macOS Monterey on M1 iMac 24" is a choppy, stuttery mess

[no0nefamous]

Although I've been an iPhone user for years, I have stuck with Windows my whole life for desktops/laptops, but finally made the plunge to try out Mac last month by getting a new M1 iMac with 16GB RAM.

Though this thing is technically 3-4 times faster than my Dell Windows laptop from 2016, it feels slower and cheaper, and this is almost entirely because most of the user interface animations and much of the scrolling is extremely choppy. For example, the animation for opening a folder looks like its about about 5 frames per second. The minimize/maximize animations are also choppy. Scrolling is often stuttery.

Meanwhile, if you try out even the budget Windows machines on display at Best Buy, they feel fast and smooth because all of the Windows 11 animations are super fast and fluid. My Dell laptop is the same.

I've already attempted a fresh re-install and run a diagnostic on the iMac. I've also compared it to store models. It doesn't seem to be anything wrong in particular with mine.

So my question is, is there any sort of fix for this? For instance, not sure if this is still a thing but in Android you used to be able to increase the speed of animations in some of the "hidden" settings which would make things look smoother and increased the perceived speed.

It makes me regret buying the machine because it's so jarring to go from my 6 year old Windows laptop or especially my iPhone 13 Pro to how choppy macOS is on the iMac.

 

[FSMBP]

I know you said you did a fresh install, but did you actually erase your iMac (all contents & settings) and then do the install?

Also, are just the animations choppy or is the computer actually slow (launching apps)?

 

[CooperBox]

Sorry I can't suggest what the problem may be, it doesn't sound normal to me and hopefully those with a similar model may be able to help.
What I can say is this; when it was announced last year I was very interested to see how it performed, certainly not to purchase one (as I leave any newly-launched Apple hardware for the early 'beta' adopters) and eventually ride on the back of a newish model once reliability has been firmly established - which so far to date the 24" M1 iMac seems to be.

What I did last year was spend a fair amount of time in several Apple stores comparing side-by-side the smaller M1 iMac with the latest 2020 27" (well-proven) Intel model. These models were literally placed alongside each other which made reviewing and comparisons easy.
Sure, the almost immediate start-up time of the M1 model was impressive, but apart from that, in general use I was more than impressed with the performance of the 2020 27", especially now that the dreadful fusion drive had been replaced with an SSD.
Other plus points for the 27" during my trials; better sound and far better connectivity even compared with the 'higher-end' config M1. As for connectivity on the base M1 model, it's shameful imho! I honestly found that apps opened equally as quick on both M1 and Intel models. The Intel model is also far 'cleaner' without that ugly, large external power brick. Those issues already put the Intel model ahead for my personal needs (the experience of other users will obviously vary), but the final kick-in-the-teeth for the M1 was the non upgradeable Ram - maxed at 16GB! With the 2020 27" model, memory is easily replaceable up to a whopping 128GB with off-the-shelf RAM sticks.
Having said that, there was no way I was prepared to pay over 2200euros (US$2400) for the 2020 27" base model. Taking my time I looked around, and end of last year found an intermediate 3,3GHz 512Gb SSD model for 1700euros (US$1860). And what a marvellous machine it turns out to be, and that Retina 5K 27inch screen - just gorgeous! I love it.

I also can't help wondering why nationally I'm seeing more ads for used M1 iMac's compared to the 2020 Intel 27" model, given that the former has been in the marketplace for far less time than the latter. Is it that it didn't reach users expectations.......?

 

[no0nefamous]

I know you said you did a fresh install, but did you actually erase your iMac (all contents & settings) and then do the install?

Also, are just the animations choppy or is the computer actually slow (launching apps)?

I actually can't remember if I erased everything or just did a re-install, but I'm gonna try that now just in case.

Overall launching apps seems normal speed. My overall impression is that it just isn't optimized enough to look smooth and zippy.

 

[no0nefamous]

Sorry I can't suggest what the problem may be, it doesn't sound normal to me and hopefully those with a similar model may be able to help.
What I can say is this; when it was announced last year I was very interested to see how it performed, certainly not to purchase one (as I leave any newly-launched Apple hardware for the early 'beta' adopters) and eventually ride on the back of a newish model once reliability has been firmly established - which so far to date the 24" M1 iMac seems to be.

What I did last year was spend a fair amount of time in several Apple stores comparing side-by-side the smaller M1 iMac with the latest 2020 27" (well-proven) Intel model. These models were literally placed alongside each other which made reviewing and comparisons easy.
Sure, the almost immediate start-up time of the M1 model was impressive, but apart from that, in general use I was more than impressed with the performance of the 2020 27", especially now that the dreadful fusion drive had been replaced with an SSD.
Other plus points for the 27" during my trials; better sound and far better connectivity even compared with the 'higher-end' config M1. As for connectivity on the base M1 model, it's shameful imho! I honestly found that apps opened equally as quick on both M1 and Intel models. The Intel model is also far 'cleaner' without that ugly, large external power brick. Those issues already put the Intel model ahead for my personal needs (the experience of other users will obviously vary), but the final kick-in-the-teeth for the M1 was the non upgradeable Ram - maxed at 16GB! With the 2020 27" model, memory is easily replaceable up to a whopping 128GB with off-the-shelf RAM sticks.
Having said that, there was no way I was prepared to pay over 2200euros (US$2400) for the 2020 27" base model. Taking my time I looked around, and end of last year found an intermediate 3,3GHz 512Gb SSD model for 1700euros (US$1860). And what a marvellous machine it turns out to be, and that Retina 5K 27inch screen - just gorgeous! I love it.

I also can't help wondering why nationally I'm seeing more ads for used M1 iMac's compared to the 2020 Intel 27" model, given that the former has been in the marketplace for far less time than the latter. Is it that it didn't reach users expectations.......?

While the completely flat look of the new iMac's is nice, I hate the weird white bezel, the lack of the Apple logo on the front bottom bezel, and clearly some compromises were made for the sound quality.

There's clearly some learning and test and adjust still going on with the Apple silicone and how it interacts with macOS.

 

[strayts]

You need to do a true fresh install.

 

[no0nefamous]

You need to do a true fresh install.

Trying to do it, but Apple is not very clear on how to get a true fresh install.

Is it as simple as entering recovery, erasing the disk, and then clicking "Install macOS Monterey?" Does that download the newest version from the internet?

Googling this is difficult since the process has apparently changed quite a bit and is different for Intel vs Apple silicone.

 

[Realityck]

Trying to do it, but Apple is not very clear on how to get a true fresh install.

Is it as simple as entering recovery, erasing the disk, and then clicking "Install macOS Monterey?" Does that download the newest version from the internet?

Googling this is difficult since the process has apparently changed quite a bit and is different for Intel vs Apple silicone.

You don't want to erase any SSD inside a M1 24" Mac. If you do you won't be able to reinstall the OS, instead you'll be going to the apple store for them running a DFU restore. Yes you enter into recovery, then options, then reinstall the Mac OS.

Apple silicon​

Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window. Click the gear icon labeled Options, then click Continue.

Reinstall macOS​

Reinstalling macOS does not remove data from your Mac. To begin installation, select Reinstall macOS from the utilities window in macOS Recovery, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.

Follow these guidelines during installation:

• If the installer asks to unlock your disk, enter the password you use to log in to your Mac.
• If the installer doesn't see your disk, or it says that it can't install on your computer or volume, you might need to erase your disk first.
• If the installer offers you the choice between installing on Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD - Data, choose Macintosh HD.
• Allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. Your Mac might restart and show a progress bar several times, and the screen might be empty for minutes at a time.

 

[no0nefamous]

That's a re-install though, not a clean install.

You CAN erase the drive in Disk Utilities in Recovery mode. It them prompts you to do a fresh install of macOS Monterey. I'm just not sure if this is the same as downloading the install tool to a bootable USB Drive or if it uses a different method.

 

[Realityck]

That's a re-install though, not a clean install.

You CAN erase the drive in Disk Utilities in Recovery mode. It them prompts you to do a fresh install of macOS Monterey. I'm just not sure if this is the same as downloading the install tool to a bootable USB Drive or if it uses a different method.

If you erase the hard disk in Disk Utilities, then you find you cannot reinstall MacOS at all. Why because the admin authentication is blanked when you do that. One of the things required to reinstall the Mac OS is admin passwords.

If you want a clean install you need a another M1 Mac connected to your 24" iMac doing a DFU restore, which will reset the M1 system FW and install latest MacOS installer with erasing everything. Go to the Apple Store if you want this done.

You are no longer using a Intel Mac you cannot erase the SSD and install clean Mac OS install on a M1 Mac.

 

[no0nefamous]

If you erase the hard disk in Disk Utilities, then you find you cannot reinstall MacOS at all. Why because the admin authentication is blanked when you do that. One of the things required to reinstall the Mac OS is admin passwords.

If you want a clean install you need a another M1 Mac connected to your 24" iMac doing a DFU restore, which will reset the M1 system FW and install latest MacOS installer with erasing everything. Go to the Apple Store if you want this done.

You are no longer using a Intel Mac you cannot erase the SSD and install clean Mac OS install.

I literally just did it though and successfully re-installed macOS Monterey. Your information might be outdated.

 

[Realityck]

Well they might have fixed this limitation with 12.2 or 12.3, but previously it bonked your Mac. It happened to me with a 24" iMac. No fun.

 

[Realityck]

Here's the latest steps

Use Disk Utility to erase a Mac with Apple silicon - Apple Support

How to erase (format) the built-in startup disk of a Mac with Apple silicon.

support.apple.com

 

[Ruggy]

I haven't noticed this myself, but I've found a list of commands for animations that may be useful to you.
Haven't tried any o them.

How to turn off all animations on OS X

Is it possible to turn off all animations on OS X?

apple.stackexchange.com

You'll see there are settings there for changing the default times.
Doesn't sound right though, stuttering.

 

[no0nefamous]

^ Thanks!! I will try those later.

Edit: though they appear to be from 10 years ago. Not sure if they still work?

After a successful erase and fresh install it does seem a bit smoother, but I'll need a little more time to know for sure. I really just wish there was a command to speed up the animations so I don't see the individual frames.

 

[no0nefamous]

Well, there's nothing wrong with my iMac. And here's the thing - I don't want to turn off the animations. I just want them to not be choppy looking. It feels like I'm using a budget computer when the UI animations are at low framerates. I'm surprised I'm the first one to complain about this.

There's gotta be a fix, right? This is seriously enough to make me sell the damn thing, considering I could have built a decent gaming PC for this price.

 

[no0nefamous]

I tried my friend's 2015 iMac running Monterey and it was much smoother. So either this is an M1 issue or an issue with the newer iMac models.

 

[steveog1002]

i have a brand new M1 Mac mini with 16 gig or ram the facetime is very choppy. i have a 2012 mac mini with i believe Catalina and the video is perfectly smooth. no choppy and no lags

 

[taranbeer]

I am having the same choppy and stuttering UI and more so the scrolling is a mess on my Macbook Air M1. Even tried the Macbook Air M1 at the apple store and they have similar micro stutters when scrolling.

 

[squareeyes]

Same. Been waiting patiently for a year on my M1 2020 MBP. Super disappointed. My previous 2015 Intel MBP had smoother scrolling. Also, Displaylink external monitors are even worse.

The micro jittering seems quite prominent momentum scrolling up and down on Facebook Marketplace. Tried multiple browsers so it's not that.

 

[squareeyes]

I restored my old MBP from backup when I got this thing. It's been over a year and no updates have improved it. Can anyone say a factory reset actually helps? It's a big deal and a bit of a risk. I'm not all that keen on resetting on a whim.

 

[taranbeer]

I restored my old MBP from backup when I got this thing. It's been over a year and no updates have improved it. Can anyone say a factory reset actually helps? It's a big deal and a bit of a risk. I'm not all that keen on resetting on a whim.

I have done almost everything even fresh install of MacOS and even tried MacOS Ventura and it is still there. Seriously my 2011 Macbook Pro 15 scrolls buttery smooth and this micro stutters like crazy.

 

[severi]

I have the same issue with my M1 Air. It honestly makes me so angry. It's a thousand dollar Apple laptop but still feels slower than the cheapest chromebook. Horrendous experience. Tried everything from clean installing Big Sur as well as clean installing Monterey. The only thing that seems to temporarily fix the issue sometimes is restarting.

I don't know why Apple hasn't fixed this yet. There were people complaining about it 1 year ago.

 

[no0nefamous]

I restored my old MBP from backup when I got this thing. It's been over a year and no updates have improved it. Can anyone say a factory reset actually helps? It's a big deal and a bit of a risk. I'm not all that keen on resetting on a whim.

I did a factory reset on the m1 iMac and it did not help. If a fix doesn't happen soon I'm gonna sell the thing. To think I could have built a decent gaming rig for this price when it works worse than a budget Windows laptop.