I have been receiving these kernel panics multiple times a day (the computer freezes, followed by an eventual crash/restart if I don't do a hard shut down first). It occurs most frequently when waking the computer from sleep. Often I'll go to the bathroom and return to my computer, only to see my screensaver has frozen (at which point I'll be forced to do a hard shut down) or I'll come back and see my login screen (meaning the computer shut itself down). When logging back in, I receive the full kernel panic (attached below).
That said, certain applications seem to cause it
while the computer is in use: Skype, Plex, iMovie, and occasionally while watching YouTube/Netflix. During a 45 minute Skype call, I'll get the freezing about 3 times. And as you can see from the embedded video, I can repeatedly produce the kernel panic using iMovie in just 2-3 minutes.
My guess is the issue stems from the Mac's use of the discrete GPU, probably the GPU driver because this issue began with a software (or potentially silent firmware) update and, according to others on the
Apple Support Threads, is occurring on dozens of different models, meaning different GPUs. This is further evidenced by the fact that many of the applications I experience the crash while using require the discrete GPU to be used (and some especially tax it), as well as other users experiencing the crash when they plug their Mac into an external monitor, which likely triggers a switch to or more heavily involves the discrete GPU.
Here are steps you can do to reproduce the issue on your Mac running Catalina:
- (If you have a laptop) Open System Preferences, then go to Energy Saver, then deselect "Automatic Graphics Switching" at the top. This will make it so that your dedicated GPU is always in use.
- Go to this link and download the 4K video: https://www.videezy.com/urban/2820-aerial-footage-of-new-york-city-4k
- Open the video in Quicktime.
- In the menu bar, click "View" and then "Loop" so the video plays repeatedly.
- Play the video and wait.
Using this method I was able to cause my laptop to kernel panic with this error within 30 seconds of playing the video. I repeated the process 6 times just to be sure, and each time my computer kernel paniced with this error within 30 seconds every time.
Let's please figure this out. It's impossible to downgrade a 16-inch MBP to Mojave because it shipped with Catalina, so I'm stuck without any remedy here. I've tried a completely fresh install of Catalina, but that didn't resolve the issue.
Here's the panic:
Code:
panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff7f9cb9dad5): userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from com.apple.WindowServer in 120 seconds
service: com.apple.logd, total successful checkins since load (6130 seconds ago): 614, last successful checkin: 0 seconds ago
service: com.apple.WindowServer, total successful checkins since load (6100 seconds ago): 598, last successful checkin: 120 seconds agoBacktrace (CPU 2), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff924115b820 : 0xffffff801c13bb2b
0xffffff924115b870 : 0xffffff801c2734d5
0xffffff924115b8b0 : 0xffffff801c264f4e
0xffffff924115b900 : 0xffffff801c0e2a40
0xffffff924115b920 : 0xffffff801c13b217
0xffffff924115ba20 : 0xffffff801c13b5fb
0xffffff924115ba70 : 0xffffff801c8d2b25
0xffffff924115bae0 : 0xffffff7f9cb9dad5
0xffffff924115baf0 : 0xffffff7f9cb9d7e6
0xffffff924115bb10 : 0xffffff801c86739b
0xffffff924115bb60 : 0xffffff801c870443
0xffffff924115bca0 : 0xffffff801c222d12
0xffffff924115bdb0 : 0xffffff801c1419d8
0xffffff924115be10 : 0xffffff801c118635
0xffffff924115be70 : 0xffffff801c12f0e5
0xffffff924115bf00 : 0xffffff801c24b575
0xffffff924115bfa0 : 0xffffff801c0e3226
Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
com.apple.driver.watchdog(1.0)[053A5D15-51D4-3E61-978B-EB435FA4BD0A]@0xffffff7f9cb9c000->0xffffff7f9cba4fffBSD process name corresponding to current thread: watchdogd
Boot args: chunklist-security-epoch=0 -chunklist-no-rev2-devMac OS version:
19D76Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 19.3.0: Thu Jan 9 20:58:23 PST 2020; root:xnu-6153.81.5~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: A8DDE75C-CD97-3C37-B35D-1070CC50D2CE
Kernel slide: 0x000000001be00000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff801c000000
__HIB text base: 0xffffff801bf00000
System model name: MacBookPro16,1 (Mac-E1008331FDC96864)
System shutdown begun: NO
