Slow Performance and poor responsiveness in X12


justinorwig
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There is a way to set it so that chief uses the proper gpu and not switch back and forth if on battery power.  Cant remember exactly but I did this with mine.  Sorry not with my laptop at the moment to open it up and try.  I don't do much traveling right now with covid and all.  But if I remember right you go to finder right click the app, get info and it is in there.  I also think there was two ways to switch the graphics card and one was with the power as well which overrides the other option if you are on battery power...  (fuzzy memory about it all when setting it up.)  If I remember right @johnny had this same issue when setting his up and figured it out in a thread.

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Did you check task manager and CPU/memory/etc. usage? I had "System Interrupts" at over 35% the other day with a crazy slow down. Not sure how I fixed it other than deleting a bunch of old files, including a few that DropBox was choking on, and loading new video drivers. 

 

I learned that system interrupts point to hardware conflicts but again may not help much.

 

slowdown 2.jpg

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HI everyone and thanks!

 

I have checked the preferences.  I have not been able to find a second place to dictate a particular programs use of graphics card but the main switch it set to always use full graphics even on battery

 

Regarding the textures: I have downloaded the Wood Mode cabinetry catalog from CA and one of the missing textures is a wood laminate from wood mode. I have used it a lot as a textured finish that resembles wire brushed oak pretty well which most of our projects have here or there.  Could this texture from that catalog have a glitch?  Again tech support didn't have any trouble with that.

 

As for task load: I basically always am using 6-10 of my 16gb ram even when I'm not running anything.  CPU is always very low 2-20% usage.  I've cleared all caches, don't go to crummy websites, and basically don't have anything else loaded besides apple software besides chief and clean my Mac.  Also Quickbooks and epson wifi printer drivers. Literally nothing else.  I deleted chrome because I don't want my whole to be tracked (or at least not as much).  I also deleted dropbox because it seemed to slow things down and they  too wanted to have an open window into my computers soul.  Not sure how to eliminate some of these processes.  Many of them are "root" and not my user name

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Given the fact that others who have downloaded the plan and CA support cannot replicate the issue is a strong indicator that the issue is related to your system. You now need to try and identify the root cause. Typically there are 3 hardware reasons for this type of behavior, your system is not using the dedicated graphics card, the graphics card memory is being exceeded or a driver needs to be updated.

 

1.) Not using the dedicated graphics card.

This needs to be confirmed first. Do not rely on what CA shows in Preferences, this only shows the graphics card that CA sees at the time CA is opened. CA does not control the graphics card, this is determined by your operating system and the graphics card software. I'm not familiar with Macs but on Window PC's there are two separate places with settings that control the  graphics card use/assignment. Within the Windows operating system there is the power plan settings, these must be set to maximum performance, then within the graphics software settings there is also a performance setting that also needs to be set to maximum, best to reboot after this is done. Not sure on a Mac but in Windows the best way to check is to open up the Task Manger and watch under the GPU column which GPU is being used while you are working with your program(s), the onboard graphics is identified as GPU(0) and the dedicated graphics will be GPU(1). If GPU(0) starts popping up then the dedicated graphics card is not being used or only used some of the time, you only want to see GPU(1) no matter what you do.

 

2.) Graphics memory is being exceeded.

Your graphics card has 4gb of dedicated memory. In most cases this should be fine however running multiple high resolution monitors, having many active CA windows and using the PBR camera can result in exceeding the graphics card memory. When this happens the system will start swapping with any available system ram, if this is insufficient then it will start swapping to the disk. This swapping, especially with a disk will result in a noticeable slowdown. If you have the ability to monitor ram usage, both system and GPU you can see if this is happening. If it is then the only way to resolve it is to get a graphics card with more dedicated memory or make sure not to have so many active windows.

 

3.) Drives

Make sure your graphics drivers are up-to-date. Even if they are there are times when a driver might become corrupt or there could be a conflict with some other driver that was recently updated. Other suspect drivers might be the ones related to your mouse. Even if these seem ok you can always reinstall them just to make sure. Keep in mind that the newest driver is not always the best driver, there are many times when updated drivers only contain additional driver information for new/other models of graphic cards and there is nothing in them that affects your model of graphic card.

 

See if any of these suggestions help to identify the issue.

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On 8/5/2020 at 3:08 PM, justinorwig said:

Thanks renerabbitt.  Layers didn't make any change.  Drag and drop in plan view is okay.

 

I'm using a 50" Vizio 505 led tvwith "120hz" refresh rate run via thunderbolt.  It "might" be a little better run off of laptop alone.  Still seems to be intermittent. I use Magic Mouse which has always been great for CA.  I have a LG 32" computer monitor that was about the same.  


Do I need to wipe my hard drive and reinstall the whole computer and X12?

 

My bet is that you're pushing nearly 5k (retina) to those monitors - which is going to require a better graphics card or external booster you can get for the Mac.  I found that even on my laptop I got far better performance in 3D views with more like a 2-3k resolution.

 

Its presented in the Mac OS under scaling.

 

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You can test your video card using Geek Bench.

This software will test your video card performance and you can compare it to other computers.

The download is free.

 

Also, open Activity Monitor and watch it as you use CA.  Activity Monitor does not show video performance.

Activity Monitor is part of the Mac OS under Utilities.

 

 

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@justinorwig

I used to use laptops (not Mac though) and had the same issue all the time. It was really bad on my laptop with a Radeon graphics card. I made sure the next laptop had an Nvidia card and it was much better but still not good enough on larger files. I tried to justify the laptop to myself and finally had enough. I got a decent gaming PC with the best Nvidia graphics card that was available locally and I've never had an issue again. FWIW.

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Thanks everyone!

 

I wiped my whole computer and reloaded OS.  Then reloaded X12.  No improvement.

 

I tried to reduce resolution Johnny.  All I can see if scale.  I need to make things smaller on the huge screen to utilize the extra space it gives, but is that what puts a higher load on graphics?  I don't see a way to reduce output and still get more stuff on the screen (and icons and text not be gigantic)

 

Wondering if this computer just can't handle it?  Lots of you seem to use desktops

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42 minutes ago, justinorwig said:

Thanks everyone!

 

I wiped my whole computer and reloaded OS.  Then reloaded X12.  No improvement.

 

I tried to reduce resolution Johnny.  All I can see if scale.  I need to make things smaller on the huge screen to utilize the extra space it gives, but is that what puts a higher load on graphics?  I don't see a way to reduce output and still get more stuff on the screen (and icons and text not be gigantic)

 

Wondering if this computer just can't handle it?  Lots of you seem to use desktops

Doubt it, I had no problem opening your .plan on my integrated graphics ..still points to graphics driver IMO..still havent seen any confirmation of you wiping all trace of the existing driver and installing a new driver.

Please do at your own risk and make sure personal data is backed up as well as anything else that can be backed up. I'm only mildly familiar with Mac OS backups

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Here's a screen recording from my 2019 MacBook Pro.

You'll see there is no hesitation,  when it stops, it's because I was using the laptop touch pad.

  Processor Name: 8-Core Intel Core i9

  Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz

  Total Number of Cores: 8

  Memory: 32 GB

  Video card AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, VRAM (Total): 8 GB

 

Screen Recording

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Hi everyone. Thanks again so much for all the input. I’ve learned a lot!  So far I’m wondering if running the 50” 4K tv is just too much for this graphics card. I tried this a while back With poor results but now Again plugged into my 32” lg monitor and it seems to not experience the lag when running that monitor alone. Also tried on my wife’s  2020 Mackbook with the the same specs as mine and it did a little better but struggled when plugged into the tv.  Funny on hers it did fine on tv until I filled the screen with CA or went full screen in CA. I guess this points to requiring too much graphics load to go out from my computer?

 

I’m a business guy and designer not a Tech geek so this has all been so irritating. But for real I think I owe you all lunch next time you’re in Austin!  
 

Electroment thanks I see you have 32gb and 8gb video. That’s probably what I need. 
 

renerabbit I tried to find a way to reinstall video drivers but Apple thinks it can handle that automatically during normal updates and diagnostics.  Not as a separate process at least that I can find. I did reset the ram at start up but not sure if that did the trick. 
 

I guess the moral of the story is get a way bigger graphics card next time...or soon :)

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1 hour ago, justinorwig said:

Hi everyone. Thanks again so much for all the input. I’ve learned a lot!  So far I’m wondering if running the 50” 4K tv is just too much for this graphics card. I tried this a while back With poor results but now Again plugged into my 32” lg monitor and it seems to not experience the lag when running that monitor alone. Also tried on my wife’s  2020 Mackbook with the the same specs as mine and it did a little better but struggled when plugged into the tv.  Funny on hers it did fine on tv until I filled the screen with CA or went full screen in CA. I guess this points to requiring too much graphics load to go out from my computer?

 

I’m a business guy and designer not a Tech geek so this has all been so irritating. But for real I think I owe you all lunch next time you’re in Austin!  
 

Electroment thanks I see you have 32gb and 8gb video. That’s probably what I need. 
 

renerabbit I tried to find a way to reinstall video drivers but Apple thinks it can handle that automatically during normal updates and diagnostics.  Not as a separate process at least that I can find. I did reset the ram at start up but not sure if that did the trick. 
 

I guess the moral of the story is get a way bigger graphics card next time...or soon :)

I would guess it's the huge TV running at 4K causing your delay.  The recorded screen I posted was the MacBook Pro 16" screen running at 3072 x 1920.  I didn't try a 4K TV.

 

I also have a Mac Pro (2013 Trash Can model purchased in 2017). It has dual - 3GB video cards.  I recently purchased two new monitors for it.  I decided on 27" BenQ PD2705Q, which are 2K - 2560x1440 and $399 each.  I researched 4K monitors and the text would have been too small for a 27" monitor.  That's why I purchased the 27" 2560x1440.  

I like using dual monitors.  I keep the plan on one and the library and 3D views on the other.  

 

I also run Windows on one, using Parallels, and the Mac OS on the other.  I do this while using QuckBooks in Windows and writing invoices on the Mac side using Numbers.

 

 

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Justin,

How are you connecting the Computer to the TV?

Thunderbolt 3 Adapter ?

HDMI cable ?  

Display Port cable ?

It may be possible that your connection/cable in not 4K capable.  Try to list the exact components.

I know on 4K TVs with a 4K source, the connections can cause trouble.

 

Wireless connections like Apple TV or Chromecast will always cause a delay.

 

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Greg this is great info.

 

I'm using thunderbolt 3 to with hdmi on the other end.  Not sure if its 4k rated but it was a better one from Office Depot or apple I think not an amazon deal

 

Sometimes I wonder if the Magic Mouse 2 and keyboard are slow to respond.  Normally its not an issue but as I type this my mouse keeps disconnecting and re connecting

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2 hours ago, justinorwig said:

 

Sometimes I wonder if the Magic Mouse 2 and keyboard are slow to respond.  Normally its not an issue but as I type this my mouse keeps disconnecting and re connecting

 

Have you tried a standard USB Mouse as a test?

 

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2 hours ago, justinorwig said:

Greg this is great info.

 

I'm using thunderbolt 3 to with hdmi on the other end.  Not sure if its 4k rated but it was a better one from Office Depot or apple I think not an amazon deal

 

Sometimes I wonder if the Magic Mouse 2 and keyboard are slow to respond.  Normally its not an issue but as I type this my mouse keeps disconnecting and re connecting

That action points to some disruption of signal which is also very sensitive to how your desk is setup.  


But that sparked a memory of something I read in an Apple forum where someone was having some issue.  I am remembering vaguely something about the 2019 having some difference with the usb c on one side versus the other.  Try something funny and see if you switch to ports on the other side of the unit if it makes a difference.  There was something about how some were receiving more power that the others...  can’t recall exactly but worth a shot.

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Well as of now I guess all of this has failed.  Still glitchy even on laptop screen only.  I suppose its time to send to the repair man and see if it's hardware.  if not machine might be too small? 

 

I think we have ruled out file defect as the others have loaded on their units and not found the issue. 


Tech support finally got back to me and said they tested my file on a similar MacBook and found it to run some what slow.  :(

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21 minutes ago, Electromen said:

That was my next suggestion.  I would call Apple and ask for technical support.  After troubleshooting by phone, they'll send you a box for shipping to their repair facility.

1-800-275-2273

Yeah if it is running slow on the laptop screen only something is up.  I have run models close to 200mb on that same laptop without much issue.

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Check a few things on your Mac.

1.  Free storage space. Apple symbol in upper left corner > About this Mac > Storage > how much free space do you have?

2.  If you need to free up storage, on the same screen > Manage

3.  From the Desktop Hit GO in the upper tool bar > Utilities > Disk Utility > Run First Aid on all the Drives listed on the left.

4.  Update the OS, this will also update all your drivers like the one for the video card. 

Apple symbol in upper left corner > About this Mac > Software Update > Check Automatically Update > Advanced > Check them all

5.  If there are updates, install them

6. Reboot > hit Commad + Tab to see if anything other than Finder is running,  If there is > Quit the App

7. Test CA

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