Q: Mac Pro 2013 Multiple Display Issues

Hi,

Similar issue here - Six Core 2013 Mac Pro, 2 x D500 graphics. Primary display is an Apple 23" Cinema Display connected to a DVI to DP adaptor, secondary display is a Dell 1914S directly on Displayport. Worked flawlessly up until 10.9.3, now almost every time I wake the Mac from sleep the Dell responds with 'No signal' and goes to sleep.

When it's in this state, mouse movement becomes quite erratic too.

I raised it as a bug shortly after 10.9.3 came out. No indication of a fix as yet.

I've got a workaround that may mean you don't have to reboot (assuming you can get a picture on one display) - I've temporarily installed 'Display Menu' from the App Store. After the Dell has gone into standby, I change the refresh frequency for the Dell to a different value. That seems to reinitialise the driver and the monitor wakes up with a picture. It's then fine until sleep time.

There are quite a few other threads about issues with 10.9.3 with multiple monitors, so I have to assume that once the Apple engineers get back from WWDC they'll be working on a fix for 10.9.4...

Like you, I'm quite frustrated that something like this has happened.

Hi,

Yes, this has been the bane of my existence. I am running on a 2013 4 core MacPro at my office, and a 2013 6 core MacPro at home. Both of them have multiple third party monitors. This has also happened with my other coworker who is also working with 2013 4 core with 27" Asus monitors.

I hope someone comes up with a solution for this soon! Get on it Apple! These computers were too expensive for such an irritating bug.

However, I do have a work around that doesn't require restarting. Simply unplug your monitors from the MacPro, and plug them back in. After a couple rounds of doing this, the display does show up again. However, I do have to reconfigure the display and arrangement almost every time. IT IS A HUGE WASTE OF TIME!

Granted this is a half baked work around. The bad think about it as a work around is if it does work great but if you walk away and the displays go to sleep you come back to the same issue. This expensive of a machine you should not have to jump through hoops to get running the way it should out of the box. I wonder if 10.10 still has the same issues. Apple is asking for a law suit if not fixed since 10.9.2 shows it can work.

I've had my new Mac Pro for about two week with an NEC as primary and a Samsung as the secondary monitor.  Each are connected via individual Thunderbolt/DVI-d adapters.  It's always my NEC that this happens to.  I'm going to switch my adapters but keep the monitors on their same TB port and see if the problem follows the adapter or stays with the monitor.  If nothing changes, I'll move the monitors to another pair of TB ports and then see if there's any difference.  I'll update this thread in a few days after I've had a chance to see how it goes.

Has anyone found a fix for this issue?

Is this issue the same as :

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6223274?start=0&tstart=0

I ended up not switching the adapters.  However, I did move them to different TB ports.  It's usually the NEC that doesn't come on about 25% of the time after my Mac has been asleep.  I had been rebooting it to get it to work.  I found a couple of workarounds to the reboot.  One works sometimes and the other works every time.  I moved my Dock to the Samsung monitor side so at least I can get to stuff if the NEC is dark. 

The thing I found that works sometimes is an app from the App Store called Display Menu.  I can get in there and change the screen resolution a couple of times on both monitors and it will cause the NEC to come on and then go back off but if I try it a couple of times, sometimes it stays on.

The thing I found that works every time is convenient because my Mac Pro sits behind my monitor within easy reach.  I simply disconnect both Thunderbolt adapters for the two monitors for a few seconds and then reconnect.  This works almost every single time with just one disconnect/reconnect.  Occasionally, I have to do it a second time.

I know this is not a solution but is only a workaround to a reboot until it's fixed. 

I'm being plagued with this problem as well. Apple support suggested I download the beta version of Mavericks. I just did, but the problem remains. It has been well over a month if not longer. This is unacceptable.

Same issue and I also stumbled on the Display Menu workaround. Weirdly, "Detect Displays" doesn't do it, but you can also select "mirror displays" (or vice versa) to get it to re-recognize a blacked out monitor. Wish they'd fix this.

Hi,

Just installed the final version of 10.9.4 (hot off the press tonight). No fix for my multiple monitor problem - the second display doesn't wake from sleep and I have to use the Display Menu 'hack' to get it to be detected.

Not acceptable at all for their flagship machine. Considering what to do now: try to invoke AppleCare to get them to sort it out? I bet their response will be to either revert back to 10.9.2 or wait for Yosemite...

Those will only be "fixes" if you allow them to steamroller you. If it is not fixed, keep asking for a fix. Do not hang up until they explain how it is going to get fixed, or when it is going to get fixed (a time certain, not "in due time").

Greg818 wrote:

 

Hi,

 

Just installed the final version of 10.9.4 (hot off the press tonight). No fix for my multiple monitor problem - the second display doesn't wake from sleep and I have to use the Display Menu 'hack' to get it to be detected.

 

Not acceptable at all for their flagship machine. Considering what to do now: try to invoke AppleCare to get them to sort it out? I bet their response will be to either revert back to 10.9.2 or wait for Yosemite...

someone with a 10.9.2 installer should upload it to mega or something, but then maybe the Apple legal machine will come down on him, who knows

Confirmed. 10.9.4 fixed my issue. iMac 27" purchased in March 2014. Went from 10.9.2 to 10.9.4 beta to 10.9.4. The beta initially fixed my issue.