My MacBook Pro (Retina) Freeze up Randomly

I have used gfxCardStatus for years. But it turns out for this problem you can avoid graphics switching, which solved the freeze/crash problem for me on my Retina MacBook, without gfxCardStatus...just by setting System Preferences > Energy Saver > "Automatic Graphics Switching" to Disabled/UnChecked/Off.

After getting a new Retina MacBook in July, I experienced some crashes and started using gfcCardStatus to 'see' which graphics mode I was running in as well as forcing my rMBP to stay in DISCRETE(nVidia) graphics mode. That solved my problem.

However, it turns out you don't even need gfxCardStatus to do that.

All you have to do is go to System Preferences > Energy Saver > Un-Check "Automatic graphics switching".

I have not had any freezes/crashes for the last 2 months, before and after Mountain Lion, since running in DISCRETE only mode (NVidia grphics) by DISABLING the "Automatic graphics switching" as described above by making sure it is UN-CHECKED.

Good luck.

P.S. I run many apps that would otherwise force switching graphics modes...like VMWare Fusion, etc. So, I run my Retina MacBook pretty hard and heavy, it gets pretty hot as well, due to heavy apps in my VMWare fusion Win7 Guests (CPU between 150-200 degrees F), and it does not freeze as long as I have it in Non-Graphics-Switching mode. Sure, it takes more power that way, but my Retina MacBook is very stable. Thank goodness.

Oh cool man. I tried to disable pover nap. it didn't hepl. still sometimes my mac can't wake up (once a week).

Will turd pover nap on again and try graphic card as you recommended.

Wil see.

Hope apple fix this soon.

Thanks BillHahn,

I took your recommendation and changed the graphic card switching option. Hope it will make a difference.

Hope it will help keep the temperature of CPU down a bit as well.

Thanks BillHahn - I'll also try this. Mine still freezes after all the updates. My freezes occur if I enable password lock on the screen saver. I'll return to my machine and it's frozen with the password box open but I can type anything or unlock ... just frozen ... I'll report back...

I believe it has something to do with switching graphic cards on wake up. I read that while using external monitor it's always on fast one.

I use thunderbolt display and had waking up problem after connecting/disconnecting screen.

So I set all power settings to defaults except I turned off automatic graphic switcing.

So far so good. Will keep you posted.

Same issue here, one day of use of my brandnew rMBP caused more freeze interruptions than 4 years of use with my former MPB. Already spend a half hour on the phone with Apple support, but more than getting the Mac back on we did not reach. The freeze conditions appear at random about 5-10 times per hour, in practice this means that this machine is completely useless for use in this state.

Next week an Apple Genius appointment has been made, hope they can solve the issue.

Needless to say that I expected a bit more from a machine that costs a considerable amount of Euro's.........

JeanT,

I had mine checked by a Genius.

Only thing they did was check the crash logs and say they are not able to identify the problem.

Then they offered me to clean install the OS, none of which worked at all.

I got mine exchanged which came with new OS mountain lion while the frequency of crash decreased

after that, it was still crashing.

What bothers me is they pretend they are not aware of the problem.

This thread is growing more and total view is growing much faster too.

I am evaluating the solution BillHahn suggested above. No crash so far.

You should give it a try, too.

Thank you Hidenorio, your reply most appreciated. Surely I will follow your advice. Keep you posted, regards.

Jan

Same problem here have had mine two weeks and have the locking up issue I'm gonna try this tomorrow thanks for all the advice ;)

Hidorino, BillHahn's solution unfortunately didn't work out for this rMBP. Same freezing issues as before.

Final chance with the Apple Genius next Tuesday. Keep you posted.

Turned off automatic graphic switching a week ago. Everything was good till today it couldn't wake up again after i connect it to thunderbolt display. had to hard restart. very upset.

Hidenorio,

As said visited Apple Genius yesterday. He cleaned up the Mac, reinstalled Mac OSX and advised to do the migration again WITHOUT program files, installation files and settings. As instructed, only data was restored. After that, within 6 hours of use the freeze problems started all over again, at a rate of 3 times in 10 minutea. You can imagine that I totally had it with this machine, so cleaned it up, removed my data and subsequently (using the 14 days return policy of my supplier) returned this € 2.800 paper weight.

Needless to say that this MacBook Pro type was brought much too soon on the market. Apple, start testing your equipment properly before permitting it leave your factory! The above experiences will chase your customers away in a fast, very fast way!

There are TWO things I have done to avoid Crashing:

1) System Preferences > Energy Saver > Un-Check "Automatic graphics switching".

2) System Preferences > Energy Saver > Display NEVER SLEEP for Battery AND Power Adapter.

These are the two things that STOPPED my system from crashing.

So, How do I live with DISPLAY NEVER SLEEP? I simply manually turn down the brightness when I want to walk away but leave my machine on for a while....or I force it into screen saver mode. SCREEN SAVER mode does NOT crash my macbook, only when the DISPLAY SLEEPS and then comes out of sleep.

Those are the two magic tweaks for me. I used to have MULTIPLE CRASHES A DAY until I did those two things. Now I have not had a crash in over a Month.

Good luck to you all. :-)

I have tried everything. gFXcardstatus and unfortunatly my Mac doesn't have the ability to Un-check 'Automatic graphics switching'. I even went to the Genius Bar where the idiot told me to "redownload divx"...lolque?!

I still get the crashes...all...the ....time. It is awful. I can't believe how bad it is. I almost don't even want to turn on the computer somedays.

This will be my last Mac.

Anyone know why my Energy Saver doesn't display the Un-Check 'Automatic Graphics Switching' option?

I have given up I've been ping ponging between apple online and apple store. I m getting rid of it I'm done with apple for good. This is ludicrous they have a problem this big and ate doing nothing about it.