Mac Pro 3,1 random shut downs with GPU fans at max

[siorai]

Over the last few days I've had a couple random shutdowns with my early 08 Mac Pro. Once was during gaming in OSX, the other just surfing in Win7. Both times the system has just simply shutdown, no errors at all, but then the video card fans stay on at max speed.

On the OSX side of things I have recently upgraded to Lion and installed the 10.7.1 update. Nothing else that I can think of. On the Windows side I've installed a few updates through Windows Update, but that's about it.

Off the top of my head I'm thinking it's either the power supply or the video card maybe? What's the best way to go about testing either of these as possible culprits?

 

[Infrared]

What's the best way to go about testing either of these as possible culprits?

First thing I'd do is run the diagnostic test:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509

 

[Neodym]

On the OSX side of things I have recently upgraded to Lion and installed the 10.7.1 update.

Personally i would avoid Lion until it reaches at least .2 or .3 and stick to the perfectly fine working SnowLeopard for the time being.

Ontopic: You should try to reset the PRAM and the SMC.

 

[siorai]

Personally i would avoid Lion until it reaches at least .2 or .3 and stick to the perfectly fine working SnowLeopard for the time being.

Ontopic: You should try to reset the PRAM and the SMC.

Going to run the diagnostic now. Already reset the PRAM, but I'll try the SMC as well.

Offtopic: Lion is working perfectly fine actually. Why not keep that nonsense in the Lion bashing threads where it belongs?

 

[siorai]

OK, so it's been quite the evening.

-First, there was no way I could get the Apple Hardware Test to start. Nothing. In a bit of googling I found out where it should reside on my system (/System/Library/CoreServices/.diagnostic or something like that). I check and amazingly enough, it's not there. I copy it from the grey install disc that came with the system and *poof* like magic it works on the next reboot. Why it wasn't there is rather odd, but whatever. It was just an hour of complete frustration and annoyance.

-Secondly, I run Apple Hardware Test. Honestly I didn't expect it to do jack squat all. I've had issues a couple times over the four and a half years of owning this computer and never has the AHT been of any help. So no shock at all when it found no issues wrong. None. Since I am using a flashed 5870 at the moment I ran the test twice; in extensive mode no less. Once with the stock 2600 that came with the system and a second time with the 5870 also installed. No dice. Thanks Apple Hardware Test. You have been a wonderful tool in helping me find out what is wrong with my hardware yet again.

 

[derbothaus]

Offtopic: Lion is working perfectly fine actually. Why not keep that nonsense in the Lion bashing threads where it belongs?

I isn't nonsense you are just a junior player. Do you have any interaction with AD, OD, XSAN, OS X 10.5/10.6 Server, New SMB stack, NFS, DFS, Win 2008, Red Hat enterprise environments? If these are all working for you then you can air your grievances with the "bashers". If not enjoy your little local admin account from home and Lion is the best thing evar for you.

 

[siorai]

I isn't nonsense you are just a junior player. Do you have any interaction with AD, OD, XSAN, OS X 10.5/10.6 Server, New SMB stack, NFS, DFS, Win 2008, Red Hat enterprise environments? If these are all working for you then you can air your grievances with the "bashers". If not enjoy your little local admin account from home and Lion is the best thing evar for you.

How about you keep your nerdly e-peen stroking out of this thread? My problem has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with Lion so why even bring it up in the first place? Get back into your mom's basement and fsck yourself.

 

[Neodym]

Offtopic: Lion is working perfectly fine actually. Why not keep that nonsense in the Lion bashing threads where it belongs?

No need to be rude! I did not bash Lion, but expressed my personal opinion. As a sidenote - i'd generally avoid any new major OS revision until it reaches at least .2 or .3, depending on the problem reports floating around. Judging from what other users reported so far, Lion is not "working perfectly fine actually". You may of course have a different evaluation of the severity of existing issues...

 

[derbothaus]

How about you keep your nerdly e-peen stroking out of this thread? My problem has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with Lion so why even bring it up in the first place? Get back into your mom's basement and fsck yourself.

Relax little man. You baited yourself with "off topic".

 

[siorai]

Relax little man. You baited yourself with "off topic".

Go back and read. I was replying to someone who went completely off topic with their Lion complaint then decided that they should probably post something actually on topic.

But whatever. I'm done. Thanks for all the help. Oh. Wait. There was none. Just a bunch of off-topic crap.

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No need to be rude! I did not bash Lion, but expressed my personal opinion. As a sidenote - i'd generally avoid any new major OS revision until it reaches at least .2 or .3, depending on the problem reports floating around. Judging from what other users reported so far, Lion is not "working perfectly fine actually". You may of course have a different evaluation of the severity of existing issues...

Thanks for repeating this. It's really quite helpful. It's about on par with me telling you in this thread that I vastly prefer to use my medium format film camera instead of my DSLR. Notice how it doesn't pertain to the topic of the thread at all?

I don't care what your particular upgrade process is. This problem has nothing whatsoever to do with upgrading to Lion so why post anything about your upgrade plans not only once, but twice? It's a hardware problem which I know for 100% certainty because it happens in OSX and Windows.

Rude? You know what I find to be rude? People who post nonsense in a thread just because they have some agenda to push their views.

 

[Nameci]

It could be as well as temperature related issue, monitor your temperatures if you can.

 

[HyperX13]

I had the same issue, turned out to be a lot of dirt in the fans and especially on the video card. Took a air can to it and it has been rock solid.

 

[Neodym]

Instead of bitching around, you could have reported whether the hint towards resetting the SMC (which is "by coincidence" also related to fan control) did any good.

But rest assured - i'll never again bother to even think of writing anything in your threads!