macOS Sierra – Compatibility Issues

[sifex]

Noticed that gfxCardStatus is now a dependency forcing my macbook to use discrete graphics instead of defaulting to integrated as per usual.

Example: http://i.imgur.com/xCtDuDP.png

Extra Info: http://i.imgur.com/9n2EXBK.png

[ipoznyak]

Thats right, gfxCardStatus won't switch to integrated anymore because it's now a dependancy itself. :(
I have a MBP (mid 2010) with faulty discrete chip and this utility is vital for me. Had to roll back to El Capitan. It would be nice to hear from developers on the issue.

[grixtil]

Same issue here with the App. Realised about it today. If you just launch the app and never click it's menu icon, it's not a dependency, as soon as the menu icon is clicked and the drop down is shown (as per first screen grab by @sifex), High Perf GPU becomes a requirement. This can also be seen from the energy Tab in the activity monitor.

[sifex]

So, I did some investigation. Seems to be, (and can confirm with @ipoznyak & @grixtil) that gfxCardStatus is causing it.

The workaround I've found (for @ipoznyak if you want to come back to Sierra) is to install iStat menus, and you can add GPU status ('i' and 'a') in the menu bar as part of CPU settings.

Paging @codykrieger for a fix.

[codykrieger]

Maybe just adding NSSupportsAutomaticGraphicsSwitching => YES to Info.plist would work? I don't have Sierra installed yet, so I can't test that theory.

[codykrieger]

That'll likely break the code signature of the app, so you may have to strip the signature with the codesign tool or something, and then ctrl-click => Open to get past Gatekeeper.

[pointlessone]

I'm not an OS X developer so I may have done something wrong but it doesn't seem to fix the issue.

I've added the following into Info.plist under main dict element:

  <key>NSSupportsAutomaticGraphicsSwitching</key>
  <true/>

gfxCardStatus (v 2.3) still locks on nVidia graphics. It doesn't complain about code signing or anything else.

[sifex]

@pointlessone Seems to have done the trick. But this does bring up an interesting point with Sierra that it obviously is easier to trip into Discrete than before.

Edit: This seems to work for AMD Cards better than Nvidia.

[kolyanok]

Same problem on MBP Retina 15 late 2014, macOS Sierra.

[nsinnott]

I am having similar issues on the Early 2013 rMBP with MacOS Sierra Dev Beta 1. I use Retina display Manager as well, and that is listed as a dependency. Also, when Messages is open, it is also listed as a dependency and this is really ruining my battery life.

EDIT: Tried adding the key to Info.plist to no avail.

[fishcharlie]

Just cloned the code and did a build and run in Xcode and for some reason not seeing that problem. I am seeing a separate issue where switching it to "Integrated Only" will switch it to "Discrete Only" and the actual GPU being used won't change at all. Kind of a strange bug. About to create a new issue for it.

Anyone mind giving more detail about this issue tho? I can't seem to find it but maybe just me.

[ipoznyak]

The second beta is out. Has anyone tried if the issues is still there or not?

[fishcharlie]

No I have not. Didn't know it was out till now. I will download later and test it. I forked it and made a few changes and got it to work for myself tho.

[ipoznyak]

Please let us know if the standard build (2.3) works in second beta. If not, would you share how you made it to work?

[fishcharlie]

Oh wow. I totally messed up. I didn't read the issue. So sorry. I was talking about a different issue. I would be happy to take a stab at it but the standard build that I downloaded worked fine for me in second beta. I haven't seen this issue at all.

[pointlessone]

The issue is still present for me on beta 2.

[sanchesfree]

Somebody else ? Who test on beta2?

[karlvr]

I have tested on macOS sierra beta 2 and the issue appears corrected for me.

On 6/07/2016, at 1:03 PM, sanchesfree notifications@github.com wrote:

Somebody else ? Who test on beta2?

—
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[ipoznyak]

So now we have 2 people who tested it on macOS beta 2 and it is still broken for one, but it is working for another guy. We need more testers!

Just to be clear here, @karlvr it does work properly for you? When the system boots, you can switch to integrated only and it stays this way without switching back to "Discrete only" mode? What version of gfxCardStatus do you use?

[ipoznyak]

@karlvr also tell me please what version of a macbook do you have?

[pointlessone]

Just in case, here are the details for my case:

• gfxCardStatus 2.3
• MBP 15" min-2010 with nVidia M330 chip (MacBookPro6,2)

[ipoznyak]

@pointlessone so if you choose Integrated only it tells you that it can't do this because gfxStatusCard is a dependency and switches back to Discrete mode, is that correct?

[pointlessone]

gfxCS starts with an i in the menubar. But once I open the menu it switches to n and I can not switch to integrated any more. It also lists itself as as a dependency.

[ipoznyak]

@pointlessone ok, so it's the same as with Beta 1 (I have the same MBP unfortunately)

Anyone else have anything to say about this issue? @codykrieger any thoughts?

[karlvr]

@ipoznyak Here is a screenshot of the menu in integrated only and discrete only states. I can switch between them easily. gfxStatusCard shows me dependencies that force discrete only, and then they disappear when those apps have quit.

[karlvr]

@ipoznyak My Mac is a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), and the graphics cards are NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2048 MB and Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB. The version of macOS Sierra I'm running is 10.12 Beta (16A239j).

[ipoznyak]

@karlvr your screens show that you switch between Discrete and Dynamic modes. Can you set it to the "Integrated Only" mode though?

[grgar]

@ipoznyak Setting to ‘Integrated Only’ is impossible. When clicking ‘Integrated Only’, Discrete Only is selected. This doesn't always mean the discrete card is enabled which leads to some interesting behaviour.

• Dynamic Switching works fine in beta 2.

• Discrete Only works fine.

• Integrated Only is unable to be set. You can click Integrated Only, but when you do, the check mark moves to Discrete Only.

  - I selected Integrated, but Discrete is selected and no dependencies shown. Menu bar item shows _i_ (and so does iStat Menus). - It seems like Integrated Only is set, as opening an app such as FCPX doesn't engage discrete graphics. However, when quitting FCPX, upon which in dynamic switching the discrete would be disabled, discrete graphics are _enabled_ and Dependencies becomes none. Switching to Integrated Only switches to Discrete Only #242

[ipoznyak]

@codykrieger macOS public beta is out. I thought if you would try it out and come up with a fix it would be great!

[codykrieger]

@ipoznyak: I don't have nearly enough time to look at this right now.

[ipoznyak]

@codykrieger it is sad. Your utility is the only thing that helps me still run and use my MBP (mid 2010). It has a faulty Discrete chip and is out of warranty. And I know there are a lot of people who depend on this little utility of yours. Any future updates from you, whenever you have time for it, will be greatly appreciated. Well, thank you for even developing it in the first place!

[ghost]

I'm using Sierra and stopped using Chrome a couple of upgrades ago, finding Safari doesn't require as much switching to discrete card and crashing.. Also with version 2.4.3i gfxCS there hasn't been as much switching in general. In my experience movies on Safari, QuickTime Player, Vlan and iTunes are usually handled ok by the intel card. Good luck with this.

[kojot841]

Just wanted to say one big thanks to Cody and @steveschow

One quick question, which version is better for MBP 2010 Sierra 2.4.3i or 2.4.2i ? I have been using 2.4.2i and so far it's working fantastically :)

Thanks

[ghost]

@based55 Chrome defaults to CPU-based (non-GPU accelerated) video decoding via their own shitty VP9 codec, so I am not surprised you get stutter.

Get this: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/h264ify/aleakchihdccplidncghkekgioiakgal

"Makes YouTube stream H.264 videos instead of VP8/VP9 videos". And be sure to go into its options and enable "block 60 fps" too.

That extension will allow your GPU to do accelerated H264 video decoding. It helps a lot.

As for all of us Safari users? We'll get stutter too, when we encounter YouTube's 60 FPS videos. Old MacBooks cannot decode those in realtime. So I wrote a Safari extension to switch all YouTube videos to 30 FPS for smooth playback: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/23329-disable-youtube-60-fps-force-30-fps - have fun! Oh and that one works for Firefox, Opera etc too.

[tommyjcarpenter]

On my mid 2010 MBP that kernel panics at least 3 times per hour without this app, @steveschow's 2.4.3i fixes my problem!! I have not had a kernel panic since installing.
(Before I tried @steveschow branch, I was getting the error discussed in this thread and couldn't switch to integrated).

[based55]

@SteveJobzniak Thank you very much for the suggestion but that extension doesn't seem to do anything. (I even tested that it was in fact working by clicking on the stats for nerds and checking the https://www.youtube.com/html5 page) the video still stutters just the same.

I guess I'll just have to hope eventually a Sierra update or the next OSX magically fixes, or allows for a better fix of these problems, which is very unlikely at best.

[ghost]

@based55 Make sure "Stats for nerds" says:

Resolution: <whatever> x <whatever> @ 30 (for 30 fps)
Mime Type: video/mp4; codecs="avc1.640028"

Here is a list of codecs, just be sure that whatever you have is a H264 codec:

AAC-LC: "mp4a.40.2"
HE-AAC: "mp4a.40.5"
MP3: "mp4a.40.34"
H.264 Baseline Profile level 3.0: "avc1.42001e" or "avc1.66.30". Note: Use "avc1.66.30" for compatibility with iOS versions 3.0 to 3.1.2.
H.264 Baseline Profile level 3.1: "avc1.42001f"
H.264 Main Profile level 3.0: "avc1.4d001e" or "avc1.77.30". Note: Use "avc1.77.30" for compatibility with iOS versions 3.0 to 3.12.
H.264 Main Profile level 3.1: "avc1.4d001f"
H.264 Main Profile level 4.0: "avc1.4d0028"
H.264 High Profile level 3.1: "avc1.64001f"
H.264 High Profile level 4.0: "avc1.640028"
H.264 High Profile level 4.1: "avc1.640029"

If Stats for Nerds shows a H264 codec in Google Chrome, then you've successfully changed from VP9 to 30fps H264. Which allows the video decoding to be hardware-accelerated even on MacBook Pro 2010s. That codec change fixes the two main causes of stutter (VP9 and 60 FPS videos).

Still having stutter means there's most likely too much bitrate for your graphics card to decode on certain videos. For example, 4K video cannot be decoded by a MacBook Pro 2010. And certain 1080p@30 videos are still a bit stuttery (but it's rare). It can be fixed by swapping the resolution menu for those videos to 1080p or 720p.

I've also noticed another Sierra issue new since 10.12.2: Sometimes the OS gets sluggish due to low graphics card RAM (very noticeable when watching videos) and a reboot fixes it.

Those are your three available fixes (that don't involve changing to a newer computer): Switch VP9 @ 60fps to H264 @ 30fps, and avoid super high-res videos, and try rebooting Sierra.

[jonesinecuador]

I still cannot find a version of gfxcardstatus that will let me go to "integrated only," even trying the modified versions. I am on a MBP 15", Early 2011 running MacOS Sierra Version 10.12.2.

Of gfxcardstautus, I have tried 1.7, 2.3, 2.4.2i.

Is there one version that I have missed or any other workarounds? I have been reading this thread and didn't see anything, but could have missed.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[sporkman]

I have an early 2011 MBP, maxed out (fast SSD, 16GB RAM, i7) and I rely on this app to keep my machine alive. This is one of the "unofficially broken" MBPs, and one sure fire way to keep the integrated graphics chip from melting its own solder joints off the board is to never use it. And the battery savings are worth it as well. I run nothing graphics intensive regularly, so I'm fine with this setup until it dies. Interestingly, even vmware fusion works in integrated mode (throws a warning which I ignore).

Just wanted to note that the latest build of the fork seems to be working well in brief testing. I'm verifying switching with istat menus and "about this mac". Of note, Siri works without discrete graphics on this MBP.

[davidbrooks7]

Just upgraded to Sierra (kind of a if not broke don't fix it kinda guy). Well, so much for that mantra. Guess what happened next? I just wanted to give a huge thank you to @codykrieger for creating this app in the first place (been using it for years with no issues - save for the issue of this MAC2010/Apple's support ownership being a POS). Also, of course, a huge thanks to @steveschow for all of the effort in creating the fork/4.3.1i release that, for at least the last 5 minutes, seems to have done the trick. I was also very happy to see, having parsed just about this entire thread, that the Steve's ( @SteveJobzniak + @steveschow ) drama came to peaceful resolution and calm collaboration was once again restored to the universe.

Thanks again!!!

[petrosgls]

I am using the gfxcardstaus v1.8.1 on sierra and works fine!!!!!!!!!

[ghost]

I am using 2.4.3i on a famously brain-damaged mid-2010 MBP running Sierra, without this software I would be forced to buy a new one. Much appreciated!

The only real issue I have is rendering, in integrated mode, I get some annoying graphic effects and artifacts. Chrome has it really bad, Safari is mostly usable.

I have just found out that Opera seems to function without error and just wanted to pass on the info to the group.

[zirconias]

using 2.4.3i, on an early 2013 sierra , and it seems to work, 2days and no switching to discrete mode.
some pixels time to time appear time to time when using chrome.

[zirconias]

:s after my comment, something happened and mac switched to discrete and shutted down :(
it was only a maven task on intellij idea ..

[danielesposito]

Hi all. Thnx so much for the 2.4.3i update. After having had my logic board replaced 3 times, I was today once more plagued with the same issues that caused my logic board replacements. All was working fine, but after upgrading to Sierra I had the same annoying issues. Gladly, I checked this thread and found your new version of gfxCardStatus and can happily report its working as usual. So a big THANK YOU!

[naotko]

I replaced once,but again.What about calling change.org for apple to add official force integrated only mode? Ok even without acceleration, it could benefit for apple to reduce potential support resources to fix older macs. All Pb free macs have potential

[ghost]

@naotko
I do not think that Apple would heed to this initiative. Somehow, disabling hardware functionality to prolong the life of a product is not the way they want us to go. They want us to just buy a new MBP.

[DotTheI]

I support the idea to petition Apple.

By the way, is there a possibility to boot with integrated GPU in case of discrete GPU failure?

[steveschow]

petitioning apple will not do anything. They don't care. Apple hasn't cared about backwards compatibility in general, for decades. I remember once about 20-25 years ago my sister had purchased one of the early macs. They used it for a couple years and then Apple upgraded the OS in such a way that their mac could not use the new OS. A year or two later and they couldn't use any of the latest software, which all required the new OS, which their computer couldn't use. It was not that old of a computer. They never bought another mac again. I particularly like OSX so I have bought some macs, even knowing Apple is lame this way. My next notebook will NOT be an apple product, but I still have a Mac Pro in my music studio and there is no way around that for me...so there we are. Apple doesn't care about backwards compatibility, period. I'm happy we can get a few more years out of these 2010 MBP's, but you can rest assured in that in year or two they will be labeled as officially dropped, and you will have to jump through hackish hoops to even upgrade the OS software. The lesson to be learned here is never buy an apple product that costs more then $1000, because its all disposable stuff.

[ghost]

@steveschow
Well, I agree with your sentiment, but I think you just shouldn't short-sell yourself in this way. By my thinking, you must be worth considerably more to the world than a $3k Mac every 5 years. Yeah, you might be able to get an equivalent piece of black plastic for $2.5k, but what of it? Good computers used to cost $10k, then $5k and now we get them much cheaper, but it's not as if our salaries were reduced to 1/10th of what they were.

The MPB 2010 fiasco pisses me off, but I've been ripped off by HP and Compaq in my time, nothing new there. So, I'll extend the life of my 2010 MBP as long as I can, then I will probably buy another Mac, unless something much better, not cheaper, comes along.

After all, we spend a lot of time in front of these suckers, they need to be attractive and effective, something that is a pleasure to use, not just cheap or price-effective.

Cheers!

[steveschow]

sorry no, my MBP was tricked out and I've spent more than $3k on it after SSD, max memory, non-glare screen, etc. Furthermore it is a very fast machine, perfectly capable to running every piece of modern software that is interesting, including top end audio production software. There is absolutely no justifiable reason for Apple to drop support for it other then they are lousy developers and aren't capable of supporting backwards compatibility on certain ridiculous and optional features like Siri and Open GL graphics for advanced graphics applications, animations, etc.

And no I have no intention of spending $3K every five years for a new notebook, no thank you. Lots better ways to spend my money. Furthermore, Apple is way way behind the curve on touch screen notebooks. Nope, next one will almost certainly be windows, even as much as I like OSX. They would have to blow my mind with an absolutely steller notebook, and I don't see that happening.

I have a 2010 macPro also, which is the most powerful computer I have ever owned, 2 processors, 8 cores, 3.3 Ghz, the thing screams, yet somehow I think Apple is going to officially unsupport it imminently since they recently dropped 2009 MacPros from their list. Its absolutely ridiculous.

Meanwhile I have had windows boxes that have run for 15 years without compatibility issues whatsoever. The only thing is that eventually they became too slow or couldn't support enough memory or something for the latest apps, that I had to get a new box. But in the past 5 years we have reached a maximum in terms of CPU capability, so there is no excuse for it. My 2010 MBP started having kernal panics 3.5 years after I bought it, just after AppleCare ran out. That is pathetic. Sorry.

[PhilipPeake]

I believe that they said they will be moving the early 2011 (mine) to dinosaur status this year. It has had a MB replacement (for graphics problem), beyond that, it has been fine and still is. I have a 1015 MBP (work machine) which just might be a bit faster, but so far have seen no reason to upgrade. 32G of memory might help persuade me, but even that, balanced against a crappy keyboard, non-replaceable battery and no useful ports probably wouldn’t be enough. Philip

…

On Jan 15, 2017, at 12:11 PM, Steve Schow ***@***.***> wrote: sorry no, my MBP was tricked out and I've spent more than $3k on it after SSD, max memory, non-glare screen, etc. Furthermore it is a very fast machine, perfectly capable to running every piece of modern software that is interesting, including top end audio production software. There is absolutely no justifiable reason for Apple to drop support for it other then they are lousy developers and aren't capable of supporting backwards compatibility on certain ridiculous and optional features like Siri and Open GL graphics for advanced graphics applications, animations, etc. And no I have no intention of spending $3K every five years for a new notebook, no thank you. Lots better ways to spend my money. Furthermore, Apple is way way behind the curve on touch screen notebooks. Nope, next one will almost certainly be windows, even as much as I like OSX. They would have to blow my mind with an absolutely steller notebook, and I don't see that happening. I have a 2010 macPro also, which is the most powerful computer I have ever owned, 2 processors, 8 cores, 3.3 Ghz, the thing screams, yet somehow I think Apple is going to officially unsupport it imminently since they recently dropped 2009 MacPros from their list. Its absolutely ridiculous. Meanwhile I have had windows boxes that have run for 15 years without compatibility issues whatsoever. The only thing is that eventually they became too slow or couldn't support enough memory or something for the latest apps, that I had to get a new box. But in the past 5 years we have reached a maximum in terms of CPU capability, so there is no excuse for it. My 2010 MBP started having kernal panics 3.5 years after I bought it, just after AppleCare ran out. That is pathetic. Sorry. — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#240 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ALcNtRJ9k6exvl06EGWifg7bd1It3Sxxks5rSn1YgaJpZM4I2_yf>.

[sporkman]

I can just add that after a week or so of using the "unofficial" version I've not had any issues. It's such a shame, I don't game or anything and it seems like the integrated graphics capability is just fine for everything I do (and it consumes less power). Even the one app I have that warns about it (VMware Fusion) still works just fine, and has for at least 3 years.

Too bad you can't boot into the "BIOS" (EFI) and disable the discrete graphics...

[codykrieger]

In the interest of reducing the amount of email notifications that this issue thread generates, I'm locking this thread, since the only thing left to be done here is to actually fix the issue on my end.

Thanks to everyone involved for reporting this and discussing fixes, etc.

[codykrieger]

Tracking in #310; closing.