Mountain Lion UI Lag on rMBP !!! (Let's Make this thread serious and hope for a fix)

Ok guys here is a step by step on how I fixed it, if this doesn't work for you then I don't have any idea

Step 1 - Software Update

Make sure you are running the lastest version of Mountain Lion, and Safari ( Safari is the only Retina Optimized browser)

I tried using google chrome and I get horrendous lags and stutters

Step 2 - Installed Auto Cad 2013 Trial from their website

this may sound crazy but I read for some reason this software fixed the problem for someone so I tried it since I had nothing to lose, and maybe it helps since this is a graphic intensive app it may change some file within the graphics extensions / kexts in OSx

Step 3 Repair Disk Permisions

After the installation of Auto Cad 2013 , go to Spotlight ( top right corner ) and serch for "Disk utility" open it up , select your main hard Drive on the left side of the window,, after chosen, go to the right side and there should be and option to verify disk , repair disk, verify permision , repair permision ... Click Repair Permissions

Step 4 Restart

Reboot machine and open up safari, it should scroll smoothly ( I want to ensure that you are using the latests updates for your RMBP)

Let me know if this helped any, it helped me and it's not lagging anymore

Ive tried this solution before but didnt work. Could you be more precise regarding AUTOCAD, do you have to launch it and create a file or do something specific in the app?

I took my rMBP to the apple store today and they said that it has a GPU problem, and that they have encountered it before.

My replacement is on the way. If the replacement still performs this laggy, im getting store credit and waiting for an update. Both my 2007 MBP and macbook air run smoother than this.

I din't launch it , also I disabled Automatic Graphic Switching 🙂

Also, guys with problem of lag I need someone to install a copy of windows 7 or 8 in bootcamp and use the newly released Nvidia Drivers, that way we can narrow down the problem because it may very well be the gpu kext ( driver ) , I installed windows 8 and it was choppy with the drivers provided by apple, Downloaded latest nvidia drivers and it's working like a champ

Apple hasn't released drivers for Windows 8 yet so the drivers you are using are for Windows 7. Also, I would like to add that my rMBP suffers lag only on a couple websites with Safari when using the Nvidia chip. When using the integrated Intel HD 4000 I have lag swiping between desktops, opening mission control, and on a lot of websites.

edit: Forgot to add that I have Windows 7 bootcamped and I haven't experienced any lag when in Windows and I mainly use that partition to play games.

I tried the AutoCad fix too and while I think there was less lag at first, issues have returned once again.

With my machine it seems to go in waves, a few days with a nice smooth machine, and then days where I have lag in everything, audio stutter playing music in iTunes, graphic glitches surfing the web. Even typing this my text displays sometimes then other times doesn't.

I have to say that my experience with Safari has been far superior to Chrome. Lag is present in Safari on many pages, however it's much much worse using Chrome.

As mentioned before. The Webkit browser is way smoother than original Apple Safari.

http://nightly.webkit.org

The webkit crashes constantly on my rMBP. I find Safari to have much less scroll lag than Chrome as well. However, I have to use Chrome because Safari has THE WORST glitches on any browser I've ever seen. Missing blocks of data in Gmail and Facebook, broken sections on Amazon, gifs that stutter or don't load at all, going back one page just yields a white screen, etc. This is consistent on three separate rMBPs. I think back to the days of making fun of "Internet Exploder" but even that is a superior web surfing experience. It's as if they've never tested this thing for casual usage.

I installed the webkit browser and finally it runs smooth. Amazing. BUT.. Why isn't it the same performance in the usual Safari? Shall i still lend over my machine to Apple so they can have a look?

Webkit is the "engine" of Safari, and therefore the WebKit browser will allways have the newest version of it. Official Safari will get updates too, but will allways stay behind. Even though Apples official Safari should be more stable than WebKit. 🙂

I know you've mentioned it before The Wavable, but thanks a lot for that link! It's so smooth... now if only the mail app and other apple applications were that good! Even the sites that had beyond terrible lag for me earlier are smooth using Webkit Browser!

Went to the Apple Store today... the 13 inch and 15 inch retina exhibit the same UI and Safari lag. I asked a Apple rep about a display unit that was a 15 retina and the awful lag in Safari.. He said hopefully there will be a software update and he uses Google Chrome! I thought that was funny. Also the display unit had the same screen burn in issue as mine, he said this is a known issue and the Genius bar will replace the screen under warranty (unrelated to UI but a problem I am having)..

hmm you are right webkit definetely much much more smoother ... so now we have narrowed down that this is more of application or software related. just need to wait until Apple do their update to fix this.

I Think we Can wait forever.

It dont look like Apple Care about it. They like to sell expensive and good looking products, but the quality is apparently not important for Them.

I have had Apple products for approx. 2 years now, but Wont ever buy Any Apple products in the future.

Same Issues here on my rMBP 15 Inch, Standard Configuration.

Tried running on Nvidia Graphics, but just a little Change in Performance with the UI.

But Great Performance in everything other! Love this Baby!

Please Apple, optimize the Drivers for the Intel HD 4000 or whatsoever! Make this thing happen!

I've been using a June 2012 Macbook Air (dual core i7/8GB/256SSD) for the last two days to compare performance. Honestly; it is a completely different experience. Safari is ridiculously smoother. Navigating with Mission Control and between desktops is flawless. I loaded a Win 7 VM with parrallels and as many other applications as possible (only have 17MB of free RAM when i was done) and the system was still extremely smooth.

It just doesn't make sense why the rMBP cannot provide a similar experience with a quad core i7, 16GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics carde; even with the extra pixels/retina display.

This was the Apple experience I was hoping for when I purchased my rMPB.

Just thought I would share my experience.