Had the same problem. Turned out to be a bad power supply. (Took 3 trips to Apple store and speaking with the manager who diagnosed it immediately.) No problems since then.
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2012 12-core Constantly Shutting Down
- Thread starter Auggie
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Can I ask what Apple charged (if it wasn't under warranty)?
Used 661-5449 PSU's are going for about $170-250 used, and $240-340 new, on eBay; I'd probably go for the $240 new one.
Brought it to a local Apple Genius Bar over the weekend and their hardware tests came up negative (CPU, boards, memory, PS all showed as "passed"). Put the computer to deep sleep and bam: immediate shut down as expected. After explaining all my troubleshooting steps, they also concur that it's probably the power supply or, less likely, the backplane board (main board aka motherboard).
What surprised me is that a new PS from Apple is only $170 plus $80 labor; that's basically cheaper than buying one from the internet or eBay and putting it in myself but without a 90-day warranty.
And if that doesn't resolve the problem, a new backplane board is only $332 and with no additional labor charge since I pre-authorized them to do that replacement if the new PS doesn't solve the issue.
So, hopefully within a week I can report back the final resolution to my ills...
BTW, they never physically looked for or at the missing data plate; the tech acquired all SN's through their software tools.
What surprised me is that a new PS from Apple is only $170 plus $80 labor; that's basically cheaper than buying one from the internet or eBay and putting it in myself but without a 90-day warranty.
And if that doesn't resolve the problem, a new backplane board is only $332 and with no additional labor charge since I pre-authorized them to do that replacement if the new PS doesn't solve the issue.
So, hopefully within a week I can report back the final resolution to my ills...
BTW, they never physically looked for or at the missing data plate; the tech acquired all SN's through their software tools.
For some, this may not be the best of news: Apple repaired my poota and all seems well at the moment...
It ended up being the backplane board aka main board aka motherboard. Total hurt: $411.22 plus sales tax.
They didn't charge me for a power supply so I assume they swapped that out initially only to discover the issue did not get resolved and went ahead and reinstalled the original one.
Apparently they didn't care about the SN data plate missing and re-coded the recorded SN on file into the new main board.
Anyways, I'm hoping this is the end of this headache any foreseeable mainboard problems. Other than a 2008 MacBook Pro, I've never had to replace a motherboard on any of the dozens of Macs I've owned over the decades, but this now makes two from the seller from which I got this Mac Pro from. The first Mac had ethernet and Firewire ports DOA, so he went ahead and sent a completely different Mac with the same specs; the one that I have now. And after a couple months, its mainboard too went belly-up but with a different problem.
It ended up being the backplane board aka main board aka motherboard. Total hurt: $411.22 plus sales tax.
They didn't charge me for a power supply so I assume they swapped that out initially only to discover the issue did not get resolved and went ahead and reinstalled the original one.
Apparently they didn't care about the SN data plate missing and re-coded the recorded SN on file into the new main board.
Anyways, I'm hoping this is the end of this headache any foreseeable mainboard problems. Other than a 2008 MacBook Pro, I've never had to replace a motherboard on any of the dozens of Macs I've owned over the decades, but this now makes two from the seller from which I got this Mac Pro from. The first Mac had ethernet and Firewire ports DOA, so he went ahead and sent a completely different Mac with the same specs; the one that I have now. And after a couple months, its mainboard too went belly-up but with a different problem.
UPDATE: Well, the issue is not entirely resolved to my satisfaction.
While it hasn't (yet) unexpectedly shutdown while using the computer, it does shutdown eventually some time during deep sleep. At the onset of this issue, it would shutdown immediately after going right into deep sleep. Now, it only does so after an extended period time, the measure of which I haven't had the opportunity yet as I just noticed it over the last day or so.
Since I've already swapped out CPUs, randomly plugged in pairs of RAM, and Apple replaced the main board while also initially replacing the power supply, the only culprit left is the graphics card and processor board. Or maybe the Tempo SSD Pro Plus card.
I'll be removing the Tempo and SSD and see if the deep sleep issue occurs...
While it hasn't (yet) unexpectedly shutdown while using the computer, it does shutdown eventually some time during deep sleep. At the onset of this issue, it would shutdown immediately after going right into deep sleep. Now, it only does so after an extended period time, the measure of which I haven't had the opportunity yet as I just noticed it over the last day or so.
Since I've already swapped out CPUs, randomly plugged in pairs of RAM, and Apple replaced the main board while also initially replacing the power supply, the only culprit left is the graphics card and processor board. Or maybe the Tempo SSD Pro Plus card.
I'll be removing the Tempo and SSD and see if the deep sleep issue occurs...
The dreaded shutdown started happening under heavy activity again.
When I first got it back, it would still shutdown after many hours in deep (computer) sleep. But for some reason, the latest Sierra beta didn't allow my computer to go into deep sleep regardless of the Energy Saver preferences, so I didn't troubleshoot any further with other priorities in my life more demanding and the computer was stable enough for the time being.
Last week when I finally had some free time to investigate further and while attempting to install El Capitan on a wiped drive via USB flash drive, it shutdown a few minutes into the install. Two additional attempts resulted in the exact same result: shutdown during install.
Boot back in my normal startup volume to do some page layout design via InDesign and it shutdown while InDesign was launching. I realized the severe symptoms were returning and started backing up my data; shutdown at various times during multiple backup attempts; it even shutdown after doing an iTunes sync with my iPad.
Pulled everything except the wiped, empty drive and hauled it back to Apple where it hanged twice during their diagnostic testing at the point where it was checking the video card.
So that's the current theory and they've ordered a new video card (5770). Since they acknowledged the main board replacement did not resolve the problem, they will apply that cost to the video card replacement and refund any difference: the main board was $412 and the video card is $400, so I will be getting approximately $12 back (and I still keep the main board); assuming that a replacement video card resolves the issue...
The beat goes on.
When I first got it back, it would still shutdown after many hours in deep (computer) sleep. But for some reason, the latest Sierra beta didn't allow my computer to go into deep sleep regardless of the Energy Saver preferences, so I didn't troubleshoot any further with other priorities in my life more demanding and the computer was stable enough for the time being.
Last week when I finally had some free time to investigate further and while attempting to install El Capitan on a wiped drive via USB flash drive, it shutdown a few minutes into the install. Two additional attempts resulted in the exact same result: shutdown during install.
Boot back in my normal startup volume to do some page layout design via InDesign and it shutdown while InDesign was launching. I realized the severe symptoms were returning and started backing up my data; shutdown at various times during multiple backup attempts; it even shutdown after doing an iTunes sync with my iPad.
Pulled everything except the wiped, empty drive and hauled it back to Apple where it hanged twice during their diagnostic testing at the point where it was checking the video card.
So that's the current theory and they've ordered a new video card (5770). Since they acknowledged the main board replacement did not resolve the problem, they will apply that cost to the video card replacement and refund any difference: the main board was $412 and the video card is $400, so I will be getting approximately $12 back (and I still keep the main board); assuming that a replacement video card resolves the issue...
The beat goes on.
Thanks for the notes on your experience. Makes my travails with nVidia web drivers and OS X updates seem less vexing.
You better ask them if they ever try a new PSU. According to your post, you only guess that they did the test and confirmed it's not the PSU. However, up to this stage, they don't really show that they can confirm the root cause. If they never try a new PSU. They should do that before asking you to buy an overpriced ancient video card.
Yea, normally I'd pass and acquire it somewhere else, but since the main (backplane) board is staying and if this is indeed the underlying issue, I get a little refund (it may be that the card could have caused failure of the main board earlier, so in reality, I could be getting two hardware problems being replaced for the cost of one). But it may not end up solving the issue because previous hardware tests did not have any problems with the video card.
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I confirmed when I brought it in the second time that they indeed tried replacing the PSU because that was the main focus of efforts, falling back to back plane replacement if new PSU did not resolve the issue.
If a new video card does not resolve the issue, then the only other hardware component I can think of is the processor riser board. I even postulated that the power switch itself could be faulty because it has the ability to shutdown the computer (I assume it's wired directly to the PSU). In the end, I will only be charged the final hardware item that completely resolves the issue, and provided a refund (or charged) for any difference from the cost of replacing the main board. I won't even be charged for all the different labor involved in this whole process; just one charge of $90.
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The processor board definitely can shutdown the Mac.
I had a faulty CPU tray about 2 years ago. I use my Mac Pro since early 2009. Basically leave it on 24/7, never do any maintenance for more than 5 years. So, I guess the dust cause extra heat accumulation and eventually kill the north bridge. It's very dusty in my city, and I often leave the computer 100% load in a room that with no air con. The room temperature can easily go over 30C. Northbridge often stay at or above 80C.
The problem start with few self reboot, self shutdown may be once or twice (when I leave it alone running handbrake), and occasionally freeze. These symptoms occur less then once a week. So, a bit annoying, but not too damaging to me (my computer is for leisure use anyway. Initially, I thought may be my room temperature is too hot, and the W3690 run hotter than the stock W3520. So, the CPU was overheated. Therefore, I create a new fan profile to keep the CPU at or below 78C. It alleviate the problem a bit, no more self shutdown / reboot, but still occasionally freeze.
Until one day, it self shutdown when I was not there. And when I try to switch it on, power up, fan spinning, but not POST, nothing display. Took the cMP to Apple. They try all PSU, GPU, Logic board, nothing help. And I request them to get the CPU tray for testing. They did it, and a new CPU tray fix the cMP in no time.
I know every case is difference, my CPU tray is faulty doesn't mean that yours also. However, from my experience, the Apple staff just follow their manual. Which suggest that the 3 main cause is PSU, GPU, and logic board. CPU tray is not on the list. So, if nothing work, you may ask them to replace the CPU tray, otherwise they may not consider it.
That's wasn't too bad for me. ~$300 for everything (cleaning, testing, parts, labour, 3 months warranty). Anyway, I learnt, even the best designed computer need maintenance. So, I shutdown the Mac and blow the dust away about 2 times a month. It's 2 years now. Not a single self shutdown / reboot / unattended freeze (software crash of cost can happen, but that only happen when I was using it and trigger the bug in real time.)
I had a faulty CPU tray about 2 years ago. I use my Mac Pro since early 2009. Basically leave it on 24/7, never do any maintenance for more than 5 years. So, I guess the dust cause extra heat accumulation and eventually kill the north bridge. It's very dusty in my city, and I often leave the computer 100% load in a room that with no air con. The room temperature can easily go over 30C. Northbridge often stay at or above 80C.
The problem start with few self reboot, self shutdown may be once or twice (when I leave it alone running handbrake), and occasionally freeze. These symptoms occur less then once a week. So, a bit annoying, but not too damaging to me (my computer is for leisure use anyway. Initially, I thought may be my room temperature is too hot, and the W3690 run hotter than the stock W3520. So, the CPU was overheated. Therefore, I create a new fan profile to keep the CPU at or below 78C. It alleviate the problem a bit, no more self shutdown / reboot, but still occasionally freeze.
Until one day, it self shutdown when I was not there. And when I try to switch it on, power up, fan spinning, but not POST, nothing display. Took the cMP to Apple. They try all PSU, GPU, Logic board, nothing help. And I request them to get the CPU tray for testing. They did it, and a new CPU tray fix the cMP in no time.
I know every case is difference, my CPU tray is faulty doesn't mean that yours also. However, from my experience, the Apple staff just follow their manual. Which suggest that the 3 main cause is PSU, GPU, and logic board. CPU tray is not on the list. So, if nothing work, you may ask them to replace the CPU tray, otherwise they may not consider it.
That's wasn't too bad for me. ~$300 for everything (cleaning, testing, parts, labour, 3 months warranty). Anyway, I learnt, even the best designed computer need maintenance. So, I shutdown the Mac and blow the dust away about 2 times a month. It's 2 years now. Not a single self shutdown / reboot / unattended freeze (software crash of cost can happen, but that only happen when I was using it and trigger the bug in real time.)
I do an occasional dusting of all my computers. My 2008, bought brand new from Apple, has basically been rock steady running 24/7 almost since it was first booted up. There was a period of time when it was very sensitive to being bumped that would caused it immediately shut down (simply closing the side panel while it was running could do it), but somehow that has now passed. Because it was so stable, I never felt it necessary to buy the 2009, the 2010, or the 2012 models as they were introduced, even though I had inadvertently broke the locking handle when it seemed I couldn't get the side panel off so I had to use tape to keep the panel in place. It was only after Apple discontinued support for the 3,1 in Sierra did I finally make the plunge to a 2012, which by now was only available second-hand.
I will say that I'm quite surprised with just how forgiving Apple is in what they charge, and how relatively low the repair costs have been; I was expecting much higher. Yes, it's a bit disheartening that they can't seem to nail down the source of the problem, but I understand that the front-line techs are simply following troubleshooting scripts. In fact, the second time I brought it in, the Genius Bar tech said this was only the second time she's worked on a cMP. I'm certainly prepared to offer my suggestion to replace the processor board if the video card replacement doesn't solve the problems.
I will say that I'm quite surprised with just how forgiving Apple is in what they charge, and how relatively low the repair costs have been; I was expecting much higher. Yes, it's a bit disheartening that they can't seem to nail down the source of the problem, but I understand that the front-line techs are simply following troubleshooting scripts. In fact, the second time I brought it in, the Genius Bar tech said this was only the second time she's worked on a cMP. I'm certainly prepared to offer my suggestion to replace the processor board if the video card replacement doesn't solve the problems.
Auggie, my 5,1 3.46GHz cMP started having the exact same issues. The first shut downs started about 5 months ago, and would only occur while the computer was under heavy load (rendering or exporting large projects in FCPX).
I replaced the power supply and that fixed the issue until about two weeks ago.
I was suspecting a faulty logic board but after seeing that a new board didn't fix your problem, I'm wondering if it's time to just move on from the older machine.
The stranger thing for me is that after taking it to a certified Mac Repair specialist, he can't replicate any of the symptoms.
He is able to put the computer to sleep and it wakes normally after several hours without shutting down. He has also ran a myriad of stress tests over the past week and nothing. Not one shut down. (!?)
I replaced the power supply and that fixed the issue until about two weeks ago.
I was suspecting a faulty logic board but after seeing that a new board didn't fix your problem, I'm wondering if it's time to just move on from the older machine.
The stranger thing for me is that after taking it to a certified Mac Repair specialist, he can't replicate any of the symptoms.
He is able to put the computer to sleep and it wakes normally after several hours without shutting down. He has also ran a myriad of stress tests over the past week and nothing. Not one shut down. (!?)
Is your power source reliable? And the cMP has good ventilation around?
The biggest difference between their test and your usage is the room itself. e.g. different power source, difference room temperature / circulation.
Of course, another huge difference is they are doing synthetic stress test, not your real work flow. So impossible to pick up the software error (if that's the root cause).
Or, if they only stress the CPU / GPU, but your problem actually from the HDD / RAM /etc. They will also unable to reproduce the issue.
Hi,
I recently bought a 2009 dual cpu board for my single cpu 2009 mac pro - it came with 64GB of ram and the stock 2.26GHz processors.
I was upgrading from a single 3.46GHz with 24GB.
After days, possibly weeks of testing - the ram, the board, cpus, etc. I eventually gave up - i would get random restarts an kernel panics. It seemed RAM related, but it even did it with my 'good' RAM. I lost so many hours troubleshooting, but I'm sure it's the board.
Long story short, I returned the board and purchased a whole new dual CPU mac pro and took the board from that (and replaced it with the single CPU board from my machine) - no issues at all since! Now happily running a 12-core 3.46GHz.
The eBay seller says he tested it with no issues, but Im pretty sure they won't test it as thoroughly as you might in real world use.
So, it can very well be the board!
Cheers,
Ed
I recently bought a 2009 dual cpu board for my single cpu 2009 mac pro - it came with 64GB of ram and the stock 2.26GHz processors.
I was upgrading from a single 3.46GHz with 24GB.
After days, possibly weeks of testing - the ram, the board, cpus, etc. I eventually gave up - i would get random restarts an kernel panics. It seemed RAM related, but it even did it with my 'good' RAM. I lost so many hours troubleshooting, but I'm sure it's the board.
Long story short, I returned the board and purchased a whole new dual CPU mac pro and took the board from that (and replaced it with the single CPU board from my machine) - no issues at all since! Now happily running a 12-core 3.46GHz.
The eBay seller says he tested it with no issues, but Im pretty sure they won't test it as thoroughly as you might in real world use.
So, it can very well be the board!
Cheers,
Ed
As '790 said, it's critical to have the computer in the exact same configuration and doing the exact same steps to recreate the shutdown; hence, it was a very long time before I brought my poota in the first time until I could reliably invoke the issue, after first going through different drives, different boot interfaces (internal SATA, Tempo Pro, USB), different pairs of RAM (albeit, from the same RAM pool installed in the computer), and even different CPUs. And after getting the machine back and discovering it wasn't altogether resolved, I waited before bringing it back until I could again somewhat reliably get the machine into a state to cause a shutdown. And I always test the configuration that I will bring to the tech to ensure I can recreate the problem beforehand.
Maybe there are multiple failures with different hardware (one of the worst to troubleshoot) and the main board failure was a symptom of failure of a different component and simply replacing the board simply reset the ticking bomb. It's all a big mystery at the moment. Probably a detailed logic trace of all the potential boards would be the most accurate means of tracking down the bug, but that's probably prohibitively expensive.
CURRENT STATUS:
Got the call from an Apple tech and he said they had to contact Engineering at Apple's main center to assist in troubleshooting and they suspect it's either the processor board or processors. As I told them I already replaced the processors and it didn't resolve the issue, that left us with replacing the processor board: $450 and some change.
A new board has been ordered so again it's a waiting game for the part to arrive...
Got the call from an Apple tech and he said they had to contact Engineering at Apple's main center to assist in troubleshooting and they suspect it's either the processor board or processors. As I told them I already replaced the processors and it didn't resolve the issue, that left us with replacing the processor board: $450 and some change.
A new board has been ordered so again it's a waiting game for the part to arrive...
LATEST: APPLE ENGINEERING GIVES UP
They couldn't resolve the issue of it hanging during their hardware tests. They solicited assistance from Apple headquarters engineering. They replaced EVERYTHING: power supply, backplane board, processor board, BOTH PROCESSORS, video card, and video card power cable. They even swapped in a pair of brand new RAM sticks.
Nothing resolved their hardware test issue.
So they gave up and refunded the entirety of my previous bill, including replacing my Bluetooth card and antenna which I had requested due to a bad antenna connector; they still refunded that too.
AND, they kept almost ALL of the brand new components in the computer: power supply, back plane board, processor board, both processors, video card, and video card power cable. They told me that essentially it's a whole brand new computer inside. I visually confirmed that it's all brand new inside there.
But still doesn't resolve the hangs during their hardware tests.
Funny, because I never experienced any of that; I was only having problems with the inadvertent shutdowns, which they never really got around to troubleshooting.
Anyways, their only other educated guess is that it has something to do with the organic components included with the physical case: power switch, cables, USB/Firewire/Ethernet/Headphone/Mic/Toslink ports, and the rat's ness of wires. They believe it's SOMEWHERE amongst all that that is causing at least the issue they were having with the machine.
So here I am typing away on said same computer, so far so good, hoping the shut down issue is at least subdued, if not entirely resolved.
I guess it's a waiting game now.
Since I have all brand new innards, I will probably be on the lookout for a donor case. Does anyone know if the 2010 case is exactly the same as the 2012?
Did I mention they are offering 15% off any any Mac computer of my choosing? Good for the next 14 days...
They couldn't resolve the issue of it hanging during their hardware tests. They solicited assistance from Apple headquarters engineering. They replaced EVERYTHING: power supply, backplane board, processor board, BOTH PROCESSORS, video card, and video card power cable. They even swapped in a pair of brand new RAM sticks.
Nothing resolved their hardware test issue.
So they gave up and refunded the entirety of my previous bill, including replacing my Bluetooth card and antenna which I had requested due to a bad antenna connector; they still refunded that too.
AND, they kept almost ALL of the brand new components in the computer: power supply, back plane board, processor board, both processors, video card, and video card power cable. They told me that essentially it's a whole brand new computer inside. I visually confirmed that it's all brand new inside there.
But still doesn't resolve the hangs during their hardware tests.
Funny, because I never experienced any of that; I was only having problems with the inadvertent shutdowns, which they never really got around to troubleshooting.
Anyways, their only other educated guess is that it has something to do with the organic components included with the physical case: power switch, cables, USB/Firewire/Ethernet/Headphone/Mic/Toslink ports, and the rat's ness of wires. They believe it's SOMEWHERE amongst all that that is causing at least the issue they were having with the machine.
So here I am typing away on said same computer, so far so good, hoping the shut down issue is at least subdued, if not entirely resolved.
I guess it's a waiting game now.
Since I have all brand new innards, I will probably be on the lookout for a donor case. Does anyone know if the 2010 case is exactly the same as the 2012?
Did I mention they are offering 15% off any any Mac computer of my choosing? Good for the next 14 days...
Auggie, thank you so much for posting all of this information and the continued updates. My wife's computer is doing the exact same thing and, after much testing and examination, a resolution has yet to be found. We've scoured plenty of other forums with people offering the same examples and suggestions, all without success.
She has, however, found some comfort in a few workarounds. Her computer will work fine in Safe Mode but that has some limitations in photoshop. She has also found that if she completely shuts off the power, at the surge protector level, her computer will have less shutdowns. The longer she keeps the computer's power shutoff, the longer it will remain working. Small consolation, of course, but for now the workaround helps.
Keep us informed if you learn more!
She has, however, found some comfort in a few workarounds. Her computer will work fine in Safe Mode but that has some limitations in photoshop. She has also found that if she completely shuts off the power, at the surge protector level, her computer will have less shutdowns. The longer she keeps the computer's power shutoff, the longer it will remain working. Small consolation, of course, but for now the workaround helps.
Keep us informed if you learn more!
Although each problematic computer is different and solutions that work for one may not work for another similar problem, I did notice that if I kept mine powered down for long stretches of time, it may be more stable, at least for little awhile.
Anywho, I'm both disappointed and elated at the same time. On one hand, Apple couldn't resolve computer hangs while performing hardware diagnostics using Apple-built proprietary software tools and didn't progress further to start testing my initial complaint (I never had any issues with hangs). But on the other hand, I now have essentially a brand new computer in all major internal components while being fully refunded of all previous charges. And offered a 15% discount on any new Mac.
So even though Apple could not resolve the issue to theirs and my satisfaction, they more than made it up in terms of what I received back (a whole bunch of new hardware for free) and discounts. It's a similar experience I went through many, many years ago with a G5 Power Macintosh that had already passed its AppleCare warranty but suffered a problem so severe or unexplainable, Apple simply offered a brand new computer for free. And I hadn't even put up any fuss or argument when I was told the machine was unrepairable, so their overture was completely unexpected.
During one of my deployments, the heat from the locale cause the motherboard in my MacBook Pro to die. When I e-mailed Apple of my situation and location, they immediately sent out a replacement board and replacement instructions, along with return pre-paid label for the bad board. All for free.
There have been many negative comments and disdain towards Apple over the decades, but my personal experience interacting with technicians at various Apple Stores and national call centers for hardware issues has been one of pleasant surprises and complete satisfaction with the resolutions offered.
You should contemplate bringing in your wife's Mac to a local Apple Store if it's not too far away. Perhaps you, too, will receive similar positive experiences.
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You are very lucky to have dealt with such agreeable geniuses. While I've never had any problems with the dozen or so Mac desktops (Power Macs and Mac Pros), I've been less fortunate with laptops. I've had several with GPU problems (ATI Rage whose solder would crack, failed Radeon X1600), power connectors that would stop working, SATA that stopped working, swollen batteries that damaged the trackpad... And these are just the ones that I can remember off the top of my head... I ended up having to deal with all of these on my own due to excessive fees Apple was asking to fix them.
Over the years, I've learned to avoid ATI graphics in laptops when possible. The most reliable Mac laptops I've ever owned are (1) PowerBook Pismo and (2) Aluminum Unibody MacBook.
Over the years, I've learned to avoid ATI graphics in laptops when possible. The most reliable Mac laptops I've ever owned are (1) PowerBook Pismo and (2) Aluminum Unibody MacBook.
We have done that twice and thought the last attempt resolved the issue. Which it did for two weeks and then, BOOM, same issue occurred. We'll get back on the phone, attempt to bring it in or, better still, have it shipped to some brilliant person who can resolve it all. Everyone at Apple has been very nice and have tried to be helpful. It's a shame the company hasn't acknowledged the issue, as many people seem to be experiencing it. Hopefully, somebody will know the key to success soon.
I assume you are able to get a refund on any Apple repairs for this problem?
Well, it just shutdown on me while I was trying to install software into Crossover; the first issue I've experienced since getting it back. So the saga continues for me. Both the Apple tech and I agree that it's probably something with the case components. He mentioned that he had disassembled the machine physically down to it's "bare core": the absolute minimum that it can run under. It didn't even have a video card installed. Yet it would still hang during hardware diagnostic testing.
My next step is to get another 2012 Mac Pro, preferably dual-CPU, from which I would start cross-swapping parts over time until I locate the culprit. It definitely is NOT the route I wanted to take, but with the machine in its current state, it's just not reliable enough for me, especially if and when the shutdowns become unbearably frequent like it did before I brought it in the first time. I still have to buy another WORKING Mac Pro anyways. But if I can find and fix the problem, then I can always sell off one of them. If not, because it has all brand new major components, I'm sure I can recoup quite a bit of the original purchase cost to some intrepid buyer. The case itself is almost perfect and blemish free...
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I will say that I fix and upgrade all my Macs myself; I will only bring a defective machine to Apple if it appears to be logic board related that I can not replace economically myself. As an original Apple ][+ owner, entering the Mac world with the Macintosh II (my brother was actually first when he bought a Macintosh SE), and a one-time commercial print shop owner with half-a-dozen Macs in my graphics shop, I have decades of experience through all of Apple's major Macintosh desktop models, except the Centris/Performa series, and the nMP (though I did have the G4 Cube, the pre-cursor to the nMP).
So when I do bring stuff in to Apple, I've already done as thorough a diagnostic as possible, and convey that to the tech. Perhaps my experience and knowledge tends to sway outcomes favorably for me. But there's no doubt that others have had less than acceptable experiences with Apple...
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