Unusual request - help with heat spreaders

v0n

v0n

Soldato
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18 Oct 2002
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The Great Lines Of Defence
I have a unusual request. I have a old-ish Mac Pro, and recently purchased a bit more FB memory for it. The memory was some generic server type (works fine in Mac Pro, that's not an issue) but came with regular, generic flat surface heat spreaders.

Now, unlike in most PC's, memory in Mac Pro gets really hot. To help it cool down the case is designed in such a way that the cards holding memory are inserted into vent tunnel. The original Apple memory comes with massive heatsinks with old school ribs that poke to the sides, cooling in the air flow going from the front to the back of the case.
memmac3.jpg


Unfortunately, the generic heat spreaders on my new memory do none of that. They are designed to give no resistance to air flow what so ever. Imagine airflow being from left to right on this picture (which I borrowed from some site, but it shows the difference perfectly):
memmac4.jpg



You would think that it doesn't matter much, but it makes a difference. Here's a screenie of the temps, top one is generic heat spreader, bottom is Apple rib heatsink thing. 25 degrees difference translates to memory tunnel fans running at highest setting and making loads of noise.
memmac1.jpg


So basically, I looked and can't find any apple heatsinks without importing them from US, searched long and hard, but google skills just fail me in this matter - I need help finding some sort of PC memory heatsink design that will do the job and it needs to be something poking to the sides to do it properly.
Because the memory is mounted in two holes not much bigger than height if the card + memory, there are several exceptions in what the memory can take:
- heat spreader/heat sink has to be passive, no fans, there is nothing to connect them to
- head spreader can NOT be TALLER than standard heatspreader design. Nothing with heat pipes going up etc etc.

memmac2a.jpg


Anyone encountered anything that would do the job on UK market?
 
Last edited:
In the end I've done exactly that - bought the cheapest, oldest 256Mb mac pro modules with the large heatsinks for fiver each, removed heatsinks and attached them to the outside of the standard flat heat spreaders with thermal tape and cable straps. Didn't have high hopes for it, but it seems to work running just three degrees hotter than stock Apple chips.
 
I have some old Apple RAM, not sure how many sticks but they're useless to me. I would've sent them to you....
 
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