Hey guys, I'm planning to mod a Mac Pro to get it water-cooled. There are a few guys who water-cooled the CPU or the GPU, even Apple once brought a watercooled PowerMac G5, but I didn't find anyone who watercooled CPU and GPU, like most of the regular watercooled machines today. I would be the first one, at least on the internet. Also I want to create a new transparent acrylic sidedoor, to see the beauty from inside, and obviously place a few LEDs. As there almost no free space inside the Mac, I will need to use an external radiator. I thought of building a second box which houses the Rad, res and the pump. All of them are powered by a second PSU unit. This mod would include modding the original CPU heatsink, because without it, the Mac refuses to boot. Then, although it uses regular LGA1366 CPUs, I need no create a custom plate for the CPU water block because the logic board of the Mac doesen't have the usual holes for the coolers. The GPU isn't going to be a problem since I already use a flashed PC EVGA GTX 570 in it. I want to do no metal work to the case, that means if I want to, I can build everything back to how it used to be. The heatsink will be the only thing I have to take apart. I will get the tubes outside of the case through a special PCI bracket. For those who don't know what a Mac Pro is: Little sketch how I want it to be: I wanted to ask you guys what you think of this idea? It's a hell lot of work, but in the end a wonderful Mac would be created, that no one ever did before in this way.
Never knew that a mac pro had more that one cpu! its a shame you can't tear off the old cpu cooler, are you sure you can't change it in a config? I know my asus crosshair v won't boot with watercooling unless I turn off the cpu cooler in the bios. Then again its an apple... Good luck with it!
A Mac Pro can have two CPUs, however I own the single CPU version. The problem is that the heatsink has a little cable for the temp sensors and a fan, if these two aren't connected the Mac won't boot. And you can't access the bios in a Mac.
well since there is no single internal shots my only suggestion is to make "radbox" in style with original mac and place it under or over main case. dunno is there any vents on top or the bottom of mac...
Fans are only at the front and at the back. I also planned to make it in a similar style as the Mac itself. Actually, I just had the idea of buying an old Mac Pro case and using it as a «radbox»? That wouldn't be too bad, would it?
Was about to use suggest using an old mac box for the rads. Is there any way you can take the temp sensor off and attach it to the custom waterblock? That could circumvent the issue of it not booting.
I will have to check that. If it's a regular molex, I can simply take a temp sensor near the waterblock and connect that, but I fear Apple used custom connections. I mean, if I just keep a bit of metal around the CPU waterblock, it's still full visible and all, that woudln't be too bad, would it?
I'm not entirely sure what you mean, if you can get a photo, it would help a lot. As for custom connectors, there's nothing eBay can't solve, if you can't find them then you could always mod it to fit?
For that I will have to take the heatsink apart. This is a hell lot to do, I will see what I can do when I got so far. Either way I can make it good-looking. This is what a Mac Pro heatsink looks like sitting on the logic board (this is from a dual-cpu): Now imagine just cutting all the stuff on tup away until I get to the ground plate (not the whole plate where everything sits on, this is the logic baord. I speak of the grey boxes, and they have a frame that is about 1cm high) where all the cables and sensors are.That just a 1cm aluminum frame around, that wouldn't look bad. What do you think?
Cutting out all the cooler is going to be one hell of a job as well to be fair. I think it'd be easier to just adapt the sensors.
I bet the original sensors are soldered and not waterproof. This is how the heatsink looks form the other side: You see, the connectors are very strange.
Typical Mac, granted the sensors are probably not waterproof, but I don't think they're air sensors either, I'd imagine they're soldered on to the heatsink, you might be able to apply them to the waterblock.
Yes yu're right. Sensors are soldered into the heatsink. The connector inludes the fan. However it can't be impossible, because other people managed to watercool their CPUs in a Mac Pro. Although they had older versions than I have with different heatsinks.¨ Would it be possible to use the original plate of the heatsink and simply attach a waterblock on it? Or does that reiure a special waterblock?
I haven't got a clue really, without actually having one to look at, I can't see how it's put together and see if it's possible.
It looks like the thermal sensor is soldered onto the plate if the cooler. And since the Mac has some custom connections, I can't just use any thermal sensor.
one should gather more info on that IMHO. connector pinout? pins spacing? is there any other macpro LC solutions over the internet? how they made mac work with custom cooler/block?
Sadly there isn't much information out there. There are tweo other people that liquid-cooled their MP CPUs, but they both use an older MP with an older heatsink. And you can't buy LC solutions. Look at the photos above, there you see the connector pins and stuff.
