Safari Using too much CPU and Memory

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Level 1

110 points

Safari Using too much CPU and Memory

While using Safari sometimes my fans ramp up due to overheating CPUs. Activty Monitor shows "Safari Networking" using 300% CPU and several GB of RAM.

I believe the problem is triggered by visiting some OWC (macsales.com) web pages such as:

https://eshop.macsales.com/search/?q=blu-ray&filter.catidpath=2224/2225

... either alone or when several other OWC web pages are opened in tabs. I have not noticed the problem with other websites (but it's possible I just didn't notice). Closing the OWC webpages usually allows the heavy CPU use to return to normal, but sometimes I have to quit Safari.

The problem does not occur in Safe Boot Mode.

If I delete the Cookie for OWC (macsales.com) the excess activity does not occur when I open the first OWC webpage - but that re-reinstalls the cookie, and opening a second OWC page cause the problem to return.

Can I assume the fault lies entirely with the OWC website, or is it possible there is something wrong with my system? I can post EtreCheck logs if necessary.

Safari 12.1.2 running under MacOS 10.12.6 on a 2011 iMac (iMac12,1)

Posted on Oct 9, 2019 10:00 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,726 points

Oct 10, 2019 10:33 AM in response to Gary Wright4

Thanks for the report.

Can I assume the fault lies entirely with the OWC website, or is it possible there is something wrong with my system?

I vote for the latter at this point. I'm on the OWC site daily using Safari with no issues on either my iMac or my MacBoo Pro. I see a couple of things in the report that may be at play:

1) Adguard: its reading as an anti-virus apps and those are know degraders of Safari performance. Remove it. If you are worried about pop-ups, look at MalwareBytes. Very mac-friendly. https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

2) Turn off both Safari extensions and test. If things get better, turn one back on and test. Rinse, repeat, etc. When the problem comes back, the last extension enabled was the bad guy

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Answer 2

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Oct 10, 2019 8:01 AM in response to Gary Wright4

If the problem doesn't happen in the Safe Mode, try posting the Etrecheck report. Try posting it in Pastebin and provide a link in a reply. It is much easier to read than the text box. Pastebin

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Answer 3

Gary Wright4 Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 10, 2019 9:38 AM in response to Eric Root

This link should show the EtreCheck report in Pastebin.

https://pastebin.com/Cj38kK5C

... this EC report was generated with nothing much running. I also have a second EtreCheck report created while the CPUs were running hot due to excess Safari Networking activity, posted below:

https://pastebin.com/N5Qmnce4

Apparently the process Activity Monitor calls "Safari Networking", EtreCheck identifies as "WebKit.Networking" ?

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Answer 4

Gary Wright4 Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 10, 2019 3:09 PM in response to Allan Jones

Your reply confirms my initial suspicion that if there was something fundamentally wrong with the OWC webpages, there would be other complaints - so I wanted to determine if troubleshooting on my end was indicated.

Thanks so much for encouraging me to test Adguard. Before posting here, I thought I had already ruled out Adguard, but today's test suggests that Adguard is the problem. If I quit Adguard and then load the OWC webpages, Activity Monitor shows no abnormal CPU/memory use. If I start Adguard with the OWC pages already open in tabs, activity remains normal. But if I refresh the OWC pages while Adguard is running, Activity Monitor shows "Safari Networking" jumps right back up to abnormally high CPU/RAM utilization.

The main reason I got Adguard was not for it's anti-virus/malware protection but rather to circumvent as much online advertising as possible. I have a low tolerance for advertising, especially the animated ones. I do not watch broadcast TV or listen to commercial radio because I can't tolerate the advertising. If I can't find some way to reduce online adds to a managable level, then I may have to stop using the internet as well.

As near as I can tell, Malwarebytes does not block internet adds, right?

Since you mention Safari Extensions, another quick question about that. The EtreCheck report shows I have two extensions:

DuckDuckGo.safariextz - DuckDuckGo - http://duckduckgo.com (installed 2017-03-12)

Stylish.safariextz - Vladimir Sobolev - http://sobolev.us/stylish (installed 2017-03-12)

Neither of those is unexpected.

However, when I look at: Safari>Preferences>Extensions - it shows I have no extensions. I installed the "Stylish" extension speciffically for viewing these Apple Discussions pages because it blocks the annoying window that keeps popping up at the top of the forum page to tell me what I already know - the title of the thread I'm viewing. That worked for a while, but now it does not.

How does one turn on (or turn off) a Safari Extension if it is not showing up in the Safari Extensions Preference pane?

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