M1 Max, Warcraft & 4k External monitor issue...

[SpitUK]

Hi guys,

I have a 16" M1 Max which runs Warcraft brilliantly at max detail and native res. When I dock my Mac in clamshell mode via display port to the 4k monitor my frame rates vary wildly from 25fps to 60fps, it's quite unplayable. Very stuttery and at random times as well.

I have tried running with no other programmes running including exiting the Warcraft launcher.
Tried lowering the detail level down from 10 to 8 and made no difference.

When I dock the Mac I run a cable direct from the monitor to the Mac (display port to TB), a headphone jack from a soundbar to the Mac and then I connect a USB C hub to the mac which I connect my ethernet and external webcam too.

The native res is 3456x2234 (7.7 million pixels) and runs great and the external monitor is 3840x2160 (8.3 million pixels) so not much different and certainly not enough of a difference to cause such a performance difference.

Any ideas what could be wrong? Everything else works fine.

 

[Christopher Kim]

I agree it's unlikely that the M1 Max GPU can't run the slightly higher res of 4K vs the 16" MBP's native resolution.

I'm guessing the monitor is the Asus 43" 4K screen that you have in your sig - is it the DM431K or the Predator CG437K? What USB-C to DisplayPort adapter or cable are you using?

 

[Sanpete]

I'm not sure how games run on these things when set to "native resolution," but the default resolution on the current 16" is 1728 x 1117, so that may be what your game is running at on the built-in screen.

 

[SpitUK]

I agree it's unlikely that the M1 Max GPU can't run the slightly higher res of 4K vs the 16" MBP's native resolution.

I'm guessing the monitor is the Asus 43" 4K screen that you have in your sig - is it the DM431K or the Predator CG437K? What USB-C to DisplayPort adapter or cable are you using?

Thanks for replying. Yes its the Acer DM431K, it picks up the correct monitor profile when plugged in and using the desktop its buttery smooth switching between mission control.

This is the cable I use:

uni USB C to DisplayPort Cable (4K@60Hz, 2K@165Hz), Sturdy Aluminum USB Type C Thunderbolt 3/4 to DP Cable Compatible for iPhone 15 Pro Max, MacBook Pro/Air, iPad Pro, iMac, XPS, S23 etc. 1.8m

📌Important Note 1: Please ensure that your device's USB-C port supports video output function "DP Alt Mode". Thunderbolt 4/3 output ports are also compatible. 📌Important Note 2: Unidirectional transmission: It can only transmit from the USB-C port to the DP interface. 📌Important Note 3: The fi...

www.amazon.co.uk

I used the same cable with my M1 Mac mini.

 

[SpitUK]

I'm not sure how games run on these things when set to "native resolution," but the default resolution on the current 16" is 1728 x 1117, so that may be what your game is running at on the built-in screen.

Not sure where you have seen that but this is copied from the Apple website:

Liquid Retina XDR display - 16.2-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina XDR display; 3456x2234 native
resolution at 254 pixels per inch

 

[Sanpete]

Not sure where you have seen that but this is copied from the Apple website:

Liquid Retina XDR display - 16.2-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina XDR display; 3456x2234 native
resolution at 254 pixels per inch

Right, that's the number of pixels, the full resolution. But the way it works by default is to present content as though it's 1728 x 1117, doubling the pixels up. That way it's presented at a size that's more easy to see.

But as I said, I don't know if that's how it works with games. Just an idea that might explain your experience. Someone who knows will come along hopefully.

 

[Christopher Kim]

@Sanpete, that's a good point, I didn't even think of that, that the HiDPI scaling of MacOS might be doing something weird. Either with when you play it at Native Screen (ie. it's actually at half the 3456x2234 native pixel resolution of the screen), or when you play on an external display (maybe when playing at 3840 x 2160, MacOS / Warcraft launcher is screwing it up and trying to make that HiDPI, so actually rendering a 7680 x 4320 image, and then downscaling that to 4K?) Sounds unlikely but who knows...

I never game on my Mac, so I don't know the state-of-play on how full-screen gaming (and maybe particularly with Warcraft) and MacOS HiDPI scaling work together. I wonder if this is something @joevt might have some insight into?

 

[joevt]

You want to make sure the game is not trying to do 7680x4320 or anything greater than 3840x2160. Try taking a screenshot, then check the size of the screenshot.

 

[SpitUK]

Thanks guys, seems to be running at 3840x2160 with no type of scaling. I will do a video to show you what I mean.

 

[SpitUK]

 

[SpitUK]

Tried running in a window at 1440p and got the same wild frame rates. It should definitely run flawlessly at that resolution.

 

[Sanpete]

What does the game resolution show when it's running on the built-in screen? I assume the 3840x2160 shown is for the external screen. (The default for the internal display is pixel doubling, so 1728 x 1117 with pixels doubled each way.)

 

[UBS28]

Try it with an other dongle. Dongles for external monitors can be problematic based on my experience.

 

[SpitUK]

I use a cable direct from the monitor to the Mac. A guy from Reddit replied with this…

Check under your WoW Advanced Graphics settings under Graphics Adapter if it says something like “M1 Max (low power)”. This is the cause for the low FPS.

How does it happen?Basically I use my laptop running on batter, e.g. on my couch. Then I move to my desk, plug it into my Ultrafine 5K display via thunderbolt, which also charged the M1 Max. However - at least as far as WoW is concerned - the GPU remains in some sort of “mobile” mode and WoW will give really bad frame rates. Fiddling with powersaving and whatnot doesn’t change WoW’s mind. The only thing is to reboot the Mac. WoW is fine then.

My take on it: probably some glitch in Monterey. I’m having all kinds of thunderbolt troubles which I didn’t have on my M1 MBA with Big Sur.

 

[SpitUK]

Does seem to be it. Stuck on low power mode permanently.

 

[SpitUK]

Reduced framerate on M1 Mac after 9.0.5

2 weeks since I have the “low power” issue. The support is telling me to wait for a patch…

us.forums.blizzard.com

Looks like this has been going on for a while.

 

[SpitUK]

Runs great on the laptop with battery at max detail and native res....

 

[SpitUK]

Fixed it! Turning V Sync off has stopped the stuttering and low frame rates. Still set the 60fps target frame rate and it’s great now.

Thanks for everyone’s input.