x16
VRAM (Total):	256 MB
Vendor:	ATI (0x1002)
Device ID:	0x9588
Revision ID:	0x0000
ROM Revision:	113-B1480A-252
EFI Driver Version:	01.00.252


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## AppleAuthority (May 21, 2005)

Hate to derail the thread a tad, but reading through it I noticed a few issues that I am experiencing on my MBP (first gen). I've been having random UI lockups for no apparent reason, sometimes immediately coming out of sleep, while in screensaver, or just changing windows or opening Dashboard. Nothing that I can find in the logs seems to tell me what the issue is, and it isn't RAM, since I recently did a swap and the problem persists. I do not have the reboot from sleep however. I am also running 10.4.10. It's a strange lockup where everything onscreen freezes, generally including the mouse cursor, but no difference in fan speeds. I always have to force a shutdown to get out of it.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Post a different thread why would you ask an unrelated question in a MacPro thread


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## AppleAuthority (May 21, 2005)

Well it looked like similar symptoms to what the Mac Pros have, perhaps that it may not be limited to that unit. That's why I posted it here, in case maybe it was a software issue. But you're right I should have made another thread.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

*A Possible Temporary Fix*

The following is working for me with the "reboot from sleep" issue. I picked it up in that HUGE thread on Apple Support Discussions...

• make sure your main boot drive is in bay 1

• after zapping the PRAM (typically for 3 chimes), the Startup Disk pref pane will have no selection (all are deselected). Don't choose one.


After weeks of no problems my MacPro entered reboot hell for the last while. It was so bad I disabled deep sleep, and just dimmed the displays instead.
The above method has, so far, allowed me to use Energy Saver as it was meant to be used. (fingers crossed)


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Mind did as well once - my drive is in the first bay.
PRAM reset fixed it for now.

It's got to be a firmware issue. C'mon Apple.
Rock solid machine otherwise -


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2008)

I just keep the sleep disabled (I host some shares from this machine anyway so I don't want it to sleep) and my machine has been solid as a rock (aside from cider crashing a few times, can't blame the hardware there hehe).

This machine is a real treat for multi-taskers. The raw power + spaces has completely changed my workflow for a lot of stuff!  I have been re-encoding a lot of my previously ripped video material into much higher quality ... this machine chews through H.264 encoding with VisualHub much faster than my previous 6 machine encoding Xgrid setup did! That and I've never seen After Effects chew through encodes like it does with the multiprocessor options available in AE CS3.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Yeah I sure concur on the nicest Mac experience ever.

I still prod the beast by sleeping it but I close most things first as a precaution - since the PRAM reset it has been fine again.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

This deselection in the Startup Disk pref pane method really works. My computer is working perfectly, with no reboots.
And yes, these MacPro machines are really nice. I'm using Spaces as well, and multi-tasking like crazy. This is computing at it's finest.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I wonder if that's a kludge that prevents the boot drive spinning up for a few seconds so reduces the power spike.

Yeah they are a TREAT = doesn't wear off either. :clap:


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2008)

Or it puts something additional into the process that is able to tell the OS to wait (while it spins up drives) before polling them instead of doing a "panic" and resetting the hardware if the drive doesn't come back up quick enough to check for any needed files on the hard drive. Maybe these things are just too darned fast for their own good


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Well many of the RAID controllers and even drive firmware allows staggering spin up so power draw is a problem.

We stuck a Hitachi 32 meg cache speed demon in an early iMac intel and the pS would not handle the drive .

annoying lesson.


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

The 'Deselect Startup Disk' fix seems to be completely effective (from what I can see on the Apple Discussion boards) so I'm sure a fix is coming. I can't wait to get one of these machines; I'll be giving you a shout when as soon as I have the funds MacDoc... Cheers!


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I just noticed my boot drive is in the 3rd bay  - too many machine swaps I guess.
I'll try moving it but I've had no issues after clearing the PRAM

Due to multiple clones I'm reluctant to not have a startup disc designated.


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## jtmac (Apr 23, 2003)

Overall, I've been really happy with mine.
For a while there, in 10.5.1 there were a few screen lock-ups.
10.5.2 and the ATI firmware update seems to have fixed that.
:clap:


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

New firmware update just out and available in Software Update... hopefully it's the fix. 

Cheers!


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Cool thanks - installed fine. :clap:


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Good to see the firmware update finally!


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## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

EFI firmware: what's this about?


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## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

Might be something to help your guys out...

Macworld | Apple updates firmware for 2008 Mac Pros


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

It's backkkkkk.....well sort of.....

After 10.5.3 I have had one complete out of the blue shut down and one soft reboot ( like switching a user ).

I also get flashes on the screen maybe once a day.

RAM checks out fine - I suspect this is 8800 card related as the finder reboot occurred with heavy graphic activity and a very long session without a reboot.

Seriously annoying but not frequent enough to diagnose and this is the later version which does not require the firmware thos it FEELS like it should. 

Anyone else with hiccuping of a similar nature.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2008)

Has been solid here to date, but I still don't put my machine to sleep. I have an 8800 card + an ATI 2600 in this machine, not sure if that makes a difference, but since the firmware update it's been smooth sailing here.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Well I do now put it to sleep and have no trouble waking it but this very infrequent face plant occurs.

Maybe I'll swap the RAM set out as a control measure tho no errors are reported.


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## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

Took delivery of my 2.8 8-core w/8800 card on Mar. 19th, and have experienced no hiccups either before or after 10.5.3. Kept Apple's original 2GB and added 12 more from NuImpact. No video anomalies...nuthin'. Sorry to hear of your ongoing probs, MacDoc, but so far my machine has been a fine performer for me. Of course, now that I've said all that...touch wood...


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

This is another machine.
The original was perfect after the firmware update.

Not sure what's up with this as it's so infrequent 

BTW you are losing some bandwidth with a 14 gig set up.


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## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

MacDoc said:


> BTW you are losing some bandwidth with a 14 gig set up.


Yeah, I know. But I'm using the Apple singles till the warranty year's up, then unloading them when I swap in 2 x 2GBs. That's why I've still got the stock 320 HD on a shelf somewhere. OEM insurance...


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## darrenlovesmac (Apr 29, 2008)

I bought my MacPro in Scottsdale in January, and was told I was the "first" person to have bought a MacPro from that store. No problems what-so-ever, but I never deliberately put my computer to sleep. Now, it does go to "sleep" on it's own when the screen saver runs it's full course. So, is this the same?

Darren


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## csonni (Feb 8, 2001)

So has the Firmware update cured most of the issue? I'm highly considering a move from my Powermac G5 to MacPro.


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2008)

no problems here I am very happy with mine


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## HAL 9000 (Jun 30, 2008)

This is a bit off topic, I was on Mac buyer"s guide and they recommend not to purchase only if needed approaching end of cycle... so soon! it's only been 6 months out in the field.


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2008)

HAL 9000 said:


> This is a bit off topic, I was on Mac buyer"s guide and they recommend not to purchase only if needed approaching end of cycle... so soon! it's only been 6 months out in the field.


Wow .. very premature in my opinion. My 8-core is a fantastic machine that can handle pretty much anything I can throw at it. It's a rendering farm in a box (I can render some big HDV stuff out of After Effects in almost realtime), FCP doesn't bat an eye at HD content editing at all, and I can run 3 copies of windows at the same time as OSX (for web testing purposes) and it doesn't bat an eye at any of it ... in fact I can still use the machine without pause WHILE rendering with all 8 cores from AE. I wonder why they are recommending in this way??


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## HAL 9000 (Jun 30, 2008)

mguertin said:


> Wow .. very premature in my opinion. My 8-core is a fantastic machine that can handle pretty much anything I can throw at it. It's a rendering farm in a box (I can render some big HDV stuff out of After Effects in almost realtime), FCP doesn't bat an eye at HD content editing at all, and I can run 3 copies of windows at the same time as OSX (for web testing purposes) and it doesn't bat an eye at any of it ... in fact I can still use the machine without pause WHILE rendering with all 8 cores from AE. I wonder why they are recommending in this way??


Absolutely premature. mguertin sounds like the 8 core system you own is providing everything you need in performance. Im looking to purchasing one for myself, are you running the 3.2GHz model?


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## Guest (Jul 2, 2008)

Nope running the stock 2.8Ghz model. 8G of ram and 4x500G drives striped (which gives me 350MB/sec + speeds) and both the nvidia 8800GT and the ati 2600XT cards in it (running 4 screens).


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## spoonie (Nov 25, 2007)

Just an update - no issues at all with my 8-core (granted, it's a 2.8, not a 2.88+)

Model Name:	Mac Pro
Model Identifier:	MacPro3,1
Processor Name:	Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed:	2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors:	2
Total Number Of Cores:	8
L2 Cache (per processor):	12 MB
Memory:	4 GB
Bus Speed:	1.6 GHz
Boot ROM Version:	MP31.006C.B05
SMC Version:	1.25f4
Serial Number:	YMxxxxWMXYK


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Anyone wanting a 3.2 quickly we have and orphan wanting a home 

Pop in a VelociRaptor, 4 x 1 TB and 16 gigs for a very sweet machine


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## Pete (Aug 29, 2002)

whats the difference between the 2.8 and the 2.88+ other than a .08 speed increase?


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## FeXL (Jan 2, 2004)

MacDoc said:


> Anyone wanting a 3.2 quickly we have and orphan wanting a home
> 
> Pop in a VelociRaptor, 4 x 1 TB and 16 gigs for a very sweet machine


If you're advertising a machine for sale, please place it in the classified ads.

Thankyouverymuch.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I'm reviving this thread only because it would appear that the firmware upgrades on both the video cards and the MacPros themselves did the trick--otherwise there would be another two years of posts here. 

Is the general consensus that the problem was with firmware and not bad video cards?


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2010)

Macfury said:


> I'm reviving this thread only because it would appear that the firmware upgrades on both the video cards and the MacPros themselves did the trick--otherwise there would be another two years of posts here.
> 
> Is the general consensus that the problem was with firmware and not bad video cards?


Yes. I never replaced a video card and I'm still running that machine (with a 3rd video card in it now) and haven't had this issue again.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

Thanks, mguertin!


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## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

MF, Mine has been running almost two years without issue. Don't even remember updating the firmware, but I just checked and yes, it's the latest Boot ROM. Never failed to wake from sleep. The 880 GT has been rock solid, though slow in some areas. Put in 16GB, now in the process of swapping out 4 750s with a set of 2TB Hitachis. Very nice machine - 11,400 Geekbench score.

If there was a problem for some, I'd suggest the EFI upgrade was indeed the cure.

Considering that 3.2 at CPWhatever?


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

ScanMan said:


> Considering that 3.2 at CPWhatever?


I think I'll leave that unit for the more adventurous among us!

I was considering a 3.0 GHz MacPro from elsewhere, but it has the same ATI video card found in the units that were problems for some of the original buyers. I'll check to make sure the firmware is up to date before putting it through its paces.


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