Parallels Desktop 11 High CPU Usage on MPBR 15/El Cap 10.11.2

[Aneef]

I have an MBPR 15" 2014 and I use Parallels Desktop for playing games on Windows (Please don't tell me that Mac is not for gaming and stuff). I had no problems until I updated my Macbook to El Capitan 10.11.2. Now my mac gives high CPU usage under Parallels desktop and fans are always running at full rpm. CPU usage for prl_client_app is around 45% and gaming feels extremely laggy. I've assigned 4 GB RAM and 4 cores to my virtual machine. I had no problems on El cap 10.11.1, CPU usage used to be quite low and fans used to be around 3500/4000 rpm max and temp used to be around 80. Now I get temps around 99 celsius and fans at full rev. Any suggestions on how to make things better? Thanks.

Aneef Izhar

 

[campyguy]

Aneef, Parallels is currently aware of issues/conflicts/problems between the latest OS X update and PD 11, and AFAIK the problems are related to USB drivers/devices. Parallels is "working on it" - here's one of their latest postings: http://kb.parallels.com/en/123557 - if I wanted to, I could heat up my tea on one of my Macs while running PD 11 on the current OS update!

I don't game and won't hold that against anyone. I have had some conflicts related to my USB peripherals - I was able to somewhat "cool down" Win 7/8.1/10 by reinstalling Parallels Tools and rebooting the VMs while waiting for a fix from Parallels, it should be a short wait. Patience, and Cheers!

 

[Aneef]

Thanks. Looking forward to new update from Parallels. Another question: Can I still go back to 10.11.1? This would make my life a hell lot easier.

 

[campyguy]

I do not have an answer related to reverting back to 10.11.1. What I do know, from my Developer account's documentation, is that Apple has made significant changes to the USB stack in 10.11 - other developers are likely making changes to their applications to work with/around 10.11.

I do suggest reinstalling Parallels' Tools, as I had alluded to in my OP. As a course of habit, I have learned to reinstall Parallels Tools every time an Mac OS update or Windows kernel update is issued, and I connect to several peripherals (USB/Ethernet/eGPU) every day, several times a day.

Also, I see the specs of your rMBP are similar to mine - I have my VMs set to use 2 cores for intensive tasks (databases and rendering) and 1 core for lighter tasks such as word processing; I generally delegate 8-4 GB RAM, respectively. Consider changing the number of cores you have delegated from 4 cores to 2. All of our Windows licenses are Pro, 64-bit.

One last item. You didn't indicate which version of Windows that you are using. I'm using VMs of Win 7/8.1/10 - in Win 10, I've disabled the 10-12 "Services" that download/upload service updates on all of my VMs. Those services - a few of which were changed or reset in Win 10's latest update - can really hot up a PC or VM; there's much to be read about this on the interwebs - if you're looking for specifics and can't find them, ask here and I'll get back to you with links. I'm traveling to meet with family over the weekend, so pardon any delay. Cheers!

 

[Aneef]

I do not have an answer related to reverting back to 10.11.1. What I do know, from my Developer account's documentation, is that Apple has made significant changes to the USB stack in 10.11 - other developers are likely making changes to their applications to work with/around 10.11.

I do suggest reinstalling Parallels' Tools, as I had alluded to in my OP. As a course of habit, I have learned to reinstall Parallels Tools every time an Mac OS update or Windows kernel update is issued, and I connect to several peripherals (USB/Ethernet/eGPU) every day, several times a day.

Also, I see the specs of your rMBP are similar to mine - I have my VMs set to use 2 cores for intensive tasks (databases and rendering) and 1 core for lighter tasks such as word processing; I generally delegate 8-4 GB RAM, respectively. Consider changing the number of cores you have delegated from 4 cores to 2. All of our Windows licenses are Pro, 64-bit.

One last item. You didn't indicate which version of Windows that you are using. I'm using VMs of Win 7/8.1/10 - in Win 10, I've disabled the 10-12 "Services" that download/upload service updates on all of my VMs. Those services - a few of which were changed or reset in Win 10's latest update - can really hot up a PC or VM; there's much to be read about this on the interwebs - if you're looking for specifics and can't find them, ask here and I'll get back to you with links. I'm traveling to meet with family over the weekend, so pardon any delay. Cheers!

Thanks for your replies. I use three VMs on my mac: Windows XP (for using some old and work related softwares), Windows 8.1(for gaming) and Windows 10(for enjoying Cortana, lol). Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 both give high CPU usage when doing intensive tasks. I'll change the number of cores and re-install Parallel Tools to see if it works. As for the 10-12 services you mentioned, I've already disabled them. Thanks for your time.

 

[campyguy]

Thanks for your replies. I use three VMs on my mac: Windows XP (for using some old and work related softwares), Windows 8.1(for gaming) and Windows 10(for enjoying Cortana, lol). Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 both give high CPU usage when doing intensive tasks. I'll change the number of cores and re-install Parallel Tools to see if it works. As for the 10-12 services you mentioned, I've already disabled them. Thanks for your time.

No worries, I hope some of my advice helps - I wish Parallels would "push" updates about bugs or issues to its buyers, rather than rely on users like you and I to communicate issues as we are. I also use the three Win OSes in VMs, and had issues much as you're offering with Win 8.1 and Win 10 - I've gone as far as designating 1 core for some apps but up to 12GB RAM in those OSes and those two changes resulted in my Mac and Windows running cooler.

If I come up with a more-clear solution before Parallels posts a fix, I'll post it here. Cheers, and take care.