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

What is "kernel_task" and it consumes a lot of memory?

M

marcostulio

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 19, 2014
10
0
I do not know if it's because I installed Yosemite (Beta 6) but I have noticed that such a kernel_task appeared in Activity Monitor and memory intensive. Has come up to 4GB.

I found several tutorials on how to finish him Internet. One of them is to find the model of the Macbook Pro in IOPlataformPluginFamily.kext, but have not found my model in the list.

Does anyone know what could it be? :(

Captura%20de%20Tela%202014-08-23%20a%CC%80s%2015.03.22.png


:apple: Bonus: If anyone knows why Google Chrome Helper does not respond, I also thank you :D
 
kernel_task is the main process of your computer. Think of it as the president of your computer's thoughts. It can't be killed without crashing your computer. It uses memory because that is where Mac OS X stores its disk cache. It is nothing to worry about and as long as the memory pressure is not red, you're good.
 
marcostulio said:
I do not know if it's because I installed Yosemite (Beta 6) but I have noticed that such a kernel_task appeared in Activity Monitor and memory intensive. Has come up to 4GB.
Click to expand...
kernel task is part of OS X. It is normal for it to use system resources, and many of its functions are directly related to apps you have running. Your issue is with Google Chrome. Either you have a corrupt installation or perhaps a plug-in or extension is not working properly.
 
I think my solution is to install more memory on my Macbook.

I have 8GB installed. Perhaps he will be happy to 16GB and I also :D
 
More memory isn't the solution and won't do anything. Your memory pressure is still in the green. You'd only need more memory if it goes red often. 8GB is very adequate for general computing and most other semi-heavy tasks.
 
marcostulio said:
I think my solution is to install more memory on my Macbook.
Click to expand...

You are only using 6GB, you don't need further RAM.

Buy some by all means but you don't need any more.

Mavericks (and probably Yosemite), have good RAM compression so you can have up to 14GB or so in 8GB physical (from my experience anyway).

----------
Tubamajuba said:
The solution isn't more memory, it's to completely delete Chrome and reinstall it.
Click to expand...

Or just delete it :)
 
marcostulio said:
I do not know if it's because I installed Yosemite (Beta 6) but I have noticed that such a kernel_task appeared in Activity Monitor and memory intensive. Has come up to 4GB.

I found several tutorials on how to finish him Internet. One of them is to find the model of the Macbook Pro in IOPlataformPluginFamily.kext, but have not found my model in the list.

Does anyone know what could it be? :(

Image

:apple: Bonus: If anyone knows why Google Chrome Helper does not respond, I also thank you :D
Click to expand...

Hey Marcostulio, try this:
1. go to About This Mac > More Info... > System Report... > see what is your Model Identifier. (In my case, mine is 'MacbookPro8,2')
2. Now, go to your main drive, 'Macintosh HD' > System > Library > Extensions > IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext > right click on it and select 'Show Package Contents'
3. Double click on Contents > PlugIns > right click on 'ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext' and select 'Show Package Contents'
4. Double click on Contents > Resources > And fine MacBookPro*_*.plist (*symbol is the number of your model identifier, for me it is going to be MacBookPro8_2.plist). Cut it and paste it on your desktop. Make sure this plist is not inside the Resource folder anymore.
5. Restart your computer and it will be smooth and fast again.

It works for me, try it. :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: quincyh1
It isn't a good idea to alter the ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext. Doing so remove the safety throttling ability of your CPU and can cause your machine to force shut down if unable to properly cool itself. Not only that, on a Macbook it causes the CPU to not be able to sleep properly causing a higher battery drain.
 
I agree with Intell. As a general rule, I wouldn't follow instructions like that posted by a newcomer to the forum, until those instructions are confirmed to be accurate and useful by someone who's been around the forum long enough to establish a reputation for knowing what they're talking about. There's a lot of misinformation on the web, so be careful.
 
Intell said:
It isn't a good idea to alter the ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext. Doing so remove the safety throttling ability of your CPU and can cause your machine to force shut down if unable to properly cool itself. Not only that, on a Macbook it causes the CPU to not be able to sleep properly causing a higher battery drain.
Click to expand...

Is there any solution you could share with us? Because I do also have this kernel_task problem that always goes above 600% and used 3.9gb of my 4gb ram. I am afraid it will ruin my processor and ram. So far I only know that solution.
 
tandokos said:
Is there any solution you could share with us? Because I do also have this kernel_task problem that always goes above 600% and used 3.9gb of my 4gb ram. I am afraid it will ruin my processor and ram. So far I only know that solution.
Click to expand...
kernel task cannot ruin your processor or RAM. It is part of OS X. Troubleshooting the source of the problem is appropriate. Trying to disable your system's normal functionality is not.
 
GGJstudios said:
I agree with Intell. As a general rule, I wouldn't follow instructions like that posted by a newcomer to the forum, until those instructions are confirmed to be accurate and useful by someone who's been around the forum long enough to establish a reputation for knowing what they're talking about. There's a lot of misinformation on the web, so be careful.
Click to expand...

Well I guess there is always a first time in everything. I came here because I have my own problem which I just posted in a new thread just a moment ago. While waiting for other people to answer my problem, I saw this thread and I have a way to solve this problem so why not share my solution here. Probably it can help this guy too. And also I recommend to just move it to desktop just in case, not to completely delete it. And while waiting for better solution, I think it is better to do it instead of just leaving your macbook in high cpu load all the time. Just for information, I got this solution from a software technician.
 
tandokos said:
And while waiting for better solution, I think it is better to do it instead of just leaving your macbook in high cpu load all the time.
Click to expand...
Patience is a virtue. Rather than doing something hasty and not well thought out, it's better to wait until someone knowledgeable can respond.

kernel task responds to requests by other apps, and the vast majority of the time its consumption of system resources is high, it's because of another app that isn't functioning properly. Rather than disabling system functionality, it's a more prudent and safer approach to simply start quitting apps and processes until the kernel task activity returns to a more normal level, to isolate the process responsible.

Having a high load on the CPU will not damage it. Before temperatures could rise to an unsafe level, your Mac would shut down to prevent damage.
 
tandokos said:
Is there any solution you could share with us? Because I do also have this kernel_task problem that always goes above 600% and used 3.9gb of my 4gb ram. I am afraid it will ruin my processor and ram. So far I only know that solution.
Click to expand...

The proposed solution that you posted will ruin your processor and/or GPU. Having kernel_task run like that won't. But it does show signs of something not working correctly with your software setup. A complete reinstallation of Mac OS X, without migrating data, will correct that problem.
 
Intell said:
The proposed solution that you posted will ruin your processor and/or GPU. Having kernel_task run like that won't. But it does show signs of something not working correctly with your software setup. A complete reinstallation of Mac OS X, without migrating data, will correct that problem.
Click to expand...

In my case, I just did a complete reinstallation of Mac OSX yesterday. My macbook is not running any apps and the temperature is normal, it is not hot at all.
Also, I first got this problem when I was using mavericks. And then I did a complete reinstallation with mountain lion.however, this kernel_task problem still persists.
 
Is there anything at all other that a blank, fresh user account and Mac OS X system on that machine?
 
nope, after reinstallation I only moved that plist to desktop, doing some browsing, and a moment ago I just moved it back to resources folder since you said that doing so is dangerous. Anyway do any of you have a solution to my problem? please do take a look https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1768046/
thank you.
 
tandokos said:
Hey Marcostulio, try this:
1. go to About This Mac > More Info... > System Report... > see what is your Model Identifier. (In my case, mine is 'MacbookPro8,2')
2. Now, go to your main drive, 'Macintosh HD' > System > Library > Extensions > IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext > right click on it and select 'Show Package Contents'
3. Double click on Contents > PlugIns > right click on 'ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext' and select 'Show Package Contents'
4. Double click on Contents > Resources > And fine MacBookPro*_*.plist (*symbol is the number of your model identifier, for me it is going to be MacBookPro8_2.plist). Cut it and paste it on your desktop. Make sure this plist is not inside the Resource folder anymore.
5. Restart your computer and it will be smooth and fast again.

It works for me, try it. :D
Click to expand...


This is a confirmed workaround that does work, I have done this on my macbook pro 2011 & has saved my laptop, it is a safe process that is also posted on other mac forums.

try this


http://www.rdoxenham.com/?p=259
 
tandokos said:
Well I guess there is always a first time in everything. I came here because I have my own problem which I just posted in a new thread just a moment ago. While waiting for other people to answer my problem, I saw this thread and I have a way to solve this problem so why not share my solution here. Probably it can help this guy too. And also I recommend to just move it to desktop just in case, not to completely delete it. And while waiting for better solution, I think it is better to do it instead of just leaving your macbook in high cpu load all the time. Just for information, I got this solution from a software technician.
Click to expand...

You may think you are doing good.

But if you are solving a problem that is NOT A PROBLEM, and then create a NEW PROBLEM - what good is it?

wow!
 
To the OP:

If you want to get rid of the problems above with "Google Chrome Helper", the solution is to GET RID OF the Chrome browser.

If you like the general look and feel of Chrome, there is an alternative you should know about. It's called the Epic Privacy Browser:
https://www.epicbrowser.com

Epic is based on the Chrome "engine", but all the "Google stuff" has been stripped OUT of it.

Also, Epic is purpose-designed to protect the user's privacy, by doing such things as:
- blocking tracking
- each tab is a separate process to ensure security
- most importantly, it can even hide your IP address from other sites

It's free to download and use.

I'd suggest you replace Chrome with Epic and try things for a few days....
 
This happens to me as well, and for me I narrowed it down to when I open some PDFs in Preview or view PDFs in a web browser. The problem started when I installed Yosemite.

The kernal_task memory zooms to more than 4 GB, everything slows down, and the only way to get it out of the orange/red is to restart the computer or close all the rest of my apps. I have 8 GB of RAM installed.

Anyone else have the CPU problem when using PDFs?
 
some PDFs in Preview make kernel_task boom

Samuel Bradshaw said:
This happens to me as well, and for me I narrowed it down to when I open some PDFs in Preview or view PDFs in a web browser. The problem started when I installed Yosemite.

The kernal_task memory zooms to more than 4 GB, everything slows down, and the only way to get it out of the orange/red is to restart the computer or close all the rest of my apps. I have 8 GB of RAM installed.

Anyone else have the CPU problem when using PDFs?
Click to expand...

It's very simillar to my case. After Yosemite upgrade, for opening specific PDFs in Preview make kernel_task memory jumps 2~3 GB. Finally it hits over 13 GB then the MacBook automatically restarts. It's MacBook 2011 early (MacBook8.1), and I installed 16 GB of RAM.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back