FCP jerky playback and high GPU useage on Mac Studio M2

Please create a test library, import one clip, put that on a timeline with no effects, hit play and turn the scopes on and off while watching the GPU level. You previously said activating *only* the scopes during playback will cause it.

If it does not happen in that test library with one clip, we need to find the difference between that and your normal config.

Export a project XML then load that project XML in your new library. Play that while turning the scopes on and off. Does the high GPU happen when turning the scopes on?

If so select all clips on that timeline with CMD+A, then remove all effects via Edit>Remove Effects. Play that timeline with scopes up. Does high GPU happen then?

If not, do SHIFT+CMD+Z to restore all effects, select half of the timeline clips and remove those with Edit>Remove Effects. Play the timeline and turn scopes on/off while watching the GPU. Does it happen then?

If there is any difference, continue that process on the other half of the timeline, then 1/4, etc. and narrow down where it's happening. Or you can just delete half of the timeline, then the other half, then half of that half, etc.

Unfortunately there is no macOS built-in method of monitoring per-process GPU consumption. We assume the high GPU consumption is due to FCP (and it may be) but we can't even verify that. E.g, it could be WindowServer or some other process that tracks FCP graphics calls.

I can send you a procedure to gather much more data but you must install XCode (which is free), which requires an Apple Developer login (which is also free). If you cannot do that on the machine due to restrictions, and if the above methods don't point to a solution, that won't be possible.

As Terry said, it is very important to do the requested steps he mentioned. It is only by dividing the problem into pieces while tracking the behavior of each one that we can figure this out. If we leave it all together, it is like a cave man poking a strange object with a stick. It is usually impossible to figure out what's happening under the covers.

A few things to try (some were mentioned previously):

(I'm assuming you reset FCP preferences and cleared the cache.)

Simplify the setup to help point to where the problem is coming from. Disconnect all external monitors, external drives and USB hubs. Does playback improve?

You have Google's updater software. Follow the instructions at https://chromeisbad.com to remove Chrome and all the files that are scattered across your drive. Their previous auto-updating software (keystone) was a known cause of FCP issues that would sometimes break FCP and require a reinstall of FCP from the AppStore. Their newer GoogleUpdater software might also cause issues, as noted in another thread here. If removing the software solves the issue you can try the Brave browser which is Chromium based.

It's also possible there's some other software conflict. A way to test this is to install a fresh MacOS on an external drive (SSD) and boot from that drive. Install only FCP, no additional effects or plugins. Do not attach any external monitors or drives, USB hubs, etc. Create a new library and import some representative footage and see if playback improves. If it does, slowly start adding back items and testing.

Please be specific about what and how you tested and the results.

Are you using one of the newer FCP UI layout builders from 3rd parties? Those can cause UI oddities.

Did you remove external monitors?

Did you remove external peripherals?

Did you try a temporary boot drive and only installed FCP?

That machine is more than capable of working with your description of very simple footage and projects and really points to some other software conflict. The thing about google's previous updating software is it could overwhelm the Mac's video system and break FCP in strange ways. Perhaps their new software also does this. Or perhaps it's one of the many MS executables that are installed. I get it that it's a managed machine, but without simplifying the setup, odds are low you're going to chance upon the culprit. IT should be informed that this is a high-performance video production tool that can heavily tax the OS and needs to be lean. It's not lazily doing spreadsheets, emails or Word docs. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Your mac is more than capable of handling this sort of work.

Something must be off.

First, try deleting preferences - always one of the first things we do when FCP misbehaves.

To delete preferences, hold down command and option while starting the application and click Delete Custom Settings. The application will start with default settings and open an "Untitled" library. Adjust the settings, reopen the library you were working, and see how it works now.

Second, there could be some third party software modifications causing trouble.

Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here. Use the "additional text" button and paste the report into the text box.

You may also temporarily test using just one display and see if that makes any difference. Using two displays makes the GPU have to do more work, but the work you describe should not tax it as much as you are seeing.

An etrecheck report shows the Mac's installed software and other anonymized details. You can search here in other threads for other posted reports. Etrecheck was written by a long-time user here to help reduce the back-and-forth about system configuration questions. It's a tidy report that can help identify potential issues. Follow the instructions above from Luis to paste it into your reply.

You used the "Additional text" button below to paste the report and got that 5000 char limit? If so, try pasting the first half, then the second half in another reply.

Was the 2013 iMac or its TimeMachine backup used to restore onto the new Mac Studio? Or was it built with freshly installed software from the AppStore? This can cause problems when 10 year old software that might have conflicts is migrated to a new machine, especially a new CPU architecture. This will likely be answered or at least suggested in the report.

Other than Google's keystone software and their background autoupdating software, nothing jumps out as me as known problems. See https://chromeisbad.com for instructions on how to completely remove Chrome and its background software.

Did you reset FCP Prefs?

Did you test with a single display?

terryb wrote:

I'm no hardware expert, but doesn't the M2 Max have hardware acceleration for H.265 encoding that doesn't shows up in CPU/GPU graphs? I'm sure others with deeper knowledge will chime in.

https://youtu.be/jm8vMeJv-dw

That's exactly what happens. (I can see how it may be perplexing if one is not aware of these dedicated chips.)

The dedicated encoding hardware does most of the job, and that is why it does it fast and silently, and the CPU and GPU are mostly idle.

Here is just one simple test I did, to illustrate the power of the hardware encoders, compared to using the CPU and GPU:

I imported a one-hour H264 video, put it in a FCP timeline, and exported to H265.

I took about 7 minutes, and the CPU and GPU were not highly used (about 150% CPU for FCP, plus under 10% each for VTDecoderXPCService and nVTEncoderXPCService).

Then, I tried converting the same one-hour video to H265 using HandBrake.

It immediately fired up all 14 cores of my Mac, and for the first time that I recall, I heard the fans blasting (it seemed like I was back with my Intel MBP!)

And, guess what, the expected time to encode was longer than achieved with the dedicated encoder.

Post a fresh etrecheck report.

This is pure speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if MicroSoft Teams is causing issues. I wonder if your organization configured it in a way so your screen is always being shared.