Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Forkjulle

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 1, 2012
211
1
I'm using the rMBP and using the multiple desktops (or spaces, or whatever they're called). For example, I'll have mail on the on desktop, and Safari on another desktop, and Photoshop on another.

If I using the trackpad swiping gestures to move between them, then the smoothness seems fine.

But if I move between desktops by clicking on the app in the dock, then the moving between desktops is very jerky.

Why is this? Is it because the graphics cards aren't being used properly?
 
im unhappy to say.. the next mbp
retina is not able to handle the resolution properly with its limited integrated gpu
 
I experience the same issue with my MBA, I just thing it is a software issue. Never saw it on my regular MBP 15 though
 
Smooth UI here even on battery with IG at max res allowed by osx. Check your running processes. Might be an app chewing up your CPU resources. Remember NOT to show dock items as a stack (use list instead). That was suggested in another thread. After applying it, all UI lag stopped instantly for me. Autohiding the dock was equally suggested (I did that too). The only lag I'm able to reproduce is in Safari. It's very minor during regular browsing, but more apparent if you scroll while zoomed into a page. Then there's definitely a noticeable stutter from time to time.
 
Last edited:
Are you guys referring to Mission Control and going between desktops? If so, then I don't have any sort of jerkiness or lag when switching between desktops on my rMBP. This is the case regardless if I use gestures or the icon. Also, if it were a hardware limitation or problem then is should occur no matter which way you do it since the animations are the same.
 
I'm wondering if it is because of the automatic graphics switching. Do you think it's because of that?
 
Let me be clear.

Animations are smooth everywhere. When apps are in full screen mode, switching between desktops seems pretty smooth too.

It just seems to be jerky when apps are floating (not full screen) on their own desktops and I switch between them using the dock. If I swipe-gesture to move them, then they are smooth.

It doesn't strike me as a hardware thing. It strikes me as a software thing. But I could be wrong.
 
Let me be clear.

Animations are smooth everywhere. When apps are in full screen mode, switching between desktops seems pretty smooth too.

It just seems to be jerky when apps are floating (not full screen) on their own desktops and I switch between them using the dock. If I swipe-gesture to move them, then they are smooth.

It doesn't strike me as a hardware thing. It strikes me as a software thing. But I could be wrong.

So you are saying that it is jerky when you bring up Mission Control and then move between desktops? When using gestures are you just swiping between desktops or are you using the gesture to bring up mission control and then moving to the desktop?

If you are swiping between desktops w/o bringing up Mission Control then there is obviously less animation needed. If you are bringing up Mission Control (using gesture or dock) and then moving to a new desktop, then this would add an extra animation, but for me neither is jerky or laggy.
 
I don't believe the lag to be hardware related at all. I'm running win8 in bootcamp and the performance is amazing, no where have I had a single bit of noticeable lag!
 
I am also of the opinion that the hardware has nothing to do with the issue.
I'm really hoping that apple is able to fix it.
 
I believe it is a hardware issue. The GPU's weren't designed to run such high resolutions consistently throughout. The CPU is being pushed to itslimits at times.

I believe apple has addressed the issue as it was worse on lion. Mountain lion was polished but they could polish the OS further more to improve UI experience.

Not saying the hardware can't support the retina but it's pushing its hardware (CPU and GPU)

Haswell will optimize the CPU to better handle retina displays and improve their GPU to also aid any issues

Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/8
 
So you are saying that it is jerky when you bring up Mission Control and then move between desktops? When using gestures are you just swiping between desktops or are you using the gesture to bring up mission control and then moving to the desktop?

If you are swiping between desktops w/o bringing up Mission Control then there is obviously less animation needed. If you are bringing up Mission Control (using gesture or dock) and then moving to a new desktop, then this would add an extra animation, but for me neither is jerky or laggy.

Mission Control is mostly smooth. It's only when I move between desktops after clicking on the icons in the dock. Let's say Safari and Mail are on different desktops, and I click one of them, then the animation is jerky.

----------

I find that everything is pretty smooth if I keep everything on the same desktop and use Mission Control to find the opened app (instead of moving between desktops).
 
I believe it is a hardware issue. The GPU's weren't designed to run such high resolutions consistently throughout. The CPU is being pushed to itslimits at times.

I believe apple has addressed the issue as it was worse on lion. Mountain lion was polished but they could polish the OS further more to improve UI experience.

Not saying the hardware can't support the retina but it's pushing its hardware (CPU and GPU)

Haswell will optimize the CPU to better handle retina displays and improve their GPU to also aid any issues

Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/8

Stop posting these stupid comments. You have no idea about hardware, therefore you shouldn't talk about it.

Edit: read the article, it is even more stupid than your comment.
 
Last edited:
What spec rMBP do you have?

Here:

IOxc3.png
 
Its strange, every person who complains about performance seems to have the 2.6GHz rMBP. I hardly have any performance issues with the 2.7GHz and I see the same with the 2.3GHz.
 
Its strange, every person who complains about performance seems to have the 2.6GHz rMBP. I hardly have any performance issues with the 2.7GHz and I see the same with the 2.3GHz.

2.3 here, had little to no issue from the get go, my own Retina has simply gotten better with each up date of OS X, right now on 10.8.2. I use multiple desktops and spaces constantly and don't have any stuttering, i event tried deliberately replicating the OP`s issue with only the Intel integrated GPU, with several spaces etc and still no issue, as for the Nvidia smooth all the way...
 
Its strange, every person who complains about performance seems to have the 2.6GHz rMBP. I hardly have any performance issues with the 2.7GHz and I see the same with the 2.3GHz.

I've got a 2.6GHz and have the same problem. Very curious.
 
I certainly find these posts interesting but so far in the week I've owned my base model rMBP, I have not seen any kind of jerkiness with anything I have done so far. Maybe I have just not hit on what some of you have or maybe it does not affect all models--certainly interesting though.
 
Its strange, every person who complains about performance seems to have the 2.6GHz rMBP. I hardly have any performance issues with the 2.7GHz and I see the same with the 2.3GHz.

I have the 2.6GHz and don't have this issue, or any of the other issues mentioned in this forum so far.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.