Intel Macs on macOS Sequoia - Graphics Glitching and Bugs

[Lk52461]

Hey everyone,

Just throwing this out there—I'm curious about how Intel Macs are performing on macOS Sequoia. I haven’t seen if there’s already a thread on this, so I thought I’d ask here.

I’ve been running into some red glitches in apps and around the OS, especially with AMD graphics. I know there’s a known bug with this on macOS Sonoma. For reference, I’m using a MacBook Pro 16 (2019) with a 2.4 GHz Intel chip and an AMD 5500 with 4GB of VRAM.

 

[ufukty]

I've started experiencing red glitches in 14.5. Issue occurs as red rectangles covering the space of UI components momentarily switching to a tab for the first time after opening a link in background.

I also have a 14.2 booted from external SSD doesn't show same issues. I also have an Intel mac with amd gpu. Although the issue occurs on both integrated/discrete gpu.

There is also a video-brightness issue, in 14.5 (but not 14.2). Which observed as display getting brighter at the top or bottom part, for an instinct moment (<1s). Happens very frequently. This issue occurs on Safari (YouTube, DailyMotion etc.) and Apple Tv app. Doesn't occur when laptop is plugged in. The issue stops repeating while screen is recorded or shared.

 

[flowrider]

No issues here - I'm on a NcMP 16 core 7,1 NcMP with a Gigabyte RX6800XT GPU.

Lou

 

[avro707]

Only have kernel panics with dual W6800X Duo setup (28 core 2.5ghz).

Cards work fine in 14.5.

I reported it to Apple. No word on if it’s fixed yet.

 

[Lk52461]

I've installed on my system to macOS Sequoia today, installing Beta 5 after Beta 4. So far, I haven't encountered the issue, but we'll know more soon. I'll continue to press Apple to resolve the red glitching bug with AMD graphics before the final release.

 

[Lk52461]

I tested Sequoia on my 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019 with Intel CPU and AMD graphics and encountered the same issue as with macOS Sonoma. Given that we're nearing the end of the Sonoma release cycle and Sequoia is set to launch in the next month or two, it's concerning that this bug persists.

 

[fiftofar]

2019 iMac 27” 9900K 580X - no graphic issues with any Sequoia build for me so far, also had no problems with Sonoma.

Have been playing a fair bit of StarCraft 2 lately, no graphical issues, occasional game crash but I have had the same crashes on an m2 mini.

*edit* Just to be clear, I have had no issues in Safari, widgets, video playback (AppleTV, YouTube, Twitch), or any other use.

 

[Lk52461]

The problem appears to be specific to the Safari browser and desktop widgets. There are no issues observed during gaming.

 

[Lk52461]

This is video of the behaviour this happening with me

 

[ufukty]

This is video of the behaviour this happening with me


View attachment 2405738

I’ve noticed in your case the issue occurs in higher frequency than mine. I only face with red fill in UI components with once or first couple of 3 to 8 tabs.i

 

[Lk52461]

t seems unusual, but I am reluctant to attribute this to a hardware issue. After downgrading to macOS Ventura and running it for two weeks, I have not encountered a single issue.

 

[galad]

It's probably an AMD driver issue or an windows server issue that happens only on dedicated GPU (which can only be AMD). I saw it on Ventura and Sonoma, some days it happens a lot, some days it never happens.
Anyway, everything related to Intel and AMD is a low priority now, so I won't expect any fix.

 

[Lk52461]

Which sections of the OS did you observe the issue occurring on Ventura, Sonoma, or any third-party applications like Final Cut? I understand this may be a lower priority, but if these models are being certified for Sonoma and Sequoia, it's crucial to address bugs like this to ensure a smooth user experience. I recognize the focus on Apple Silicon, but I'll continue to push for a resolution.

 

[ufukty]

t seems unusual, but I am reluctant to attribute this to a hardware issue. After downgrading to macOS Ventura and running it for two weeks, I have not encountered a single issue.

I don't think that's a hardware issue too. I've checked it again. The problem doesn't repeat on websites when I visit them for the second time in same Safari session. So, it might be as frequent as yours for me.

Apple should fix this issue regardless of the product is being 5 years old, if they want to be perceived as higher quality than cheaper competitors and justify the cost. It is not even too difficult for them. Just rollback to previous version drivers in next version of MacOs if there is no budget for further development.

 

[Lk52461]

Ive been playing games like Tomb Raider on macOS for hours with graphics set to high, and there are no issues or artifacts during gaming. So, I don't see how it could be a hardware problem—more likely a delayed driver issue. You're right; it should be simple for them to roll back the driver to an older version with minimal hassle. When this machine first came out with Catalina, everything was running smoothly without these weird software issues.

 

[Lk52461]

Just got off a call with Apple again. They acknowledged the issue and found it in the logs I provided. However, it won’t be fixed in the next point release of Sonoma, as it's a bigger bug. The engineering team is aiming to have it resolved in the final release of Sequoia, so I’ll sit back and patiently wait to see if they address the problem! 🤞

 

[Miles Fu]

my 2019 16" MBP with 14.6.1 does not have this issue.

Not sure if a clean installation will resolve your issue.

 

[Lk52461]

I obtained a 2018 MacBook Pro with a Radeon 555X and was able to replicate the same issue as on my 16-inch model. To reproduce the issue, disable automatic graphics switching in the Battery settings, then open Safari, go fullscreen, and open multiple tabs. As you switch between tabs, you'll notice a brief red flash on the screen within the tab window for 1-2 seconds during navigation.

 

[Lk52461]

my 2019 16" MBP with 14.6.1 does not have this issue.

Not sure if a clean installation will resolve your issue.

I can guarantee this issue will occur if you follow these steps under the right conditions. You should be able to replicate it fairly consistently. It seems to be a longstanding bug that only appeared after upgrading to the Sonoma release.

 

[Luckygreek]

This is video of the behaviour this happening with me


View attachment 2405738

I've had that random red but only in the menu bar, open any window and it's gone. I've tried to screenshot it, but anything I do it disappears. It started in Sonoma. I don't believe it's a hardware issue at least in my case as I can't replicate it and it's only happened maybe 6 or 7 times and not in Sequoia.
1 kernel panic with Affinity Photo2.

2019 19,1 iMac, 64 GB of RAM, Radeon Pro 575X 4 GB, on an external 1TB Thunderbolt Drive, build 24A5320a,
Intel Macs as far as I know can't update to 15.1 yet.

 

[ufukty]

I've had that random red but only in the menu bar, open any window and it's gone. I've tried to screenshot it, but anything I do it disappears. It started in Sonoma. I don't believe it's a hardware issue at least in my case as I can't replicate it and it's only happened maybe 6 or 7 times and not in Sequoia.
1 kernel panic with Affinity Photo2.

2019 19,1 iMac, 64 GB of RAM, Radeon Pro 575X 4 GB, on an external 1TB Thunderbolt Drive, build 24A5320a,
Intel Macs as far as I know can't update to 15.1 yet.

Menu bar thing happens to me when I open Sketch. Which triggers the OS to switch to discrete GPU.

 

[Luckygreek]

I

Menu bar thing happens to me when I open Sketch. Which triggers the OS to switch to discrete GPU.

I just opened it with no red anything, what mac are you on?
Im tried to reproduce red bar with Sketch with a large file and nothing. It's taking around 800MB RAM and roughly 4-8% CPU.

 

[ufukty]

Menu bar issue doesn't occur as frequent as the Safari issue. I'm not sure if it is related with file size.
My specs 16GB i9 2019 15"
The frequency was definitely higher in Sketch v70.6 and macOS 14.2. In version 100 and 14.5 it occurs very rarely.

 

[Luckygreek]

Menu bar issue doesn't occur as frequent as the Safari issue. I'm not sure if it is related with file size.
My specs 16GB i9 2019 15"
The frequency was definitely higher in Sketch v70.6 and macOS 14.2. In version 100 and 14.5 it occurs very rarely.

It's got to be a software issue related to the OS and possibly AMD drivers and as far as I can see only affects Intel Macs, if it was a hardware issue seems we could replicate it, it kinda is a hardware issue because it affects Intel Macs and my red menu bar was associated with Safari Technology. I've beaten Sketch v.100.3 to the bone trying to get a "red bar", unsuccessfully, and agree it's not related to File size. Safari appears as the one common thread with most users.

I agree with "galad" and "Lk52461" that it's more than likely associated with AMD drivers/Safari/Sketch v70.6.

It is/was pretty freaky like wtf was that the 1st time it happened.

The other strange thing is I get these CPU spikes related to WindowServer, PeopleWidget, and Top, relaunching Finder has no effect.



Footnote;
I've got a 2015 17.1 with an AMD Radeon R9 M380 2GB unsupported iMac running Sonoma and it's never produced a "red" anything under any previous OS as far back as Big Sur and it was my daily driver for a couple of years.

 

[Lk52461]

Definitely poorly written and unoptimized AMD drivers for Intel Macs. I've got a case open with Apple, and they confirmed the bug. They're hoping to address it in the Sequoia release, so keep an eye on the Sequoia beta release notes we might see something there. 🤞💻