Activity Monitor GPU history blank

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Level 1

25 points

Activity Monitor GPU history blank

Hi

As the title suggests I am seeing no activity whatsoever in the GPU history for my 2011 i7 Macbook Pro 17in, I am currently on the latest OS.

Does anybody know if this is an incompatibility issue with High Sierra and older machines or is there some other way to check if the GPU is being used.

I have tried several graphics applications eg, Photoshop, Capture One, etc.to no avail.

Thanks

Kiran

Posted on Aug 1, 2018 3:31 AM

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Answer 1

jdo_apple

Community Specialist

Aug 2, 2018 1:07 PM in response to keypix

Hello keypix,

Thanks for that info and choosing the Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you want to know if the GPU is being used on your MacBook Pro, as you're not able to find this in the Activity Monitor app on your MacBook Pro. To help with this, please follow the steps in these Apple resources to determine which graphics processor units are being used and how to set the graphics performance.

Determine which graphics processor is in use on your MacBook Pro
Set graphics performance on MacBook Pro

Then check out the steps in the article below to view your GPU activity in Activity Monitor:

How to use Activity Monitor on your Mac - Apple Support

You can also see CPU or GPU usage in a separate window or in the Dock:

To open a window showing recent graphics processor (GPU) activity, choose Window > GPU History. Energy usage related to such activity is incorporated into the energy-impact measurements in the Energy tab of Activity Monitor.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Aug 2, 2018 1:21 PM in response to keypix

Thanks for replying, Kiran, and that additional info, it really helps! You can figure out if unexpected behavior is related to a user file or setting by trying to reproduce the issue from another user account. This process includes creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

Next, use safe mode to start up your Mac as it does the following things:

Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

Loads only required kernel extensions

Prevents startup items and login items from opening automatically

Disables user-installed fonts

Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Log into your user account and test the issue while in safe mode and then restart normally and test the issue again.

Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac
Limited graphics performance in OS X recovery or safe mode

Have a great day and thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

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Answer 3

keypix Author

Level 1

25 points

Aug 2, 2018 1:10 PM in response to jdo_apple

Hi thanks for your help.

I looked at the Activity Monitor and it does show 'yes' when Photoshop is open, so I guess it is using the GPU but no history is showing up in the GPU History window.

I guess one last check is to attach an external monitor as I believe that will only operate with the GPU?

Thanks

Kiran

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Activity Monitor GPU history blank

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