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El Capitan unstable when connecting to external monitor using DisplayPort

I have a MacBook Pro Retina 15" mid-2015, 2.8 Ghz Intel Core i7, 16Gb RAM running MacOS 10.11. The external monitor is an Asus MX299Q.


Before El Capitan I did not have this issue.


When I connect the external monitor via Display Port - that is my preference - the photos below show what I see. The photos are from three different attempts. Apparently the same does not happen using HDMI. The issue happens:

- when I turn off the external monitor and turn it on again, and

- when I connect the external monitor after using the laptop's own display


I would like to quickly understand if it is a hardware or a software problem, so that at least I know where to go next. The way the issue started with El Capitan suggests the latter. Thanks.


Giacecco


User uploaded file

User uploaded file

User uploaded file

If I detach the external monitor and try to use the laptop's display, two times the display was ok but the system was unstable and I could slowly manage to close all applications and restart. Once, though, the problem was still there, as you see here, and I had to force turn-off and on again:

User uploaded file

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11), 15-inch, mid-2015, 16Gb RAM

Posted on Oct 4, 2015 12:09 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 13, 2015 12:19 AM

Hello there Giacecco,


It looks like you're seeing some unexpected graphical anomalies between your internal and external displays. I would suggest the troubleshooting in the following article to help you troubleshoot this issue:


Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays


This section in particular:

  1. If more than one video adapter is in use (or "daisy-chained"), troubleshoot by using only one adapter.

    Example: A mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter connected to a DVI to HDMI adapter is an unsupported configuration because there is a series of adapters in use.

  2. If available, try using a different display and or adapter (or use a different connector by using DVI instead of VGA, for instance).

Reset the system

You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.

Reset the resolution

  1. Start up in Safe Mode.
  2. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
  3. Choose Displays from the View menu to open the preferences pane.
  4. Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
  5. Restart your computer.


Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

66 replies

Apr 18, 2016 3:55 PM in response to Giacecco

I'm still having issues with the latest MBP 15 inch mid 2015 - with dedicated GPU. Connected to external Dell 4K monitor Dell P2715Q 27" Ultra HD Monitor.


I'm having less issues with the MBP lid open prior to connecting the monitor but not completely resolved. For example just yesterday my whole laptop froze after letting the computer sleep with the external monitor connected. A good cable improves things but not completely. Its frustrating...

Apr 20, 2016 12:25 PM in response to Giacecco

My situation is similar. My old Macbook pro (2012) running the latest OS does not have the issue (happened 4, 5 times in three years). But ever since I got my new macbook pro (2015) with my two DELL 4K monitors, it happens everyday. It barely happens with low resolution monitors I have at home. But every single time with 4K. The OS is fresh installed according to Etrecheck, everything is normal.


Looking for explanation and patches from Apple!


Thanks

May 19, 2016 10:52 AM in response to Giacecco

Upgraded to 10.11.5 and the issue persists. I have also tried replacing the cable but it still happens randomly.

When the screen freezes, there are a lot of logs saying:

GPU Driver appears to be hung (over 5 continuous seconds of unreadiness)

So it is likely to be an issue in Apple's graphics driver itself. The original post was posted half a year ago, I just can't believe Apple has made the bug go through that many betas again and again!

May 31, 2016 6:09 AM in response to @QusicS

Ever since I've turned off the sleep feature when plugged into power (and plugged into the external 4K display) I have not had the issue.


Its definitely a communication issue with the sleep wake function going through the TB to DP cable. I just don't see Apple been able to fix this unless yes they release a special cable.


So if you desire to prevent this problem from ever happening again make sure that your computer never goes to sleep.

Jun 20, 2016 11:25 AM in response to mike2016

I've noticed odd behaviour with my iMac5k and a DisplayPort HP 27" monitor (about 2K resolution). HP screen doesn't always wake up, or the iMac display is off and only the HP screen is functional... or worse the iMac will refuse to wake at all. Reboot always fixes. Going to check the Display port version on the cable. I suspect it is not very new. I am thinking of just turning off the HP display when not needed.

I do wonder if this is an issue on the Mac side - either hardware or OS. The same monitor and cable seemed to work fine on an older PC under Windows 7 for quite some time. I haven't noticed any issues on the iMac5k with Windows 10 and Bootcamp, but I rarely use the Windows install enough to allow it to sleep/wake very often.

Jun 22, 2016 11:25 AM in response to walk0080

Thanks for all of the information. I've been having this happen on and off for 3 weeks and was considering having my company replace the laptop. I have tons of interesting pictures of garbled displays at this point. I'll try to make sure it's plugged into power first before attaching DP, HDMI, or DP-DVI. I'll report back if I can steer clear of crashes using this technique.

Jul 18, 2016 9:30 PM in response to Giacecco

I'm so glad I've stumbled on this thread... I've been pulling my eyes out trying to find out why this has been happening. Pretty much I've had some if not all the issues described in this thread.


  • slow wakes
  • wake crashes (where I have to hard reset)
  • scrambled display (when I first plug in)


I've tried disabling sleep, auto poweroff... a bunch of terminal commands to keep my Macbook Pro from going into hibernation. I've turned settings off. I've turned settings on.


I'm on El Capitan (10.11.6)

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) w/AMD Radeon R9 M370X 2048 MB


I have an external display hooked up to an Asus MG28U 4k display Thunderbolt (mini DP) to DisplayPort 1.2


I have not found a single "fix" that works successfully.


I'll be following this thread.

Jul 22, 2016 4:13 AM in response to suchastrangenumb

I have pretty much being able to reproduce this issue at will


1- shutdown macbook pro 2015

2- startup with lid open and without power

3- after startup complete, close lid

4- reopen to wake

5- close again

6- connect power,usb,monitor(either hdmi or DP)

7- wake via usb or bluetooth

8- video crash


tested with or without automatic graphics switching, resetted PRAM and SMC, latest 10.11.6 El Capitan on a MacBook Pro 2015 with M370X and a Dell U2410


no apps open during testing


if lid is open, no crashes happen. even sleeping and awaking with or without external monitor already connected

Jul 25, 2016 8:02 AM in response to Giacecco

Just found this thread and I have a similar problem, or I have for some time, but as of today I have NO External Monitors either HDMI or DisplayPort!


I was running OK over the weekend, and then worked with only the laptop for a few hours last night and this morning. When I came back to my desk, I made sure the computer was awake, and plugged in both HDMI (Seiki) monitor and DisplayPort (ViewSonic DVI, via a Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter, and HDMI to DVI cable)... and both appeared properly.


As I normally do, just to be sure, I restarted the computer a NO external monitors appeared! I can get them to show up in Bootcamp (Window 10), but when I do, everything is very slow (external keyboard is very slow to respond, WinOS slow to respond, etc.). Back on the Mac side, still no external monitors, though Keyboard and OS seem to be OK.


Any ideas??

El Capitan unstable when connecting to external monitor using DisplayPort

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