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salivan

macrumors regular
Jun 10, 2015
133
40
I received my replacement today and this issue seems to be gone with my new machine. No more stuttering for now.
If you do SMC/NVRAM reset on the new machine does the problem come back?
It is important to know, cause it could still be a hardware issue, and instead of doing terminal command we should all get replacements.
 

buran-energia

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2017
285
104
If you do SMC/NVRAM reset on the new machine does the problem come back?
It is important to know, cause it could still be a hardware issue, and instead of doing terminal command we should all get replacements.

Those who did the replacement probably aren't too eager to find this out. (But if someone is, you can most likely fix it with that nvram= thing in this thread if it breaks).
 

salivan

macrumors regular
Jun 10, 2015
133
40
Those who did the replacement probably aren't too eager to find this out. (But if someone is, you can most likely fix it with that nvram= thing in this thread if it breaks).
Its a vital piece of info for understanding this problem.

Please please, logic board replacement guys, can you try nvram reset?
 

dannys1

macrumors 68040
Sep 19, 2007
3,534
6,497
UK
Its a vital piece of info for understanding this problem.

Please please, logic board replacement guys, can you try nvram reset?

It's not a hardware problem, it's an NVRAM key - I mean it's quite obvious really isn't it. It happens when you reset the NVRAM, you have to fix it by entering the missing key - nothing to do with hardware.
 

taxidriver

macrumors newbie
Feb 7, 2011
15
0
Just got to wonder if there's more nvram keys lost that don't have that much of an impact, at least fix that on new models Apple, it's not like it just started happening.
 

buran-energia

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2017
285
104
It's not a hardware problem, it's an NVRAM key - I mean it's quite obvious really isn't it. It happens when you reset the NVRAM, you have to fix it by entering the missing key - nothing to do with hardware.

If NVRAM reset (or SMC or whatever) doesn't put that key back or deletes it, then it is at minimum a firmware issue that Apple needs to update/fix. This shouldn't be happening. Not to mention the difficulty figuring out what the problem is (Apple replacing the logic boards on these things and people out of warranty are getting stuck).
 

salivan

macrumors regular
Jun 10, 2015
133
40
It's not a hardware problem, it's an NVRAM key - I mean it's quite obvious really isn't it. It happens when you reset the NVRAM, you have to fix it by entering the missing key - nothing to do with hardware.
You have a very simplistic view of hardware/software bugs.
If it is a software issue, why it doesn't happen on pre 2017/2018 Macs running same OS?

Yes, because it is the combination of software/hardware.
 

dannys1

macrumors 68040
Sep 19, 2007
3,534
6,497
UK
You have a very simplistic view of hardware/software bugs.
If it is a software issue, why it doesn't happen on pre 2017/2018 Macs running same OS?

Yes, because it is the combination of software/hardware.

And you my friend don't understand hardware, if anyone has a very simplistic view of hardware/software bugs it's you.

Of course it's specific to a system, that doesn't mean the hardware is faulty. You don't fix faulty hardware with a software key ffs. The bug is that the key is wiped with NVRAM resets from X version of macOS onwards for 2017/18 MacBook Pros and not replaced automatically. It's not rocket science. A hardware error doesn't just specifically stop Netflix videos playing in Safari only :rolleyes:

They've fixed it with Mojave replacing the key correctly after NVRAM resets, this bug disappears as for next week. There is no faulty hardware and everyone that got their systems replaced just wasted time.
[doublepost=1537357410][/doublepost]
If NVRAM reset (or SMC or whatever) doesn't put that key back or deletes it, then it is at minimum a firmware issue that Apple needs to update/fix. This shouldn't be happening. Not to mention the difficulty figuring out what the problem is (Apple replacing the logic boards on these things and people out of warranty are getting stuck).

Correct it shouldn't be happening - but a NVRAM reset doesn't "damage hardware". Apple have once again dropped the ball with keys that should be replaced (see i9 chip) - of course "geniuses" at the retail shops don't understand this at all and have no option but to replace hardware (which if it hasn't had a NVRAM reset won't exhibit the behaviour). It's a very silly and costly mistake for Apple that is now fixed in Mojave.
 

salivan

macrumors regular
Jun 10, 2015
133
40
And you my friend don't understand hardware, if anyone has a very simplistic view of hardware/software bugs it's you.

Of course it's specific to a system, that doesn't mean the hardware is faulty. You don't fix faulty hardware with a software key ffs. The bug is that the key is wiped with NVRAM resets from X version of macOS onwards for 2017/18 MacBook Pros and not replaced automatically. It's not rocket science. A hardware error doesn't just specifically stop Netflix videos playing in Safari only :rolleyes:

They've fixed it with Mojave replacing the key correctly after NVRAM resets, this bug disappears as for next week. There is no faulty hardware and everyone that got their systems replaced just wasted time.
[doublepost=1537357410][/doublepost]

Correct it shouldn't be happening - but a NVRAM reset doesn't "damage hardware". Apple have once again dropped the ball with keys that should be replaced (see i9 chip) - of course "geniuses" at the retail shops don't understand this at all and have no option but to replace hardware (which if it hasn't had a NVRAM reset won't exhibit the behaviour). It's a very silly and costly mistake for Apple that is now fixed in Mojave.
Maybe I have limited expereince in electrical engineering. But in my limited experience I have seen hardware problems manifesting as software bugs or instabilities all the time, exactly like this stutter issue.

Note that I am not saying this IS hardware bug, I am just saying since I do not know what epid_provisioned=%01%00%00% does, I cannot be sure if it is indeed a simple Software bug or not.

Epid as in intel epid tech? Do you know what it stands for? How it is used? If not, setting it might be a ducktape not a definite solution.

Since we cannot find docs about this key, i can speculate: what if it turns off gpu accelelaration, h.265 cpu decoding, or some other hardware feature that causes the stutter? Without being an actuall apple/intel engineer (maybe you are?) stating otherwise and being 100% sure is simplistic to me.

Fyi, current mojave beta does not fix the problem. Key is still not restored.
 
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tatarin

macrumors member
Mar 7, 2012
35
12
There was indeed a missing key in NVRAM. The fix can be found here - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8427286?answerId=33791001022#33791001022 - Thank you mattrogers

in short
  1. boot into recovery
  2. open terminal
  3. type: nvram 8be4df61-93ca-11d2-aa0d-00e098032b8c:epid_provisioned=%01%00%00%00
  4. press enter
  5. reboot
This fix also worked for me. I had reset the NVRAM on my 2018 13" MacBook Pro in an attempt to get a new Thunderbolt 3 minidock to work properly. After the reset, the trackpad cursor in Safari would stutter on the twitter webpage and even in Microsoft Word if the twitter webpage was open in the background. (EDIT: This is exactly the behavior described by the original poster).

So thanks for the fix! The stutter was extremely annoying. I hope the problem is fixed in Mojave.
 
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markusberger

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
67
51
I edited my original post with this NVRAM solution. Good that someone found a fix, this issue was extremely annoying...
 

D1rty-max

macrumors newbie
Sep 24, 2018
1
0
Hey guys, I figured out how to fix this issue on my 17 MacBook Pro! It started after updating today to Mojave. I had this issue mainly on news-sites where my mouse would freeze up every 3 seconds, I turned off autoplay. Safari>Preferences>Websites>Autoplay>Never Autoplay

Also performing the Command in Terminal fixed it as well!
 
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scarrz

macrumors regular
Jan 5, 2015
238
162
Started having issues lately with High Sierra and updated Safari with the mouse stuttering on websites. Also could not get Netflix to work (Didnt notice until I read this forum) but had all the symptom's others have experienced. I'm running a MBP 2016 and just upgraded to Mojave but the issue still persisted. After running the above commands it absolutely worked and fixed my issue. Thanks again to the OP. :)
 

randomgeeza

macrumors 6502a
Aug 12, 2014
614
461
United Kingdom
I noticed this issue a few weeks back but never put two and two together... Only today I noticed it on videos playing in Safari... Thankfully the NVRAM fix seems to have done the trick.

I was beginning to arrange a Genius appointment and get me some new MBP... Thank God, I don't. As nice as a new machine is... it's never worth the hassle.
 
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markusberger

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
67
51
... and as a sidenote: since I tested and returned several Windows laptops (Thinkpad T480s ... fans where making a high pitched noise, Dell XPS 9370 ... 4K display was flickering with PWM and gave me headaches, Surface Book 2 ... with coil whine and didn't like the concept) I bought a 13 inch 2018 MBP i5 with 16 GB RAM.

This device is flawless, none of the stuttering issues and the fans on the i5 almost never come on. I am still amazed at the speed of this quadcore i5 as it stays cool and handles everything I throw at it. Mojave and especially dark mode are great as well. I run Win 10 for work stuff in Parallels and this works well.

Pretty incredible piece of tech, great speakers and display and I even got used to the new keyboard and starting to enjoy the typing speed - I could have sworn I would never like the new keyboard after using Thinkpads but here I am, happily typing ^^
 

Reason077

macrumors 68040
Aug 14, 2007
3,463
3,346
I've had this issue for the past month or so on my MBP 13" 2017 (non-Touchbar). It's bugging me again today because watching the keynote on apple.com causes the freezing to start. The issue only happens if you open certain video sites in Safari - using Firefox is fine.

Thinking back, I think it started when I had a faulty screen replaced under warranty by Apple. Either it was when Apple support was getting me to run all sorts of resets and reboots to try and clear the problem (Did I reset the NVRAM? I think so.), or it was when Apple actually replaced the screen.

Updating to Mojave did not fix the issue. I'm going to try the magic nvram command next and report back if it's successful.

Update: Yes, the nvram command fixes it. How obscure! Apple Support really shouldn't be recommending that people reset nvram, because I think it's what caused this.
 
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fokmik

Suspended
Oct 28, 2016
4,909
4,688
USA
With the latest mojave version from yesterday, i no longer have on fullscreen safari video glitches
 

amaze1499

macrumors 6502a
Oct 16, 2014
779
699
I've had this issue for the past month or so on my MBP 13" 2017 (non-Touchbar). It's bugging me again today because watching the keynote on apple.com causes the freezing to start. The issue only happens if you open certain video sites in Safari - using Firefox is fine.

Thinking back, I think it started when I had a faulty screen replaced under warranty by Apple. Either it was when Apple support was getting me to run all sorts of resets and reboots to try and clear the problem (Did I reset the NVRAM? I think so.), or it was when Apple actually replaced the screen.

Updating to Mojave did not fix the issue. I'm going to try the magic nvram command next and report back if it's successful.

Update: Yes, the nvram command fixes it. How obscure! Apple Support really shouldn't be recommending that people reset nvram, because I think it's what caused this.


My machine is having exactly the same issue. Whenever I load a page trying to stream video, the whole machine freezes up. Only with Safari. No extensions installed.
 

VeryVito

macrumors regular
Feb 5, 2008
173
199
Thanks for posting the solution in the original post: The nvram update seems to have solved this issue on a 15" i9 w/ 32GB, too! SOOOO much better! (I'd already swapped my weeks-old machine for a new one due to a bad battery issue; I wasn't relishing the thought of returning yet another one).
 
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Markiie

macrumors 6502
Oct 10, 2011
473
213
Los Angeles, California.
I experienced the same issue and this fix has worked for me so far (fingers cross)

Have to say my experience with the 2018 MacBook Pro has been quite interesting......

First machine = Ugly fan noise (returned)
Second machine = this stutter issue

Oddly enough.......I have a 2012 MacBook Pro and have had zero issues with it even to this very day. Felt like maybe an upgrade was needed.....starting to think my 2012 might be an upgrade to my new 2018.
 

grandinetti

macrumors newbie
Nov 26, 2016
9
17
I had exactly the same problem for months on my macbook pro 13" (2016) and the NVRAM fix did NOT work for me. The problem went away, however, after I updated the drive from HFS+ to APFS and installed 10.14.16. Is it possible the problem is only with HFS+ drives?
 
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