MP 7,1 Fans not ramping up under load?

[Grumply]

Hi guys,

I've got a bit of a weird one, my 7,1's fans will not ramp up under load - even when CPU temps are starting to get seriously toasty (80+ degrees).

I'm having to use iStat Menus to manually set the fans (generally to around 40-50%) before I start any rendering task, because if I don't the machine will literally just keep getting hotter and hotter until it starts having issues.

Does anyone know what might be going on? How do I set the system's temperature monitoring to actively adjust the fans to keep things cool?

 

[TrevorR90]

80 degree c is normal. It'll ramp up automatically in the 90 degree range and even that is perfectly safe for the xeon.

Trust the thermal design of the Mac Pro. If it gets too hot, there are safeguards that will shut down the Mac automatically before damage occurs.

 

[LeonPro]

Intel Xeon at 80C is normal under load. The 3 giant fans are working. You just can't hear it as much as traditional fans. You're paying for the engineering of the Mac Pro and experiencing the benefits.

 

[h9826790]

until it starts having issues.

What issue do you mean?

80C is nothing for a Xeon, it shouldn’t cause any problem.

Try SMC reset yet?

 

[dominicperry]

T-case max is 77 degrees. Not clear how this relates to actual measured CPU temps. But a Xeon is not a "Core" processor and you shouldn't assume it is.
This is the 16 core.

Intel® Xeon® W-3245 Processor (22M Cache, 3.20 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Xeon® W-3245 Processor (22M Cache, 3.20 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

I can find no useful or accurate information on these forums or on Apple's website about what the maximum temps are for the W-series Xeon processors, or at what speeds the fans are meant to increase. iStat Menus reports 5 CPU temperatures - CPU PECI (which is always a little higher than the rest) and 4 CPU proximity temps. I can't tell how or if they relate to the T-case temperature.

My CPU sits at around 28 degrees C all day (ambient is 20 degrees) and occasionally pops up in to the 50's if I work it hard. The fans don't ramp.
My GPU (MPX module - 580X) will hit 102 degrees C if I push it hard, which I don't like, so I use TGPro to lift the fans for the times when I'm using a lot of GPU power. I've never needed it for the CPU. I have the 16 core.

 

[h9826790]

T-case max is 77 degrees. Not clear how this relates to actual measured CPU temps. But a Xeon is not a "Core" processor and you shouldn't assume it is.
This is the 16 core.

Intel® Xeon® W-3245 Processor (22M Cache, 3.20 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Xeon® W-3245 Processor (22M Cache, 3.20 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

I can find no useful or accurate information on these forums or on Apple's website about what the maximum temps are for the W-series Xeon processors, or at what speeds the fans are meant to increase. iStat Menus reports 5 CPU temperatures - CPU PECI (which is always a little higher than the rest) and 4 CPU proximity temps. I can't tell how or if they relate to the T-case temperature.

My CPU sits at around 28 degrees C all day (ambient is 20 degrees) and occasionally pops up in to the 50's if I work it hard. The fans don't ramp.
My GPU (MPX module - 580X) will hit 102 degrees C if I push it hard, which I don't like, so I use TGPro to lift the fans for the times when I'm using a lot of GPU power. I've never needed it for the CPU. I have the 16 core.

T-case max 77C should allow T-core max above 100C.

If you have Windows, you should able to see the max core temperature from Intel Diagnostic Tool.

As general rule, unless the CPU get into thermal throttling, there is no need to worry about temperature.

 

[Grumply]

80 degree c is normal. It'll ramp up automatically in the 90 degree range and even that is perfectly safe for the xeon.

Trust the thermal design of the Mac Pro. If it gets too hot, there are safeguards that will shut down the Mac automatically before damage occurs.

The fans aren't ramping up, period. Not at 80C, not at 90C not at 96-98C (where things starting getting funky and the machine starts acting weird). The machine isn't shutting down when it gets this hot either, it just starts glitching.

I had to pull the power once when this happened, as it wouldn't respond to the mouse clicks to shut down while it was hot and under load.

I've now set a series of five custom fan rules (in iStat Menus) to ramp the fans up slowly at different temperatures. So at least now I don't have to worry about it. But it's a little concerning that the 7,1's temperature controls aren't operating.

Might iStat Menus have "taken over" all of the systems temperature/fan controls? And that's why the systems internal systems aren't working?

 

[Grumply]

What issue do you mean?

80C is nothing for a Xeon, it shouldn’t cause any problem.

Try SMC reset yet?

The issues don't start at 80C, they start when it gets over 90C (and become clearly apparent at 96C+). SMC reset hasn't changed anything.