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External Display - High CPU Usage - MacBook Pro Mid 2015 High Sierra Update

Hi,


I am using MacBook Pro Mid 2015 with latest High Sierra Update 10.13.3.


What I have noticed is that when I connect my external display after a while (say 10 minutes) the kernel_task CPU utilization goes up and remains in the range of 450-500% till I disconnect the monitor.


Any solution to over come this issue?


Regards,

-Kedar

MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS High Sierra (10.13)

Posted on Feb 18, 2018 9:38 PM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Mar 14, 2018 6:20 PM

All,


I got my MacBook Serviced and Cleaned. There was lot of dust accumulated near the side vents. After cleaning the MacBook is back at its best performance levels. No issues when connected to external monitor. The problem was solved when the fine dust was cleared. See the attached photo.

Now fans don't start, thus no kernel_task taking up lot of CPU. If you find this issue get the MacBook serviced and cleaned.

User uploaded file

16 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Mar 14, 2018 6:20 PM in response to kedar8099

All,


I got my MacBook Serviced and Cleaned. There was lot of dust accumulated near the side vents. After cleaning the MacBook is back at its best performance levels. No issues when connected to external monitor. The problem was solved when the fine dust was cleared. See the attached photo.

Now fans don't start, thus no kernel_task taking up lot of CPU. If you find this issue get the MacBook serviced and cleaned.

User uploaded file

Mar 1, 2018 11:03 PM in response to chuck_3rd

Hi Alex,


Thank you for responding. I tried both the options.


1. NVRAM

After doing that still the CPU utilisation is high when connected with External Display.


Here is the screen shot.

User uploaded file


With option 2. SMC Reset


User uploaded file

In both the cases the CPU usage remains at that level ranging from 470 to 500.


As soon as I remove my external display here is the reduced CPU usage screen shot.

User uploaded file

Please let me know if you need any further details and I will be happy to provide it.


Regards,

KD

Mar 2, 2018 2:22 AM in response to malcolmhall

Malcolm, even though you have in the meantime edited your post: Etrecheck is a legitimate program, created by a respected member of this community and used hundreds of times every day to provide information so others on this forum can help. It does not "phone home" and you can see by its report that it shows no private information.


You can search these forums for it, and you will see.

Mar 2, 2018 11:38 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thank you all for responding. Please find the EtreCheck as requested.

EtreCheck version: 4.1 (4A162)

Report generated: 2018-03-03 12:46:49

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 27:25

Performance: Poor


Problem: Computer is too slow

Description:

External Display and kernel_task CPU usage goes up by around 450% to 500% and the system slows down.


Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.


Poor performance - EtreCheck report took over 10 minutes to run. This is very unusual.


Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.


Heavy RAM usage - This machine is using a large amount of RAM.

High battery cycle count - Your battery may be losing capacity.

Small backup drive - Time Machine backup drive is too small.

Unsigned files - There is unsigned software installed. It appears to be legitimate but should be reviewed.


Hardware Information:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

MacBook Pro Model: MacBookPro11,5

1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 (i7-4870HQ) CPU: 4-core

16 RAM Not upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

8 GB DDR3 1600 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

8 GB DDR3 1600 ok

Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 725


Video Information:

AMD Radeon R9 M370X - VRAM: 2 GB

Color LCD 2880 x 1800

HP 22es 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz

Intel Iris Pro - VRAM: 1536 MB


Drives:

disk0 - APPLE SSD SM0512G 500.28 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

Internal PCI 8.0 GT/s x4 Serial ATA

disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk0s2 500.07 GB

disk1s1 - K********************D (APFS) 500.07 GB 116.04 GB

disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] 500.07 GB 20 MB

disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] 500.07 GB 510 MB

disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] 500.07 GB 2.15 GB


disk2 - KingSpec Z1-M256 253.37 GB

External USB 5 Gbit/s

disk2s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk2s2 - R**************p (Case-sensitive Journaled HFS+) 253.03 GB


Mounted Volumes:

disk1s1 - K********************D 500.07 GB (381.19 GB free)

APFS

Mount point: /


disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM] 500.07 GB (381.19 GB free)

APFS

Mount point: /private/var/vm


Network:

Interface en3: Thunderbolt Ethernet

One IPv4 address

Interface en5: iPod

Interface en0: Wi-Fi


Interface en4: Bluetooth PAN

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

iCloud Quota: 2.59 GB available


System Software:

macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 (17D102)

Time since boot: About a day

System Load: 19.29 (1 min ago) 13.77 (5 min ago) 8.04 (15 min ago)


Security:

SystemStatus
GatekeeperMac App Store and identified developers
System Integrity ProtectionEnabled


Unsigned Files:

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.cisco.anyconnect.gui.plist

Executable: /Applications/Cisco/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.app --wait-apps /Applications/Cisco/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.app

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.cisco.anyconnect.vpnagentd.plist

Executable: /opt/cisco/anyconnect/bin/vpnagentd -execv_instance

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Java Updater.app/Contents/MacOS/Java Updater -bgcheck

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.cisco.anyconnect.ciscod.plist

Executable: /opt/cisco/hostscan/bin/ciscod -d

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Helper-Tool

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK


Kernel Extensions:

/Library/Application Support/Logitech.localized/Logitech Options.localized

[Not Loaded] LogiMgrDriver.kext (Logitech Inc., 6.80.1 - SDK 10.12)

/Library/Extensions

[Loaded] ufsd_NTFS.kext (Paragon Software GmbH, 15.1.70 - SDK 10.10)


System Launch Agents:

[Not Loaded] 8 Apple tasks
[Loaded] 152 Apple tasks
[Running] 130 Apple tasks


System Launch Daemons:

[Not Loaded] 37 Apple tasks
[Loaded] 172 Apple tasks
[Running] 124 Apple tasks


Launch Agents:

[Loaded] com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-02-26)
[Running] com.logitech.manager.daemon.plist (Logitech Inc. - installed 2018-02-27)
[Loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 1bcd0db5 - installed 2018-02-26)
[Running] com.paragon-software.ntfs.notification-agent.plist (Paragon Software GmbH - installed 2017-12-13)
[Loaded] com.cisco.anyconnect.gui.plist (? 40bd3462 - installed 2018-02-25)


Launch Daemons:

[Loaded] com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-02-26)
[Running] com.cisco.anyconnect.vpnagentd.plist (? a7cbca7 - installed 2014-10-16)
[Running] com.docker.vmnetd.plist (Docker Inc - installed 2018-02-28)
[Loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (? e3fefdd2 - installed 2018-02-26)
[Running] com.paragon-software.ntfsd.plist (Paragon Software GmbH - installed 2017-12-13)
[Running] com.cisco.anyconnect.ciscod.plist (? d78c2ec9 - installed 2014-10-16)
[Loaded] com.paragon-software.ntfs.loader.plist (Apple, Inc. - installed 2018-01-19)
[Running] com.paragon-software.installer.plist (Paragon Software GmbH - installed 2018-02-26)
[Loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-02-11)


User Launch Agents:

[Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2017-09-28)


User Login Items:

Caffeine Application

(/Applications/Caffeine.app)

Magnet Application (Mac App Store

(/Applications/Magnet.app)

HazelHelper Application (Noodlesoft, LLC

(~/Library/PreferencePanes/Hazel.prefPane/Contents/MacOS/HazelHelper.app)

Backup and sync from Google Application (Google, Inc.

(/Applications/Backup and Sync.app)

iTunesHelper Application (Apple, Inc. - installed 2018-02-25)

(/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

SlowQuitApps Application (Douglas Teoh

(/Applications/SlowQuitApps.app)

WallpapersLauncher SMLoginItem (Mac App Store - installed 2018-02-26)

(/Applications/Unsplash Wallpapers.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/WallpapersLauncher.app)

LaunchHelper SMLoginItem (Mac App Store - installed 2018-02-26)

(/Applications/Battery Monitor.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/LaunchHelper.app)

FSMenuAppLoginItemHelper SMLoginItem (Paragon Software GmbH - installed 2018-02-26)

(/Applications/Paragon NTFS for Mac 15.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/FSMenuAppLoginItemHelper.app)

OneDrive Launcher SMLoginItem (Mac App Store - installed 2018-02-26)

(/Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/OneDrive Launcher.app)

DockerHelper SMLoginItem (Docker Inc - installed 2018-02-28)

(/Applications/Docker.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/DockerHelper.app)


Internet Plug-ins:

QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2018-01-19)

JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 162 build 12 (installed 2018-02-26)


User Internet Plug-ins:

WebEx64: 1.1.0 (installed 2018-02-08)


3rd Party Preference Panes:

Hazel (installed 2017-10-20)

Java (installed 2017-12-20)

Logi Options Launcher (installed 2018-03-01)

NTFS (installed 2017-12-13)


Time Machine:

Skip System Files:

Mobile backups:

Auto backup: Yes

Volumes being backed up:

K********************D: Disk size: 500.07 GB - Disk used: 118.88 GB

Destinations:

K*****************************d [Local] (Last used)

Total size: 999.83 GB

Total number of backups: 1

Oldest backup: 2018-02-26 18:34:55

Last backup: 2018-02-26 18:34:55


Top Processes by CPU:

Process (count)Source% of CPU
WindowServerApple23
launchdApple7
UEFI.fd,,5
eclipse5
Activity MonitorApple4


Top Processes by Memory:

Process (count)SourceRAM usage
UEFI.fd,,4.46 GB
eclipse1.50 GB
kernel_taskApple1.35 GB
Microsoft OutlookMicrosoft Corporation325 MB
WindowServerApple238 MB


Top Processes by Network Use:

ProcessSourceInputOutput
mDNSResponderApple348 KB202 KB
netbiosdApple10 KB7 KB
apsdApple3 KB298 B
kernel_taskApple0 B0 B
FinderSyncAPIExtensionGoogle, Inc.0 B0 B


Top Processes by Energy Use:

Process (count)SourceEnergy usage (0-100)
fsck_hfs19
CalendarAgentApple9
sysmondApple9
WindowServerApple9
Microsoft OutlookMicrosoft Corporation8


Virtual Memory Information:

Available RAM9.71 GB
Free RAM8.99 GB
Used RAM6.29 GB
Cached files737 MB
Swap Used4.54 GB


Software Installs (past 30 days):

NameVersionInstall Date
OneDrive17.005.01072018-02-26
CalcService3.4.12018-02-26
WordService2.8.12018-02-26
EasyFind4.9.32018-02-26
Speedtest1.32018-02-26
Battery Monitor2.4.32018-02-26
Pocket1.7.12018-02-26
Trello2.10.22018-02-26
Kindle1.21.12018-02-26
Magnet2.1.02018-02-26
Unsplash Wallpapers1.0.22018-02-26
Microsoft Remote Desktop8.0.273252018-02-26
Image2icon2.8.12018-02-26
MyDraw2.0.32018-02-26


Diagnostics Information (past 7 days):

2018-03-02 13:58:48 Eclipse.app CPU

2018-03-02 08:23:46 com.apple.WebKit.WebContent CPU

2018-03-01 23:45:33 Preview.app Hang

2018-03-01 20:02:53 LogiMgrDaemon.app Crash

abort calledterminating

2018-02-28 00:28:03 DiffMerge.app Crash

2018-02-27 16:51:03 Backup and Sync.app Crash

2018-02-27 06:32:58 Google Chrome.app Crash

2018-02-26 12:16:00 installd CPU

2018-02-26 09:15:45 Activity Monitor.app Crash

objc_msgSend selector name: scrollView:scrollWheelWithEvent:


End of report

Mar 3, 2018 2:20 AM in response to kedar8099

You have a LOT of Login Items. All of these run everty time you log in, whether or not you actively use them.


You also seem to have an old version of Paragon software. This is meant to read and write NTFS drives, but the version you have is not compatible with High Sierra. If you really need this, you should update.


Try this: make a new user account, log out of your normal account, log in to this new account, connect the external monitor. See if you also experience a similar cpu usage spike.

My guess is that you won't, which would suggest some of the things that are running on your normal account could be causing this.

Mar 15, 2018 3:47 AM in response to kedar8099

Thank you very much for coming back and telling us about the solution (not many people do!).


And as we tend to look for problematic software or NVRAM or other things, this one problem of physical obstruction of airflow by dust or other accumulated cruft would not easily come to mind - even though I have opened quite a few macs over the years, and they tend to look as pretty as yours on the inside 😉

May 25, 2018 2:43 AM in response to kedar8099

Tried a lot of stuff before - SMC, PRAM reset, offloading apps, new OS Install but useless after a while.


But this worked for me.

I opened and cleaned the MacbookPro (15" Mid 2015). There was dust accumulated in the fans.

For anyone reading this - please watch some videos on Youtube if have not done that before and intend to DIY like me.


After cleaning, kernel_task is not influenced anymore by external monitors and I can do simultaneous heavy tasks (coding IDEs, running servers) without any issues.


Thanks for the hint Kedar!


However, I wonder how does dust affect the kernel_task!

Jun 20, 2018 4:59 PM in response to mandy_here

One of the things the kernel_task process does is to control a process’ access to CPU resources. For a system that has had its cooling capacity negatively impacted by the accumulation of dust internally, it is more likely that a process will need its CPU access managed more frequently by kernel_task, as the CPU thermal limits will be reached faster, and more often. It’s this increased management of the busy process that can cause kernel_task CPU usage to rise to levels seen here.

Aug 1, 2018 7:51 AM in response to kedar8099

I have spent hours wondering what was causing this issue and an equal number of hours researching it. I came across a thread that mentioned the external monitor and realised that was causing the issues, and then I found this thread, cleaned out the back and bingo....no more excessive CPU usage and fans running at half what they were.

So thank you for taking the time to let everyone know what fixed it. You have saved me hours...🙂

External Display - High CPU Usage - MacBook Pro Mid 2015 High Sierra Update

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