Messages Requires High Perf GPU

[hsouris]

Messages is listed in Activity Monitor as requiring the discrete graphics card, and indeed with gfxcardstatus I can confirm that whenever I open Messages it triggers the NVIDIA card.

Any idea why this is happening? I can't remember if I had this issue prior to Sierra.

 

[Daniel L]

Messages is listed in Activity Monitor as requiring the discrete graphics card, and indeed with gfxcardstatus I can confirm that whenever I open Messages it triggers the NVIDIA card.

Any idea why this is happening? I can't remember if I had this issue prior to Sierra.

I'm having the same issue on a 2012 rMBP. It's intermittent though but definitely caused by Messages. Choosing a chat box that doesn't have an image loaded, closing the app, and restarting it prevents the dGPU from being used until you open a message that has an image.

 

[X3n0n]

It's because of the new effects in iOS 10, macOS can receive them and show them.
It then kicks in the dedicated GPU.