Resolved Question about Mac Pro 5,1 (4,1?) heat sink screw compatibility

[Valdaquendë]

Friends, I am overhauling a Mac Pro 5,1 (2012 12-core) and found, while refurbing the CPU tray, that one of the heat sinks is missing a screw (including the spring, spring-clip, etc.). Naturally, I want to replace it. I can't find the screws anywhere and figured I'd buy a heat sink and rob the screw assembly from it. I have found 2008 and 2009 Mac Pro heat sinks (Apple 076-1338), which look virtually identical, for $11.00 or $12.00. The cheapest 2010-2012 heat sink I can find is on the high side of $50.00; usually around $70 or more. I don't mind paying $11.00 for a compatible screw assembly but wouldn't like to fork over $50+ for this tiny component.

But I don't know if the screws are the same from one model to the next and the Apple Service Guide does not detail the heat sink screw assemblies or their individual parts. I realize that this is probably a very rare problem and maybe no one can answer this but does anyone know whether the CPU heat sink screws from a 2009 Mac Pro are compatible with the 2010-2012 heat sinks?

Thanks in advance for the time you spent reading and considering this.

Valdaquendë

 

[tsialex]

It's the same screw, just the base of the heatsink of the dual CPU heatsinks that are slightly different.

 

[Valdaquendë]

Thanks. That's how they look but not actually having them in hand, I couldn't be sure. Interesting that Apple provides that as a unit and doesn't specify the component parts. As it turned out, as I was cleaning the heat sink and blowing the dust out of it, I heard a very faint rattle inside. I discovered that the spring clip had come off and both the spring and screw had fallen in between the fins and gotten lodged there. Took about 10 minutes with tweezers and a straightened paper clip but I got them both out. I'm going down to the industrial supply store, today, to get a replacement spring clip.

It's rather tempting to get the $11.00 heat sink anyway, just to have some spare screws on hand but this is the only heat sink with this problem that I have ever seen and it seems a shame to waste a working heat sink just for the screws. Of course, Murphy's Law says that if I don't have spares, I will need one. If I DO have them, I will never need one.

Thanks tsialex!

 

[tsialex]

Usually things fail at the worst moment possible, so, it's useful to have spares for things that fail with some frequency, but it's not the case with the Mac Pro heatsinks and I never had one fail besides the fan starting to be noisier.

 

[Valdaquendë]

Nor I. And I just can't see wasting a heat sink for the parts. And I DON'T need another piece of spare hardware sitting around for such an unlikely occasion. The road to hoarding is littered with such considerations. And the shop is crowded enough as it is.

Have a great day, tsialex!