Building a Mac Pro 2008. (built)

[LucasIsEpic]

Mac pro is finished. im unlikely to write a guide as it was fairly straightforward if you have pc building experience.

 

obviously if requested i shall write one.

but for now it will just be a quick update.

 

 

-> mac pro started up without an issue when completed

 

-> not sure whether they are supposed to or not but when waking from sleep or starting up the ram risers illuminate for a second or so. (id imagine its just checking ram but i just wanted to know if this is supposed to happen, or a grounding issue)

 

-> the mac isnt that much faster than the Hackintosh i had before. perhaps im not using the apps its aimed at (pro logic and such) but im a little disappointed.

 

-> finally the mac pros fan are super quiet but the hdd sleds seem to have a slight vibration emanating from them. the hdds don't vibrate too much in a pc rig, so i think its got something to do with the mated aluminium surfaces its annoying and i don't think the metal case helps. any ways to soundproof this mac further.

 

Questions?

 

 

okay, so after reading a few topics on this very forum i decided to abandon the whole hackintosh route and build a mac pro, like nagal

 

however i have a few questions that google just would not help me with.

 

First and foremost.

 

im building a 2008 mac pro, thats the one with the 2.8-3.0GHz Logic board.

 

Will it run with just 1 quad xeon? (the one its designed for. the 2.8) or will i need both, i find contesting info after a few searches. i ask because id rather buy one now then buy a second if 1. i need one and 2. i can afford one.

 

second question.

 

if i am unable for any reason to find a good deal on the 2.8ghz xeons, can i use the older 2.66 ghz cpu's from the 2006 mac pro as i have a pair of them sitting on my desk making the place look untidy..

 

Third question.

 

if the first question is feasible do i need 2 heatsinks to be connected? or just the one over CPU_A

 

 

and finally

 

Fourth question.

 

for those that have done this, where did you buy your logic boards and for how much? the prices ive seen vary wildly, from 540 dollars up to 850. and when searching in the uk ive bartered a guy down to 425 pounds but ive seen 730 pounds as well.

[LucasIsEpic]

I've been taking a few pics of the case i bought, and id thought id share them.

I find that build logs are much better when you contribute images.

i never got round to taking pictures of my hackintosh or when i refurbished my G5.

so i thought id at least do so now.

 

 

i have a few photos of things im not quite sure about, so maybe someone can help.

 

And for those of you who like Porn

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55006410@N08/with/5091213178/

 

ill list a few of interest.

 

I don't know what this is? by I_Am_Lucas, on Flickr

I dont know what this is, its un-labled, and talking of unlabled.

 

 

Front panel board by I_Am_Lucas, on Flickr

is there a guide that lists actually how to put one of these things together?

 

 

The chassis, minus door by I_Am_Lucas, on Flickr

 

Empty, For now.

[_loosh_]

This is something I've been thinking about doing for quite some time now. My PC/HackIntosh is getting to the stage where I want to upgrade it and I've been wanting to go down this route. Can't get more compatible than genuine!

 

That said, I've found little in the way of info online, every search I do comes up with HackIntosh guides.

 

What would be really useful is to come up with a complete list of all the parts needed, to help others following. It would be great to work out which parts had to be Apple parts and which could be generic or modded/flashed parts from a PC.

 

Where are you getting your Logic Board from in the UK?

 

Also, is the choice of 2008 MacPro down to costs or is there other reasons?

 

I'd be interested to see how you get on.

 

_loosh_

[LucasIsEpic]

Well, firstly there's another guy who did this on here. Goes by the name of nagal

 

 

And I did buy my logic board from the uk in the end, it cost 399 used.

 

 

And yes I'm building the 2008 over the 09/10 models because of cost and availability, the 09 backplane/logic board is easy to find and affordable but the processor tray is damn expensive as are the CPUs themselves.

And there's a big chance to {censored} it up as the CPUs need to be lapped or have the IHS removed, none of which I am prepared to do on CPUs that are on eBay for 800 pound each.

 

 

I got the logic board, heatsink and a few other bits and pieces yesterday but I'm not gonna photograph them unless someone is actually interested.

 

Does anyone know if the 2008 mac will boot with the xeons from the 2006 mac pro? As in does the mac pro support more xeons than apple let's on?

[LucasIsEpic]

Quick update,

 

I installed the logic board and boy was it a {censored}.

I had to hunt for the the right screws as I was sure I read that they were m3 screws. The same kind of thread for optical drive screws in the uk.

 

Well they weren't. In the end I had to pull out an old screwbox and sort thru approximately 700 screws that I accumulated over 10 years and found that some screws fit fine.

 

After that I had to connect all the cables - something that was made MUCH easier by me having the 2008 service manual. That was a {censored} to find aswell.

 

Turns out apple used a sata cable to connect the front panel board. Luckily I had a short one left over.

 

On another note, the speaker assembly doesn't seem to sit right. That used really small screws that are the same as the ones on the bottom of the mac pro, the ones that retain the airport antenna.

When the fan is guided in the power connector fits and the fan assembly clicks, the screw hole just doesn't line up with the logic board. Strange.

So I just popped a screw into the speaker-fan link and that holds them both steady.

 

It looks a lot more like a mac pro now that the logic board is in, but I still need a few bits and bobs.

Can you buy the mac pro gpu booster cables separately? Or do they come with the gpus?

 

More photos are up on my flickr link above.

[M0N0PH0NIC]

Hey Lucas

 

Doing the same as you too, got the following so far (prices paid at the side)....

 

Mac Pro Case With Power Supply, Cabling, Antenna, Drive Cages, Fan Cages, Fans Etc NEW £210

Kingston Mac Pro 4GB Memory Kit (2 Stick Of 2GB) £70

Original OEM Mac Pro Install DVD's NEW £15

Bluetooth And Wifi Adapters £34

2 Memory Card Boards NEW £50

Hardcopy Of The 2008 Mac Pro Service Manual £16

2 Pioneer MultiFormat DVDR's £37

2 x Intel Xeon Quad 2.8GHZ CPU's £221

 

Still need to get:

CPU Fans

Logic Board

Some Screws I need

North Bridge Heatsink (If Needed??????)

Graphics Card (Plan to get the 5770 Direct From Apple @ £199)

 

@Lucas

Do you know if the 2008 uses the Northbridge Heatsink? The Service Manual confuses me abit, shows the heatsink in replicated pictures, could be lazyness on Apples behalf to take pics of a 2008 board that doesn't have a Northbridge Heatsink.

 

Appreciate your input or findings on this.

[LucasIsEpic]

The answer is yes. As far as I'm aware the 2008 requires the northbridge heatsink in order to run. A temp sensor is onboard and without it youll suffer with fan noise.

Reports are conflicting as I've also heard that if your only using 1 CPU than the heatsink is optional but frankly I'm not gonna test this on my expensive logic board. Plus googling "2008 quad mac pro" shows a few results with the quad at partial disassembly, lo and behold- one CPU heatsink plus the northbridge heatsink too.

 

 

Also as a side note, there's a bloke in wembly that sells mac pro cases and fans and such. His names sam and if you send him a polite pm he's sure to get you a good price on any fans or stuff you need. And if you need any help on assembly or tallying then let me know. Drop me a pm with an email address and I'll send you an exploded diagram of our mac pros with all the part numbers and stuff. And finally, that service manual is a dream.

[M0N0PH0NIC]

Thanks for your response Lucas, appreciate it.

 

Contacted Apple this week, just got to give them a call and have a chat about trading in my 2010 mac mini towards a mainboard and heatsinks etc, hopefully I'll have my mac pro up and running come middle of January. Hope they'll do me a good deal since I also have a 3 Year Plan on this Mac Mini too, who know's :angry2:

 

It's been fun so far anyway, always loved apples designs, the layout of the G5's and Mac Pro's are amazing, possibly the best computer design ever.

 

Thanks again for your input.