MP 6,1 Recommendation to additionally cool a Mac Pro 6.1 passively

[eldxmgw]

There are plenty of threads about adjusting the fan curve with TG Pro, cleaning the inside of the 6.1, giving the PCI bridge a passive heat sink, or simply giving the CPU & GPU this new and high-quality thermal paste.

All of this may have its place. A simple variant that works without internal intervention is passive cooling. No, I'm not talking about the overpriced aluminum turbine from Canada, or even about this crazy notebook stand with a ridiculous LED fan to put underneath. I'm talking about granite or marble slabs that are always cool even in summer. In winter it works even better.

I successfully cooled the first MacMinis with it almost 20 years ago. The idea is that the devices, including the MP 6.1, are usually simply placed on a table or something else by the owner. This is usually wood. For decades, Apple has mostly designed its devices so that their (metal) casing functions as a huge air heat exchanger, among other things.

If, for example, the MP 6.1 is simply placed on a wooden table, the casing inevitably heats up the table it is standing on. Since wood is a good heat storer, it passes this back on to the MacPro in the medium term. Over the duration of its service life, this is a vicious circle that is quite unnecessary.

By placing a marble slab in between, for example, the temperature can be proven to be reduced by a few degrees.
The next improvement is if the marble or granite slab has small rubber feet on the bottom so that it does not lie flat on the wooden table.
Another improvement is if this slab is round, like mine, and has a slightly raised edge. If there is a few cm of space between the MP 6.1 air intake and the slightly raised edge of the marble slab, this acts as minimal dust protection.
It also looks good.

These plates can be bought for very little money on every platform economy in all possible shapes, colors, lacquered or matte. They are usually offered as jewelry storage for the bathroom. Or you can ask your local gravestone manufacturer about remaining stock. With marble, you should just make sure that it is really marble and not a cheap imitation so that you can also take advantage of its thematic advantages.

My marble plate has a diameter of 24cm and a height of 2.5cm. The base is 1.5cm thick. The marble is matte and untreated and has 4 anti-slip rubber pads on the bottom. It weighs around 2.2kg. It is ideal for the MP 6.1. Alternatively, there should also be something like this made of granite.

And I would like to give another tip to those who are thinking of replacing the thermal paste on the GPUs or CPU (if you don't already know). Please take a look at the two following links and implement them, it really does make a difference. Because many people apply some kind of thermal paste and do it mechanically incorrectly. I know this for professional reasons, but I still think of new things for some people. I implemented this on the MP 6.1 with 12 cores and dual D700, but I also do it on all infrastructure systems where possible. It really makes a difference.

Thermal Paste Application Techniques

The best technique to apply thermal paste is something that is often debated, and as a whole the internet has not decided on a standard technique. There are many varying techniques that are recommended, so in this article we will best test a variety of techniques to see which performs the best.

www.pugetsystems.com

Arctic Silver, Inc. - Intel® Application Methods

www.arcticsilver.com

 

[Xde]

Nice idea. But is it really colder?
I read an article about doing granit to a walking street and they did measurements, and they told,
they measured lower temp on the granit.
But this was done in the sun.
Maybe the heat conduction is different. And heat dissapeares into the cold ground (or wall).

I have a windowsill of granite and yesterday I put a piece of wood on it.
Early this morning I measured both with an infrared temp tool.
It did not show difference, only some 2 tenth of celsius.
I must say, infrared measurements are very dependent of the surface.
Yes, granit feels colder, but I cannot imagine that is real.

But everything in the same room should have the same temperature or not?
I think, you mean, over night you have 17 degree room temp and at 12 o clock you have 29 degrees like in hot aereas. And that granit holds the morning temp for some time, if the piece is big enough.
But is that really reproducable, did you measured anything?

 

[eldxmgw]

Nice idea. But is it really colder?
I read an article about doing granit to a walking street and they did measurements, and they told,
they measured lower temp on the granit.
But this was done in the sun.
Maybe the heat conduction is different. And heat dissapeares into the cold ground (or wall).

I have a windowsill of granite and yesterday I put a piece of wood on it.
Early this morning I measured both with an infrared temp tool.
It did not show difference, only some 2 tenth of celsius.
I must say, infrared measurements are very dependent of the surface.
Yes, granit feels colder, but I cannot imagine that is real.

But everything in the same room should have the same temperature or not?
I think, you mean, over night you have 17 degree room temp and at 12 o clock you have 29 degrees like in hot aereas. And that granit holds the morning temp for some time, if the piece is big enough.
But is that really reproducable, did you measured anything?

I don't know what you were hoping to achieve by putting wood on a granite windowsill for a night, but my approach is more to mistreat it as a passive air heat exchanger.
In this respect, your windowsill simulation was missing the heater that should be measured, if at all.
No, that's not what I meant, but I would recommend that you don't complicate the approach unnecessarily.
Just try it out with marble or granite and draw your own conclusions.
With iStat or TG Pro there are enough sensors that can be queried.
If the window on the windowsill is only ever opened at a maximum angle, I would mistreat the windowsill as a stand for the Mac Pro if I were you.
In terms of dimensions, this air heat exchanger would stay cool longer than, for example, a 25x25cm plate on your desk, which can only play into your hands. As I said, I can speak for myself from long experience with various fat clients that this sandwich process, even without acoustic measurements, caused the fan on the Mac Mini, for example, to rev up later than without.
And we all know the rubber or plastic plates of various generations that were thermally counterproductive at the time.
Even with the Mac Pro, I can see some positive effects from it.
29C room temperature? Phew, where is that? I don't have that in my apartment even when the outside temperature is over 40C in the summer without air conditioning.

 

[Xde]

Ok, you mean, the granite block should work as a heatsink, because it leads heat better than wood.
That seems to be correct. Only one thing, (my) Mac Pro is not hot at the bottom.

I missunderstood and thought you mean, the block is cooler and the Mac is sucking cooler air inside.

I put a selfmade turntable under the Mac, the idea was first to get easier to the connectors und second let the Mac sucking less dust. But my idea was not convincing, at least the cables are preventing easy movement. But maybe less dust.