Mac Pro PCI port access cover problem?
Salmon Egg
found that I need a PCI Express card rather than a card that would work
in earlier Macs.
I removed the PCI bracket. Then when I tried to remove a port access
cover, they did not come out all that easily. After I found that I could
not use a regular PCI card, I wanted to close everything up until I
obtained a proper card.
I then found that I had trouble seating the port access covers. There is
a small vertical slots next to the ports. The tapered ends of the covers
seem to slide into these slots, but they do not seat well. I am
reluctant to force them into place, even though my guess is that they
will snap into place if I push hard enough. This is where some
experience comes in handy. Do I just push hard. Do I tap then lightly.
Any help will be appreciated.
Meanwhile, I covered up the ports with aluminum foil and taped it in
place. I am holding the various parts for future use. For now, the
computer seems to be working well.
Bill
--
An old man would be better off never having been born.
JF Mezei
> I opened up my Mac Pro in order to install a PCI card. To my chagrin, I
> found that I need a PCI Express card rather than a card that would work
> in earlier Macs.
I had the same surprise when I got my Mac Pro.
Check out the owners manual for the MacPro. There is a PDF on the Apple
web site. It provides the proper sequence to add/remove PCI-e cards.
Without it, you get stuck with something which doesn't fit.
Salmon Egg
JF Mezei <jfmezei...@vaxination.ca> wrote:
I have the PDF with the diagrams. I think that if I press hard enough,
the port covers will "snap" into place. But I am too chicken to try at
this time.
JF Mezei
>
> I have the PDF with the diagrams. I think that if I press hard enough,
> the port covers will "snap" into place. But I am too chicken to try at
> this time.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Mac_Pro_Early2009_4707_UG.pdf
Page 69.
You must not press hard. Check the order. I think some covers overlap
others. And make sure you remove the retaining bar before you try to
insert the cover and then put the retaining bar over it once you are done.
Robert Haar
DON"T. Something is wrong or misaligned. The covers go in easily on my Mac
Pro, but the arrangement is a bit different from the run of the mill PC.
Follow the instructions exactly.
Salmon Egg
Robert Haar <bob...@me.com> wrote:
> On 12/11/09 1:03 PM, "Salmon Egg" <Salm...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
T
> > I have the PDF with the diagrams. I think that if I press hard enough,
> > the port covers will "snap" into place. But I am too chicken to try at
> > this time.
>
> DON"T. Something is wrong or misaligned. The covers go in easily on my Mac
> Pro, but the arrangement is a bit different from the run of the mill PC.
> Follow the instructions exactly.
There is a difference between the Mac Pros and previous Power PC's. I
had no problem with the earlier ones.
Jolly Roger
> Salmon Egg wrote:
> > I opened up my Mac Pro in order to install a PCI card. To my chagrin, I
> > found that I need a PCI Express card rather than a card that would work
> > in earlier Macs.
>
> I had the same surprise when I got my Mac Pro.
I wasn't surprised at all, because I knew what i was purchasing.
; )
--
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JR
Salmon Egg
JF Mezei <jfmezei...@vaxination.ca> wrote:
I am really glad to have seen this post. The manual is a bit different
from the one I was working from. I did not know, and still do not from
actual observation, that the PCI Express connectors can be slid away
from the ports. I would not be surprised if with them out of the way,
insertion the port covers is not only easier but easier to observe.
Robert DeVito
Dear Bill,
You must feel glad you're not opening a Mini... or an Air!
OTOH, you should feel sad you're not opening a PC, you know those
cheapies whose case retails for $60, with a 500W power supply included,
of course. The good thing is they don't come with 2 manuals, they come
with none.
You slide open the side panel, push in the card, screw (1 screw) it in
place, slide back the panel, and that's it. You look, and everything is
self-evident.
Unfortunately, though PCs are built with exactly the same components as
Macs, there really cheap, they don't use a kernel that everybody except
Apple has given up upon and last forever.
They won't help "define" you.
RDV
Richard Maine
> OTOH, you should feel sad you're not opening a PC...
Ah. But think of all the psychiatrist bills, not to speak of the meds.
Those guys aren't cheap. Judging by Priam, using PCs must drive you to
an unhealthy obsession with spending a major part of one's life
preaching to the heathens. His degree of obsession is bound to be
clinically diagnosable.
Maybe some toxic outgassing or something. I wonder if the frequency of
the "visions" would decrease with a little more time in some fresh air.
Or a woman; I know I mellowed a lot when I found mine (about 35 years
ago).
Fortunately, the infection rate seems to be low. I know quite a few PC
users who seem completely sane without any meds at all.
--
Richard Maine | Good judgment comes from experience;
email: last name at domain . net | experience comes from bad judgment.
domain: summertriangle | -- Mark Twain
Salmon Egg
Robert DeVito <r...@hhfhkhdsf.com> wrote:
> You slide open the side panel, push in the card, screw (1 screw) it in
> place, slide back the panel, and that's it. You look, and everything is
> self-evident.
My older Macs were that simple. The new Mac Pro is designed to avoid
losing screws.
JF Mezei
> My older Macs were that simple. The new Mac Pro is designed to avoid
> losing screws.
Macs have been designed to look cool on the outside for a longtime. The
MacPro is designed to look cool Inside as well.
In fact, it doesn't look like a computer inside. It looks more like what
you see when a panel is removed frm a wall in a Star Trek ship.
It is a totally new design and you need to familiarise yourself with it.
There was one familiar mechanism. The levers to remove/insert the CPU
board. This mechanism was very common back in the VAX days. (although
the levers didn't look as nice, of course :-)
Priam
> Salmon Egg wrote:
>
>> My older Macs were that simple. The new Mac Pro is designed to avoid
>> losing screws.
>
>
> Macs have been designed to look cool on the outside for a longtime. The
> MacPro is designed to look cool Inside as well.
>
> In fact, it doesn't look like a computer inside. It looks more like what
> you see when a panel is removed frm a wall in a Star Trek ship.
Like Star Trek, really? Man, I gotta get one o' those! Though, I could
also get a Dell or an HP. They're also of the kind to stick the battery
under the PCI Express card.
Of course if, as for most Maccies, paying more was a must, I'd rather go
for a model like this:
Antec P183
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=MTgwOA==
For now, I consider my PSU included $60 case perfectly adequate, and so
much easier than a Mac to work inside if I have to... though I wonder
when that's going to be. With a 3 core 2.8GHz CPU, 4GB of Kingston DDR3
RAM and a 640GB Wesrtern Digital HD, I don't believe I'll have to
upgrade anytime soon.
For instance, when watching an Apple 848x480.mov movie, the cores idle,
on average, at less than 20% . Memory is at 17%. And the HD... Well, the
HD... Was it worth paying less than $75 for a Western Digital 640GB
drive to trade a few dollars for a few 100GB less... I don't know.
I went overboard, I suppose. I mean I paid $662 (CAN) for that beast.
With hardware you can get all the specs on, though. No lowest bidder
stuff with an Apple sticker on it. No Samsung HD, a real WD HD.
With a blue LED behind the ON button and a nice mate black finish, it
looks pretty much Star Treky on the outside. As for the inside... well,
not as much. But you can get to the battery without removing anything.
It's right there, no need for shop manuals!
> It is a totally new design and you need to familiarise yourself with it.
You mean lose time to get used to Star Treky features? Yes, I
understand. As Salmonella noticed, there aren't so many Torx screws to
lose. OTOH, if I'd ever lose one, say, under some furniture, I wouldn't
kneel to find it. I have a pill bottle full of them. On PCs, the same
screws have been used for 25 years, now... You find them everywhere even
if you don't look for them. They're just standard metal screws.
> There was one familiar mechanism. The levers to remove/insert the CPU
> board. This mechanism was very common back in the VAX days. (although
> the levers didn't look as nice, of course :-)
Glad for you you at least found something "familiar". Macs are all about
value, and saving time, of course!
Oh, I almost forgot! How does Jooby come up with a $200 price tag for an
upgrade from a 160 GB to an el cheapo Samsung 500GB hard drive on the Mini?
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC238LL/A?mco=MTM3NTAwOTE
Of course, Maccies will blare that Apple is doing so great by providing
hardware at such outrageous prices... but doesn't it ever come to their
minds that they're footing the bill?
Priam
> In article<hfuok4$93i$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Robert DeVito<r...@hhfhkhdsf.com> wrote:
>
>> You slide open the side panel, push in the card, screw (1 screw) it in
>> place, slide back the panel, and that's it. You look, and everything is
>> self-evident.
>
> My older Macs were that simple. The new Mac Pro is designed to avoid
> losing screws.
Yeah, I understand. When Jooby provides screws, Maccies get a few loose
screws.
Priam
> And the HD... Well, the
> HD... Was it worth paying less than $75 for a Western Digital 640GB
> drive to trade a few dollars for a few 100GB less... I don't know.
I knew it! I've been had! Now, for an extra $10, I could have 360GB on a
Seagate drive(1). Like you people say, PCs don't hold their value. How
does this affect Apple's pricing? Let's see.
(1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433
On the Mac Pro, an upgrade from a 640GB to a 1TB drive is only well...
$100(1). That's $15 more than the Seagate drive.
(1) http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB871LL/A?mco=MTM3NDc3ODQ
No doubt, Macs keep their high-jack-ass-ed value!
But, don't forget, Jooby luvs you and you can brag about the huge
profits he makes! You're one of the gang. The only difference is you pay
the money, Jooby collects.
Sky high... Star Trek. You're doing great!
P.s.: Ah, shit! The 1TB WD drive is the same price, now!
<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317>
I believe I'll buy a Mac 'cause they "hold their value". Competition
between manufacturers is bad for the customer.
Uhmmm... Unless I buy a 1TB drive for $15 less than an upgrade on a Mac?
It's complicated... What do you say?
Warren Oates
Priam <pr...@notsosure.com> wrote:
> I knew it! I've been had! Now, for an extra $10, I could have 360GB on a
> Seagate drive(1). Like you people say, PCs don't hold their value. How
> does this affect Apple's pricing? Let's see.
>
Don't be so stupid. That's self-evidednt. When you buy a Mac Pro, you
know _not_ to populate the drive bays until you get it home and you
can buy them from Directdial. Apple will rob you blind in this regard,
it's well kown, but I don't have any trouble opening up my Mac and
installing my own drives. I was just thinking about getting a nice shiny
new 1T Barracuda for Xmas for myself.
--
Very old woody beets will never cook tender.
-- Fannie Farmer
JF Mezei
> I knew it! I've been had! Now, for an extra $10, I could have 360GB on a
> Seagate drive(1). Like you people say, PCs don't hold their value. How
> does this affect Apple's pricing? Let's see.
Priam, you seem to need to be quite the expert in low cost PCs. Is that
because you need to buy a new one every month ?
With a Mac, you can expect a computer to last you years.
George Kerby
On 12/11/09 11:15 PM, in article
SalmonEgg-1E7AC...@news60.forteinc.com, "Salmon Egg"
<Salm...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> In article <hfuok4$93i$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Robert DeVito <r...@hhfhkhdsf.com> wrote:
>
>> You slide open the side panel, push in the card, screw (1 screw) it in
>> place, slide back the panel, and that's it. You look, and everything is
>> self-evident.
>
> My older Macs were that simple. The new Mac Pro is designed to avoid
> losing screws.
>
> Bill
Granted. Trying to rotate my G5 Tower fast enough to flip out the runaway
screw was quite taxing on my wrists. Nice workout, tho...
Salmon Egg
George Kerby <ghost_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Granted. Trying to rotate my G5 Tower fast enough to flip out the runaway
> screw was quite taxing on my wrists. Nice workout, tho...
I have had things like that happen to me as well. Fortunately, I have
upgraded to newer computers before ever getting hit by a screw bomb.
Although not 100% effective, I have taken to placing a magnet onto the
shaft of my screwdriver to retain the screw. I use the kind of rare
earth magnet you can extract from an old drive.
Jolly Roger
Salmon Egg <Salm...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> In article <C74A72B4.39FF8%ghost_...@hotmail.com>,
> George Kerby <ghost_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Granted. Trying to rotate my G5 Tower fast enough to flip out the runaway
> > screw was quite taxing on my wrists. Nice workout, tho...
>
> I have had things like that happen to me as well. Fortunately, I have
> upgraded to newer computers before ever getting hit by a screw bomb.
>
> Although not 100% effective, I have taken to placing a magnet onto the
> shaft of my screwdriver to retain the screw. I use the kind of rare
> earth magnet you can extract from an old drive.
There are tools specifically designed for this as well:
<http://www99.shopping.com/xPO-Magnetic-Pick-Up-Tool>
Priam
> In article<hg22e0$hfh$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> Priam<pr...@notsosure.com> wrote:
>
>> I knew it! I've been had! Now, for an extra $10, I could have 360GB on a
>> Seagate drive(1). Like you people say, PCs don't hold their value. How
>> does this affect Apple's pricing? Let's see.
>>
>
> Don't be so stupid. That's self-evidednt. When you buy a Mac Pro, you
> know _not_ to populate the drive bays until you get it home and you
> can buy them from Directdial. Apple will rob you blind in this regard
Why does Apple rob you there and not everywhere? Hey, they know you guys
like being robbed. Everytime you hear that Apple makes indecent profit
you couln't be happier. You just don't seem to be aware those huge
profits come from your pockets.
Priam
> Priam wrote:
>
>> I knew it! I've been had! Now, for an extra $10, I could have 360GB on a
>> Seagate drive(1). Like you people say, PCs don't hold their value. How
>> does this affect Apple's pricing? Let's see.
>
>
> Priam, you seem to need to be quite the expert in low cost PCs. Is that
> because you need to buy a new one every month ?
JF, stop that nonsense. My old PC, in which some parts are 15 years old,
was bought in 2001, is still in top working order.
> With a Mac, you can expect a computer to last you years.
Unless you have a leaking G5, unless your MacBook Pro has heated for too
long because Jooby wanted to brag about battery life and didn't spin the
fan fast enough:
<http://www.crn.com/it-channel/187900313;jsessionid=1LBN1LY5J0FTBQE1GHPSKHWATMY32JVN>
Same for the Macbook Air:
<http://www.google.ca/search?&q=macs+heating+%22macbook+air%22&btnG=Search&meta=lr%3D&aq=f&oq=>
Same for iMacs:
http://www.google.ca/search?&q=imac+heating&btn
There's absolutely no reason Macs should last longer. They're just
lowest bidder PCs jam packed in the smallest possible "it's so cute"
case. For this reason not only they do not last any longer, but quite a
bit shorter and they cost a fortune to fix.
Face it. JF: you've joined the dummies pack.
George Kerby
On 12/13/09 11:31 AM, in article
jollyroger-484EA...@news.individual.net, "Jolly Roger"
<jolly...@pobox.com> wrote:
> In article <SalmonEgg-BBE68...@news60.forteinc.com>,
> Salmon Egg <Salm...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> In article <C74A72B4.39FF8%ghost_...@hotmail.com>,
>> George Kerby <ghost_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Granted. Trying to rotate my G5 Tower fast enough to flip out the runaway
>>> screw was quite taxing on my wrists. Nice workout, tho...
>>
>> I have had things like that happen to me as well. Fortunately, I have
>> upgraded to newer computers before ever getting hit by a screw bomb.
>>
>> Although not 100% effective, I have taken to placing a magnet onto the
>> shaft of my screwdriver to retain the screw. I use the kind of rare
>> earth magnet you can extract from an old drive.
>
> There are tools specifically designed for this as well:
>
> <http://www99.shopping.com/xPO-Magnetic-Pick-Up-Tool>
Yeah, but, guys - you know that one never remembers that until after the
fact.
Besides, in my case, I forget where I left such a tool the last time I used
it...
George Kerby
On 12/13/09 2:40 PM, in article hg3j3h$5g0$1...@news.eternal-september.org,
"Priam" <pr...@notsosure.com> wrote:
Oh, One of Little Gray Matter, if you had only NOT sold your AAPL shares
back a few years ago, you would see Reality from a different perspective.
Remember that, Grasshopper...