MacBook Pro System CPU Spikes When Unplugged

Question

Level 1

9 points

MacBook Pro System CPU Spikes When Unplugged

Upgraded to Mavericks a few days ago and,whenever I unplug my MacBook Pro 13" (Early 2011 - 2.3GHz Intel Core i5 - 16GB RAM 1333MHz) and run just on the battery, my system CPU usage goes through the roof which results in my Mac running/responding very slowly and buggy.

However, looking at the iStat widget on my dashboard, it's reporting that my CPU isn't running hot nor does my MacBook Pro feel hot at all. It's also showing that I still have 10GB of RAM free.

As expected, once my magsafe is reattached to my laptop and plugged back in, the system CPU returns to a normal level. In Activity Monitor, it shows kernel_task as being the culprit.

I queried the log as suggested by Linc and TextEdit had something for me:

Dec 10 15:51:31 My-MBP kernel[0] <Debug>: Process Setup Assistant [307] disabling system-wide I/O Throttling

Anyone have any idea what this could be? Seems like it should be a simple software config but I just don't know.

Additionally, I also ran EtreCheck. These are the results when it's running unplugged:

Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,1
          1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2 cores
          16 GB RAM

Video Information:
          Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 512 MB

Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9 - SDK 10.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0 - SDK 10.9
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9

System Software:
          OS X 10.9 (13A603) - Uptime: 1 day 18:10:35

Disk Information:
          M4-CT128M4SSD2 disk0 : (128.04 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB 
                    SSD Macbook Pro (disk0s2) /: 127.18 GB (68.53 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB 

          MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-898  

USB Information:
          Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in) 

          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad 

          Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub 
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller 

          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver 

FireWire Information:

Thunderbolt Information:
          Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Kernel Extensions:

Problem System Launch Daemons:

Problem System Launch Agents:

Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist
          [loaded] com.barebones.authd.plist
          [loaded] com.github.GitHub.GHInstallCLI.plist
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist
          [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist
          [loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist
          [loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist

Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist
          [failed] com.extensis.FMCore.plist
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist
          [loaded] com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist
          [loaded] com.Logitech.Control Center.Daemon.plist
          [loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist
          [loaded] com.wacom.pentablet.plist
          [loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist

User Launch Agents:
          [loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[redacted]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist
          [loaded] com.codecm.uploader.plist
          [loaded] com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist
          [loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist
          [loaded] de.municode.Ephemera.plist

User Login Items:
          ShiftIt

3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Air Display Preferences
          PenTablet
          DivX
          Flash Player
          Flip4Mac WMV
          Growl
          Java
          Logitech Control Center
          Perian

Internet Plug-ins::
          OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.2.0
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.8
          Flash Player: Version: 11.9.900.170 - SDK 10.6
          AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.8
          googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 4.9.1.16010
          AdobeExManDetect: Version: AdobeExManDetect 1.1.0.0 - SDK 10.7
          iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 11.9.900.170 - SDK 10.6
          AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 1.0.0.0 - SDK 10.6
          WidevineMediaTransformer: Version: (null)
          npgtpo3dautoplugin: Version: 0.1.44.29 - SDK 10.5
          DivXBrowserPlugin: Version: 2.2
          OVSHelper: Version: 1.1
          Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6
          Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.4.2.4
          o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 4.9.1.16010
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.1.0
          WacomTabletPlugin: Version: WacomTabletPlugin 2.0.0.4
          JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 11 Outdated! Update
          WacomNetscape: Version: 1.1.1-1

User Internet Plug-ins::
          WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5
          SlingPlayer: Version: (null)

Bad Fonts:
          None

Old applications:
          Cisco WebEx Meeting Center:          Version: 11.24.32.0 - SDK 10.5
                    /Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/WebEx Folder/1224/Meeting Center.app
          Edge:          Version: 0.10.0 - SDK 10.5
                    /Applications/Adobe Edge Preview/Edge.app
          FacebookVideoCalling:          Version: 1.2.0.157 - SDK 10.5
                    /Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Facebook/video/1.2.0.158/FacebookVideoCalling.app
          Microsoft AutoUpdate:          Version: 2.3.3 - SDK 10.4
                    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/Microsoft AutoUpdate.app
          SLLauncher:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5
                    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Silverlight/OutOfBrowser/SLLauncher.app
          Transmit:          Version: 4.2 - SDK 10.5
                    /Applications/Transmit.app
          VLC:          Version: 2.0.1 - SDK 10.5
                    /Applications/VLC.app
          WhatSize:          Version: 5.2.1 - SDK 10.5
                    /Applications/WhatSize.app
          asannotation2:          Version: 8.25.31.0 - SDK 10.5
                    /Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/WebEx Folder/1224/asannotation2.app
          atmsupload:          Version: 4.14.29.0 - SDK 10.5
                    /Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/WebEx Folder/1224/atmsupload.app
          convertpdf:          Version: 1.2 - SDK 10.5
                    /Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/WebEx Folder/1224/convertpdf.app
          dynamiclinkmanager:          Version: 6.0.0 - SDK 10.5
                    /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/dynamiclink/CS6/dynamiclinkmanager.app
          dynamiclinkmediaserver:          Version: 6.0.1 - SDK 10.5
                    /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/dynamiclinkmediaserver/1.0/dynamiclinkmediaserver.app

Time Machine:
          Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU:
               8%          mds
               7%          WindowServer
               5%          Dock
               3%          EtreCheck
               1%          Google Chrome

Top Processes by Memory:
          180 MB          Google Chrome
          164 MB          mds_stores
          131 MB          softwareupdated
          115 MB          Dock
          82 MB                  installd

Virtual Memory Statistics:
          10.52 GB          Free RAM
          2.94 GB          Active RAM
          752 MB          Inactive RAM
          1.81 GB          Wired RAM
          4.31 GB          Page-ins
          0 B                  Page-outs

Does anyone have any ideas on why this is happening or are experiencing anything similar? I can't for the life of me figure out if it's a Mavericks issue or if it's a hardware issue. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9), 13" Early 2011 i5 16GB RAM 1333MHz

Posted on Dec 17, 2013 12:48 AM

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Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

684,027 points

Apr 15, 2017 10:14 AM in response to tanmaye

You might want to consider starting a new discussion. Since this one is marked solved and is a couple of years old, less people are likely to look at it. A new post would be much more visible. You can link to this one.

Try holding down the command key while dragging the file to a new location.

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Answer 2

Dec 17, 2013 10:53 AM in response to DJWebDUck

Same here. It's been running slow since yesterday. Reinstalled Mavericks but it is still slow as f. Did the command in Terminal and gave me the same message:

Dec 17 06:30:19 dannyhteks-MacBook-Pro kernel[0] <Debug>: Process Setup Assistant [227] disabling system-wide I/O Throttling

Any help would be appreciated.

Reply

Answer 3

DJWebDUck Author

Level 1

9 points

Dec 17, 2013 5:50 PM in response to dannyhtek

Here's my latest development: Installed the latest updates . . . got sent right into a Kernel Panic/Trap boot loop! Booted into Safe Mode and made an interesting discovery: my laptop runs and responds normally, in Safe Mode, unplugged. Runs normally in Safe Mode but not in regular mode.

In Console, I searched for ReportCrash and here's what I found:

5:04:10 PM com.apple.launchd.peruser.501: (com.apple.ReportCrash) Falling back to default Mach exception handler. Could not find: com.apple.ReportCrash.Self

Still can't find the reason why system CPU spikes, nor why updating to 10.9.1 sent my machine into a boot loop!

I tried removing all LauchAgents and LaunchDaemons from both my user ~/Library and from the HD/Library. No change in anything.

Hoping someone can help!

Reply

Answer 4

DJWebDUck Author

Level 1

9 points

Dec 17, 2013 7:09 PM in response to DJWebDUck

You're not going to believe this but I just now found a working solution!!!

Thanks to the talents of a man named, Rhys Oxenhams, and his flawless tutorial, eveything's running normally now!

BEFORE READING ON...make sure you backup all of you data! I take no responsibility for anything bad that happens to your machine. I'm providing this information because it worked for me. There's no guarantee it will work on your system. TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS BEFORE READING ON and BACKUP YOUR DATA IMMEDIATELY.

Here's what you need to do:

1. In the Finder menu bar, click on Go and select Computer.

2. In the window that comes up, double-click your computer's HD. For me, it's Macintosh HD.

3. From there, click on System > Library > Extensions.

4. Now look for a file called IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext.

5. Right-click on IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext and choose Show Package Contents.

6. In that new window that comes up, click on Contents > Plugins and locate ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext.

7. Just like in step 5, right-click on ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext and choose Show Package Contents.

8. Just like in step 6, in that new window that comes up, click on Contents > Resources and locate your Model Identifer.

• In case you don't know what your Model ID is, click on the  in the top left of the screen and choose About This Mac

• In the window that comes up, click on More Info...

• In the next window that comes up, click on System Report

• In the very first screen, towards the top, locate the entry Model Identifier

- Write this info down on a piece of paper. You will need it. In my case, I wrote down MacBookPro8,1

9. Back in the Resources folder, locate the .plist file that has your model identifier. In my case, it was MacBookPro8,1.plist

10. You're not going to delete that file but instead move it to a differnt folder inside your home folder--doesn't matter which folder, just put it somewhere inside your home folder.

11. Restart your machine and you are good to go!

Let me know how it turns out for you. REMINDER: Backup your data before doing this!

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Answer 5

XP91

Level 1

0 points

Dec 17, 2013 9:35 PM in response to DJWebDUck

Didn't work for me. The Model Identifier stopped at MacBookPro8,3. Mine is MacBookPro11,1. I think it might work for previous models only.

Reply

Answer 6

bausi

Level 1

23 points

Dec 18, 2013 2:51 AM in response to XP91

Same for me - no MacBookAir6_2!

cheers.kg

Reply

Answer 7

DJWebDUck Author

Level 1

9 points

Dec 19, 2013 2:22 AM in response to bausi

NEW DEVELOPMENT -- 19 December 2013

After doing some more testing, as well as reinstalling the 10.9.1 update, there was something about my MacBook Pro, while it was running better, there was something about it that just didn't feel right after the update.

I decided to run the Apple Hardware Test - press & hold the Option + D keys before seeing the screen on startup. Make sure your laptop is plugged at all times.

On the screen that came up, I decided to run a regular (quick) test to see if there were any issues. It gave me this message:

4SNS/1/40000001:YPOR-0.000

Wanting to make sure it wasn't a false positive, I ran the extended test as well. The result was the exact same. So, sadly, I'm back to square 1 but at least this time I know that there's a hardware problem. Now the question is does anyone know specificially what the issue is? I know the 4SNS means it has to do with a sensor. The only question is does it have to do with a power sensor? Heat sensor? Or something else entirely??

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Answer 8

Dec 20, 2013 2:26 AM in response to DJWebDUck

Just wanted to chip in here, I am on a 2012 iMac 27". I have ths issue, so all of those saying its a MBP issue, no it ain't. Its an apple issue, and one so far they don't seem to be much interested in fixing. I have no battery, and no headphones. I get this issue almost daily, exactly same as everyone else, Kernel task running at over 100% and using 1-2 GB of RAM. I have to shut down machine and restart to clear it.

Reply

Answer 9

carjufi

Level 1

9 points

Jan 25, 2014 5:41 PM in response to DJWebDUck

Seems to be related with AppleHDA Audio Codecs (old ones from OS10.8 work), that's why when you guys unplug the headphones the CPU level cames to normal levels. This problem is still not solved.

I've been chating with some Apple amployees about it and they say it's a Maverick's problem. I've said them that so many people is having this problem in Apple's official forums and they reccommend me to say you guys to open a "Feedback Bug Report" in Apple's website: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

They told me that in the forums where you guys explain this issue, they don't read it them all, and the worst of all, apple enginyeers don't read them. So, i reccommend you to open a Bug Report in order to let them know about this problem and giving them enough information to solve it.

Thanks

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Answer 10

Mar 16, 2014 10:38 AM in response to DJWebDUck

Thank you so much

it's worked for me

(From vietnam)

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Answer 11

dombett

Level 1

10 points

Oct 21, 2014 7:45 AM in response to DJWebDUck

The suggested fix does work for me too, but I wanted to add that the problem was still there in Yosemite when I upgraded. I had to re-apply the fix by deleting that plist file and now I can recharge the battery without it slowing my system to a crawl. So either it's a hardware-related problem or they didn't get around to fixing it in Yosemite.

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Answer 12

theo k2

Level 1

0 points

Oct 21, 2014 5:15 PM in response to DJWebDUck

Worked a dream!
Thanks a bunch

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Answer 13

Feb 4, 2015 7:40 AM in response to DJWebDUck

I have the exact configuration of MacbookPro as DJWebDUck. Down to the amount of RAM installed. So naturally I was happy to see that he had solved this issue. The only place where I differed is where he says "you don't have to delete, just move to another folder." I did this first try around and found that moving plist file to another folder just copies it to that folder leaving original in same place. I found that by deleting plist - system will ask for admin password - (and leaving the original copy in my desktop folder just in case) and then rebooting, that solved the CPU spike issue. Mind you I only tested result with Activity Monitor to insure spike gone. It was. It was suck a dramatic spike 96% CPU usage by system that when it changed I did not bother to follow up with any System troubleshooting. Thanks!!

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Answer 14

tanmaye

Level 1

8 points

Apr 14, 2017 3:06 PM in response to DJWebDUck

Hi,

Thanks for the detailed instructions. I am stuck at the last point. It does not allow to move the file. I can copy it into another folder, but not move it. How do you move it?

Thanks

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