Slow Graphics Performance MacOS High Sierra

Also as an update .....as mentioned if I tap f4 in succession ....the screen comes back on for 1 or 2 seconds before going to being scrambled again.....doing this I have a slim window to move the mouse and open programs.......I managed to open up EtreCheck and for some reason the screen /display stayed on without scrambling ....and when it ran its process.....the screen/display stayed on ....when EtreCheck completed the processs.....the screen went back to being scrambled.

( this is in normal boot mode by the way ....I can only use the weird f4 tapping option when logged in as a user on the MacBook )

It’s almost as if the /GPU of being distracted by other processes.

No, its not fixed in 10.13.2.

I already sent bug over Feedback app and now bugreport too. I already contacted my local repair center with ask to MacBook replacement as I have it still in warranty. Will see what happned next.

thank your for your insights in what seems really to be a major problem with High Sierra. How this issue is handled by Apple is outrageous to say the least. The agents at the phone desk are not aware of (or possibly even worse: seem not to know, because they have been told to behave like this).

I can confirm: on my iMac (built late 2013, though sold to me as new in October 2015) I have the problem, and let the activity monitor running in the background. The WindowServer, the kernel_task, Skype and Skype helper, Flash Player with Safari (to run a specific chat with video and audio conferencing) as well as Zoom (again an audio/video conferencing) shows up as very high % CPU values. Specifically, Zoom, a very "light" software may risk to run to up 200% CPU. The consequence is: the traffic deriving from the chats (both the one over Flash Player in Safari as well as Zoom) will hold back incoming traffic (for as long as 3 or 4 minutes), sometimes the two applications I have running are holding up the other one, to then suddenly release the cumulated traffic in a"fast forward mode". The application may eventually catch up with the live chat, though you can imagine how detrimental such a behaviour will have on a chat or video conference: you expect a feedback and then for minutes you don't get any, you see the video on hold, and then you see your chat partner having left the chat (most likely for lack of reply).

In reference with HEVC and video encoding, if I remember correctly, I saw the process running at very high % CPU.

As an additional possible consequence, downloads of relatively big files (3 to 5 GB) despite having a high download (500 MBits) will relatively often fail.

A last symptom: also Mail (used with a Gmail account) is extremely slow, downloads at every new start hundreds of email and move as many around (e.g. delete).Whether this is a consequence of the above problems or an additional problem related to the same root cause I don't know, though I don't remember to have had such situations in the past (i.e. turning down my iMac would leave in the clouds not the absolute current state of the email box, using it from an iPad or MacBook would not give the same results. I've noticed this by coincidence last week.

Needless to say, that before HIGH Sierra none of the above symptoms were occurring. Actually a MacBook bought at the same time (October 2015, though also built in 2015) has no issues whatsoever with HIGH Sierra. It was actually the successful pilot on my MacBook that mislead me to a premature HIGH Sierra upgrade in my iMac.

The soft resets have been performed as per instructions, there have been some improvements, the nightmare of downgrading I'm not considering.

Since it was Christmas time and a retailer had a promotion, I bought yesterday a new 21,5' iMac with I7 Processor, 16GB, 1 TB Fusion drive and Radeon with 2GB Video (since not available as such, let's see whether it will be build early 2018 ...) for approx. USD 2000. As per sales support, this configuration should be actually already too good for very standard applications (Office, Mail, Browsing), the 27' with I5 Processor would have been a more than viable alternative. Considering the bottlenecks in performance, I decided to go for I7.

Let's see whether I'll still have the issues once my new iMac in the second half of January should be delivered.

It's sad that the solution is to buy a new device, and as you suspected, fall into the trap

I ended up selling my device that was thrashed after High Sierra, luckily, Apple devices hold their value even as spare parts ...

I hope this recent phone battery scandal spreads a bit to our side, for some reason, these High Sierra issues aren't getting any attention

I was informed by an Apple representative that High Sierra changes battery dynamics, I would assume a SMC update, I don't know whether it's a separate system with a separate firmware

The representative mentioned Sierra re-assessing the battery, but it wasn't a very lengthy conversation

I pushed the issue as much and as hard as I can, to no avail, then gave up

My ultimate issue is the lack of information, for example, other than our issues, High Sierra automatically converts the file systems to APFS, I was going to restore my system to an external hard disk for example, I couldn't do that because APFS only works on SSD's etc.

All in all, with the recent iPhone scandal, and our more isolated issues, I believe the culprit is the lack of information (There could have been a small digital pamphlet that explained each disruptive feature)

If I knew High Sierra was going to be this disruptive, I would never update

My ultimate issue is the lack of information, for example, other than our issues, High Sierra automatically converts the file systems to APFS, I was going to restore my system to an external hard disk for example, I couldn't do that because APFS only works on SSD's etc.

First, the fact that High Sierra would convert the file system to APFS was well publicized.

Second, and most importantly, the fact that your internal uses APFS does NOT impede you from restoring or cloning to an external hard disk.

You can perfectly well clone an APFS volume to an HFS+ one.

I do this every day.

I haven't tried it with Disk Utility, but I do so, as part of my backup strategy, using SuperDuper!.

You can use it for free to do that, too. (The paid version, which I have, adds useful capabilities, like incremental backups, but you can do a full clone for free).

The only point at which being APFS poses a difficulty is if you want to install an older OS on an external drive; you can't use the APFS volume as a source for migrating your stuff. But you can first make the above mentioned clone, then install the older OS on a separate partition or drive, and use the clone as a source for Migration Assistant.

alexkay99

your reply above, concerning iPhone battery replacement, is clearly not on the right thread. The subject under discussion is the graphics performance of MacOS High Sierra, which has nothing to do with iPhone performance.

Sorry you are right - iPhone battery replacement does not have anything to do with this thread directly - but - if Apple have publicly stated they are deliberately slowing down the performance of iPhones, for whatever reason..., then by simple logic people can infer "well - if they slow down iPhones ... the same could be happening here". Where "here" can be any performance related thread - including this one.

Mind you - I was just trying to say - sure they might be slowing down iPhones but this does not automatically mean they are doing the same to Mac's and that that is the explanation for the current macOS High Sierra performance issue.

Which is of course totally on topic and I should've added that part in - then it would've been clearer.

The cited software, gfxcardstatus, does not support using an external display AT ALL. It allows the user to turn off Discrete graphics (which would turn off the external display). gfxcardstatus is a solution to a very different problem.

Are you really sure? I'm on Sierra right now. I want to upgade, but I'm afraid, that I will be disapointed by performence.

And you are right, for me also many apps causes GeForce card to becomes active. Like Citrix Receiver that I use for work.

I am NOT and never have been on Apple's payroll, in any way. I am a user just like you.

This is a user forum and I come here daily to ask for and to give help.

Maybe a thousand people have the same problem. I sympathize. I am not saying it is their minds or anything. It is real.

But it sure does not prove it is this or that.

Maybe it is a driver problem. Maybe it is an OS problem, or a hardware problem.

There are millions of macs similar to yours.

What about the millions more who do not come to this forum, and just keep on enjoying their macs? Does that prove anything?

If Sierra works best for you, fine. I loved it too.

I backed up my mac and installed High Sierra on day one.

There were issues, yes, but for me not enough to erase and restore Sierra, which I could have done.

Now at 10.13.3 my mac works as well as it used to with Sierra. I am not saying it proves anything. Just a data point.

Good luck.

Hi Luis,

Yes I have updated to 10.13.3, no fresh install, I have read that a fresh install of high Sierra doesn’t help so if I have to go through the harassment of a reinstall I would go for Sierra.

The problem is still happening with a secondary monitor, especially if I try to play videos from the browser, two 1080 videos playing simultaneously on each monitor is now became impossible plus there is a general feeling of lagging when I try to zoom and scroll.

What resolution are u using on your secondary monitor or projector? Mine is 3440x1440

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

... but there have been a few features, like this graphics performance, that are not quite ready for Prime Time in their current state. I expect that will improve steadily as time and minor revisions go on.

You've said "graphics performance ... not quite ready for Prime Time..." I agree with your statement but I would dearly like to know Apple's position on this issue. Sorry to ask but is that your personal opinion or are you an employee at Apple and hence privy to the company's stance?

Has it even been acknowledged as an issue? Can they replicate it? Has it been assigned a priority? Is there an estimate of when it will be resolved?

Or maybe this is another case of denial? (This is happened before).

I raised a bug report but then they merged it with someone else's now I'm out of the loop. I have now idea what they are doing, if anything at all.

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I write software for a living, if we have an issue we need to acknowledge it and then provide some sort of estimate for when a fix will be released in order to manage expectations. Anyone not doing so would be labeled as being completely unprofessional!

We cannot just disappear in a cloud of mystery for a few months, then magically appear with a solution from nowhere.

People need to make plans and employ workarounds - this lack of information only makes a bad situation worse.

Meantime we are all left speculating, wondering and wasting lots of time. Hardly MacBook "Pro" it's more like MacBook TrialAndErrorWasteAllMyTime.