Extremely high GPU usage in idle periods

[spikie]

I have a 13-inch cMBP mid-2012, running on macOS 10.15. I added 16GB RAM and an SSD, and for the last few weeks I have noticed that when I leave the lid open my MacBook gets extremely hot with the fans blasting at full power. This happens even though the laptop is supposed to go to sleep after 10 minutes or so automatically, when it receives no input. I noticed that the process called WindowServer is using insane amounts of the integrated GPU as soon as the screen goes dark (or just goes idling). The fans keep running and the computer fails to go to sleep even though according to the sleep settings it should be sleeping. However as soon as I do something to wake the screen (move the cursor or press a key), the GPU usage stops and returns to pretty much 0% in the Activity Monitor, as it should be. Please see the attached screenshots. It is also quite difficult to catch which process is using the GPU because as soon as the screen turns on the GPU usage is back to 0%, but the GPU Time clearly shows it is the WindowServer process.

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this issue? This happens every time I forget to close the lid of the laptop right after the screen goes dark. If I remember correctly this started happening before upgrading to macOS 10.15, but do not remember exactly when. I already tried resetting the SMC, NVRAM, and re-installed the OS as well. The only thing I have not tried yet is doing a complete clean install, which I would really like to avoid if possible.

--EDIT: rcprador points out below that this issue appear when idling, the screen does not need to turn off for the problem to surface

Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[casperes1996]

You can't really conclude it's window-server based on the GPU time. The time is from the start of the process, how much processing time it's used. And considering the window-server is responsible for handling... Well, windows on the desktop, of course it'll have a high GPU time. It's almost every millisecond you use the computer that it has some interaction with the GPU.
I honestly think Google Chrome Helper looks as suspicious unless you'd used Chrome a lot that session

 

[spikie]

You can't really conclude it's window-server based on the GPU time. The time is from the start of the process, how much processing time it's used. And considering the window-server is responsible for handling... Well, windows on the desktop, of course it'll have a high GPU time. It's almost every millisecond you use the computer that it has some interaction with the GPU.
I honestly think Google Chrome Helper looks as suspicious unless you'd used Chrome a lot that session

It is absolutely WindowServer, I caught it before using 100% of the GPU right after I wake the screen up. This has nothing to do with Chrome, the issue happens even if Chrome is closed. As I mentioned in the initial post, it is very difficult to catch the GPU usage percentage because as soon as I wake the screen to take a screenshot, the percentage drops to 0% almost immediately, but it is no doubt the WindowServer process taking up the GPU. Furthermore, as you see on the screenshot the idle wake-ups are 115 for the WindowServer process, I am fairly sure this is linked to this issue, as something is preventing the laptop to go to sleep even though the screen is off.

 

[Ethosik]

It is absolutely WindowServer, I caught it before using 100% of the GPU right after I wake the screen up. This has nothing to do with Chrome, the issue happens even if Chrome is closed. As I mentioned in the initial post, it is very difficult to catch the GPU usage percentage because as soon as I wake the screen to take a screenshot, the percentage drops to 0% almost immediately, but it is no doubt the WindowServer process taking up the GPU. Furthermore, as you see on the screenshot the idle wake-ups are 115 for the WindowServer process, I am fairly sure this is linked to this issue, as something is preventing the laptop to go to sleep even though the screen is off.

this might explain why I get kernel panics every time the screensaver kicks in or my displays go to sleep. I have a Vega 48.

 

[casperes1996]

It is absolutely WindowServer, I caught it before using 100% of the GPU right after I wake the screen up. This has nothing to do with Chrome, the issue happens even if Chrome is closed. As I mentioned in the initial post, it is very difficult to catch the GPU usage percentage because as soon as I wake the screen to take a screenshot, the percentage drops to 0% almost immediately, but it is no doubt the WindowServer process taking up the GPU. Furthermore, as you see on the screenshot the idle wake-ups are 115 for the WindowServer process, I am fairly sure this is linked to this issue, as something is preventing the laptop to go to sleep even though the screen is off.

OK; Sure. I believe you. Point stands that a high GPU time for window-server isn't unusual.

Anyways, back to trying to solve the issue. Next time it happens when you return to the computer could you open console immediately and try and get information from it at starting and ending timestamps for the issue?
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And what's your uptime and does it always happen or just sometimes?

 

[spikie]

OK; Sure. I believe you. Point stands that a high GPU time for window-server isn't unusual.

Anyways, back to trying to solve the issue. Next time it happens when you return to the computer could you open console immediately and try and get information from it at starting and ending timestamps for the issue?
[automerge]1572274515[/automerge]
And what's your uptime and does it always happen or just sometimes?

This happens every time the screen goes dark. I restart my machine quite often but it has no impact on this, it happens right after a restart as well. 100% of the time as soon as the screen goes dark.

So I checked the console and there are 25000 lines for the 15 minutes I let the screen stay dark. I cannot add the log as code because it is too long, but I added it as an attachment. Does this show you anything?

EDIT: just to add, if I close the lid then the laptop goes to sleep normally and there is no issue whatsoever. This only happens if I keep the lid open and the screen goes dark by itself.

 

[casperes1996]

This happens every time the screen goes dark. I restart my machine quite often but it has no impact on this, it happens right after a restart as well. 100% of the time as soon as the screen goes dark.

So I checked the console and there are 25000 lines for the 15 minutes I let the screen stay dark. I cannot add the log as code because it is too long, but I added it as an attachment. Does this show you anything?

EDIT: just to add, if I close the lid then the laptop goes to sleep normally and there is no issue whatsoever. This only happens if I keep the lid open and the screen goes dark by itself.

What here is the timestamp for when the screen went dark and when you started it up again, roughly?

 

[spikie]

What here is the timestamp for when the screen went dark and when you started it up again, roughly?

Roughly went dark at 15:41 and started it up again at 16:00.

 

[casperes1996]

Roughly went dark at 15:41 and started it up again at 16:00.

Hm. I don't know, mate. Looks like there's a lot of webkit entries, but that could be normal enough depending on what's going on. Do you have any connected devices that could cause it?
Otherwise maybe someone else will have to step in and see if they have ideas.

 

[spikie]

Hm. I don't know, mate. Looks like there's a lot of webkit entries, but that could be normal enough depending on what's going on. Do you have any connected devices that could cause it?
Otherwise maybe someone else will have to step in and see if they have ideas.

No connected devices..I really don't know what could be causing this. One other thing is that a few weeks ago my mac started to wake up with the lid closed in the middle of the night. I fixed it by messing around in the terminal, but I don't remember exactly what I changed, other than entering:
sudo pmset -b TCPKeepAliveDuringSleep 0
and this:
sudo nvram boot-args="darkwake=0"

I couldn't figure out what was causing the issue but these two lines fixed it. I really don't know what is happening to be honest, and I'm sure it would be the best to just do a clean install but I don't have time to do that for the next few weeks at least..

 

[rcprador]

Hi,
any other update on this topic?

I have exactly the same situation on my MacBook Pro, already investigated it for some days, did a fresh install, but then I did a migration of my time machine backed up USER to the new installation (just the user stuff, not the system stuffs) and I have the problem again.

I already know that if I install Caffeine or Amphetamine (both apps to keep the system awake) the problem does not occur.

I can disable option to computer sleep and disable scrrensaver and disable turn-off (dark) the screen , the problem happens, so I can let Activity Monitor opened on the screen, wait for some idle minutes (about 6 minutes) and I can see GPU going extreme on Windowserver process.

This is screen capture of the last 24hr about the GPU activity [all high usage below is during IDLE times, and then this happens)

I will try both your command line suggestions, one and then another, and check if they produce some results on my MacOS.
I am also using Catalina

There is no need to have any app running, this is caused by the MacOS itself. (strange)
Also there is no need to the scree to go dark. I just have to let the system idle for some minutes.


How did I notice it?
I just noticed this strange thing because during IDLE periods of time, my macbook chassis was hotter [than when I left it alone], so I suspected something was being processed every time I was lefting my Macbook "alone" and idle.


As soon as I move the mouse pointer, the "thing" disappears and there is no more strange activity on GPU.

 

[spikie]

As soon as I move the mouse pointer, the "thing" disappears and there is no more strange activity on GPU.

Yeah, seems like the exact same problem that I am experiencing. Unfortunately I still can't figure out what causes it, but it seems like a rare bug since you are the first one confirming the issue is not just on my laptop. The 6 minute window you give seems pretty consistent with what I have been experiencing, and as you say as soon as the cursor is moved the problem disappears and the GPU is back to normal.

I've just been trying to remember to close the lid when I leave the laptop, but it is not a great situation..I will eventually do a complete clean install without restoring anything, maybe that fixes it, but annoying bug nonetheless. Let me know if anything worked for you since please.

 

[cod]

Yeah, seems like the exact same problem that I am experiencing. Unfortunately I still can't figure out what causes it, but it seems like a rare bug since you are the first one confirming the issue is not just on my laptop. The 6 minute window you give seems pretty consistent with what I have been experiencing, and as you say as soon as the cursor is moved the problem disappears and the GPU is back to normal.

I've just been trying to remember to close the lid when I leave the laptop, but it is not a great situation..I will eventually do a complete clean install without restoring anything, maybe that fixes it, but annoying bug nonetheless. Let me know if anything worked for you since please.

Did you ever find the cause?

 

[Ragner]

Hi, having the same issue the CPU goes 80 degrees when idle, maybe something related to the docking station? I have wavelink with displayLink drv with 2 external 4k displays