Interestingly, I just had a crash one day after updating to Ventura 13.2.1. Hoping it's not the start of a trend.
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2020 iMac Constant Kernel Panic Crashes whenever using 2nd Monitor
- Thread starter oncilla
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Any updates on this? I'm still on Monterey, but was thinking of updating to Ventura soon. Maybe not...
To date it was just that one time, immediately after the 13.2.1 update. I shut down and unplugged everything, reset the SMC, and so far it hasn't happened again.
I can't believe it -- it just crashed again today. This is just heartbreaking. I'm just about at my wit's end with this computer.
Sorry to hear that. Maybe I'll hold off on Ventura a bit longer. This whole thing has really felt like a driver issue from the beginning, and it is beyond maddening that Apple hasn't corrected it.
Has someone with this problem tried to replicate the crashes when using windows via bootcamp using the newest AMD drivers? If it doesn't under windows it should be a software/driver problem of MacOS and not a hardware problem. At the moment I am not able to install windows via bootcamp, but would be interesting if someone tried this.
I think the closest thing to a solution is using some sort of docking station between the iMac and the second monitor. I've been running mine with the Dell D6000 docking station for close to a year now without a single crash.
@128kb mentioned that upgrading to Ventura had potentially caused the issue to resume, so I held off on that for a long time but did upgrade last week, and so far so good. Other's have mentioned that plugging an external drive into the docking station along with the 2nd monitor seems to cause the issue to resume, so I've been using the station purely for the monitor this whole time. Feels like a waste, but a lot less of a waste than the malfunctioning system was prior to this.
@v8raun I'd also be interested to hear if anyone has tried this. I haven't and simply don't have the time, but it would be nice to know whether it was a driver problem all along or not.
My iMac still crashes reliably about once a week using the Dell D6000 dock, and I had my first crash under Sonoma this morning. It seems like it's gotten worse over time, which could be related to updates to the dock's DisplayLink drivers.
I need a computer with multi-monitor support, and this iMac simply does not work in that capacity -- I've resigned myself to getting rid of it and replacing it. It's still covered by AppleCare+ but from some of the other posts in this forum, that sounds like pursuing a claim will only result in more aggravation and lost time, not in a solution.
I recently switched from a 2015 iMac to a 2020 iMac (base Model), maybe been about 6 months. I got this as an even trade with my 2015 iMac plus a Macbook, so it really cost me next to nothing to get. I added 32gb of OWC RAM.
I did extend the AppleCare+ when it expired in September for $59 bucks. I've had some Kernel panics with GPU not found and "userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from WindowServer".
I was thinking of bringing to the Apple Store, but are you saying this is NOT a failing logic board? This is a driver issue? Should I dump this machine and move to a 2019 iMac instead, are those more reliable? I really just took this one because my 2015 had the pink hue issue and of course was stuck on Monterey. I'm now on Sonoma with this and it runs fantastic, other than very occasional crash. Last 2 have been while it was asleep.
I do run a Dell 43" 4k display as well as I have some external hard drives plugged in, that's it. do nothing special on this other than run Microsoft Office apps, Outlook, Teams, and Citrix to remote into a virtual machine all day, everyday.
I guess since I have the 43" display, I can just get a Mac mini?? I don't know, I still like having the retina 5k display by it's side, with built in speakers, camera etc.. I have a M1 MacBook Air, it runs great as well, but I don't want a laptop to run my main machine.
I did extend the AppleCare+ when it expired in September for $59 bucks. I've had some Kernel panics with GPU not found and "userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from WindowServer".
I was thinking of bringing to the Apple Store, but are you saying this is NOT a failing logic board? This is a driver issue? Should I dump this machine and move to a 2019 iMac instead, are those more reliable? I really just took this one because my 2015 had the pink hue issue and of course was stuck on Monterey. I'm now on Sonoma with this and it runs fantastic, other than very occasional crash. Last 2 have been while it was asleep.
I do run a Dell 43" 4k display as well as I have some external hard drives plugged in, that's it. do nothing special on this other than run Microsoft Office apps, Outlook, Teams, and Citrix to remote into a virtual machine all day, everyday.
I guess since I have the 43" display, I can just get a Mac mini?? I don't know, I still like having the retina 5k display by it's side, with built in speakers, camera etc.. I have a M1 MacBook Air, it runs great as well, but I don't want a laptop to run my main machine.
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My iMac was f**ky with an old HDMI monitor, an old DisplayPort monitor, but works fine with an LG UltraFine thunderbolt USB-C monitor.
I have the same issue with my iMac 2020. It run just fine for over 3 years, and all of a sudden the same setup caused my computer to crash. The only way to stop it from crashing is to disconnect the external monitor. First I thoguht it might be my almost 20-year old Apple Cinema display, so I bought a new BenQ monitor at a certified Apple store, connected it with a new HDMI cable from the same store, and exactly the same problem happens. I hear that many users have solved the issue using the Dell D6000 dock. Could you please confirm if the issue has permanantly solved by this?
Yes, the Dell D6000 dock has completely solved the problem for me. I've been using it for about a year and a half now without a single crash.
A few people have warned that using the dock for anything but the external monitor can start the crashes up again, so I've avoided plugging anything else into it, which is frustrating when I need additional ports. But I spent enough time on the issue and don't want to go back down that road.
Check eBay. I found my D6000 (in like-new condition) for a lot cheaper than a brand-new one.
A few people have warned that using the dock for anything but the external monitor can start the crashes up again, so I've avoided plugging anything else into it, which is frustrating when I need additional ports. But I spent enough time on the issue and don't want to go back down that road.
Check eBay. I found my D6000 (in like-new condition) for a lot cheaper than a brand-new one.
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond Geology. Interesting (and disappointing) that you shouldn't plug in anything else to the dock, I was already looking forward to having a decent hub. But like you, I already spent too much time and money on this to risk more crashes.
Just ordered a reconditioned one and can't wait to get it delivered!
Reporting back after a few days of working with the Dell Dock D6000: it works perfectly, both with the new screen though normal HDMI cable, and also with my old Cinema Display, connecting it to the Dock via a DVI to HDMI adaptor. The brightness seems a little low (on maximum setting), but the quality and resolution of the image is still much better than the new BenQ screen that I bought, so I will return it and keep using the Cinema Display until it gives up on me.
I didn't have a single shutdown since connecting the dock. I purchased a refurbished one for 130€ and an adaptor for around 10€.
I didn't have a single shutdown since connecting the dock. I purchased a refurbished one for 130€ and an adaptor for around 10€.
I just registered to share my experiences with the Dell D6000, and to warn other people about some limitations.
First of all: Yes, it is a solution for having a second screen on a 2020 iMac with 5500 GPU. My machine now runs for a couple of days without a single crash. And I don't expect it to crash again, considering the way how the D6000 actually works.
As always in life, everything comes at a cost:
First of all: Yes, it is a solution for having a second screen on a 2020 iMac with 5500 GPU. My machine now runs for a couple of days without a single crash. And I don't expect it to crash again, considering the way how the D6000 actually works.
As always in life, everything comes at a cost:
- The Adapter needs a Software to run in the Background.
- The Software needs permission to record the screen, just like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
- So, when the software is running, there is a permanent badge in the menu bar showing that the screen is currently recorded by "Displaylink Manager".
- When playing a YouTube video on the second screen, the Displaylink-Process draws a constant 20~30% CPU load.
- Because of the Screen Capturing, DRM protected videos are blacked out, even on the main screen. So no Netflix, Amazon Prime Video etc.
Recently, more or less "just for fun", I looked into this problem again. I also have an iMac 27" 2020 with i7 and Radeon 5500 XT running the latest version of Monterey. In my setup, the "green screen issue" was provoked most reliably by starting Parallels (version 17) with a Windows 10 VM while an external monitor was connected directly to the iMac. There were other crashes as well but they didn't happen that frequently without using Parallels, but always only when the external monitor was connected. Using Parallels, the iMac crashed almost immediately after I logged in to my Windows 10 VM, without even starting an app, so it was unusable with a external monitor connected.
This also happened again recently, when I tried to use my VM with a external monitor connected. Actually, I wanted to update my VM to Windows 11 and I wanted to see if it makes a difference with the crashes.
And for now I have to say, that there are no more crashes after updating my VM to Windows 11. Also, there were no crashes since then in other situations without using Parallels. I will keep you updated on this and I hope for the best.
Did anyone with a iMac 2020 with a Radeon 5500 XT tried to use Bootcamp Windows with a external monitor?
Would be interesting to see if there are also crashes with Windows using the Bootcamp drivers from AMD or an alternative like that from Bootcampdrivers.com.
Otherwise, I am using also the Dell D6000 which also solved the problem for me, no crashes at all, but also with the restrictions mentioned before.
All in all, very frustrating situation.
This also happened again recently, when I tried to use my VM with a external monitor connected. Actually, I wanted to update my VM to Windows 11 and I wanted to see if it makes a difference with the crashes.
And for now I have to say, that there are no more crashes after updating my VM to Windows 11. Also, there were no crashes since then in other situations without using Parallels. I will keep you updated on this and I hope for the best.
Did anyone with a iMac 2020 with a Radeon 5500 XT tried to use Bootcamp Windows with a external monitor?
Would be interesting to see if there are also crashes with Windows using the Bootcamp drivers from AMD or an alternative like that from Bootcampdrivers.com.
Otherwise, I am using also the Dell D6000 which also solved the problem for me, no crashes at all, but also with the restrictions mentioned before.
All in all, very frustrating situation.
Potential solution found. I have a 2020 iMac (i9 processor, 128GB ram, x5700 graphics) and am using two external monitors each running 2560x1440 resolution. I have been having the crashes three to four times a day, often when a video was playing. I noticed that the crashes were most likely to occur follwing times when the system fan had come on then went back off. Thinking it may be heat related, I took the RAM cover off the back to help with cooling. It has been about a week now, and not only have I not had any crashes but I have yet to hear the cooling fan come on.
Two weeks later with daily usage and not a single crash. Leaving the RAM cover off solved my crashing issue. I hope it works for others as well.
It helps with cooling something, whether it is the RAM or something else by improving airflow I can't be sure. But the fans run far, far less than before.