iMac 2020 27 inch, 5700 XT GPU Freezes, Makes Lines on Screen, and restarts/shutdowns, Please Help

Question

Level 1

4 points

iMac 2020 27 inch, 5700 XT GPU Freezes, Makes Lines on Screen, and restarts/shutdowns, Please Help

Hi there,

I have an Intel based iMac 2020 i7 5700xt. As the titles says, it freezes and crashes randomly and would restart or shut down completely. This is all stock. I haven't updated the RAM or changed to any third party like OWC, etc. These are Apple stock rams that came with it. I also bought this iMac via Apple refurbished.

I have went through the forums and was wondering if anyone was able to get this solved? If there is anything I need to post, please let me know. I can also post full report.

I downloaded EtreCheck and have this to report based on kernel failure for 'Major Issues':

Diagnostics Information (past 7-30 days):

2023-06-15 13:37:23 installd - High CPU Use

Executable: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/PackageKit.framework/Versions/A/Resources/installd

2023-06-11 03:39:42 mds - High CPU Use (2 times)

Executable: /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/Metadata.framework/Versions/A/Support/mds

2023-06-10 17:45:25 syspolicyd - High CPU Use

Executable: /usr/libexec/syspolicyd

2023-06-10 16:50:21 Kernel Panic (2 times)

Details:

panic(cpu 0 caller 0xfffffff01e448a68): macOS panic detected

Panicked task 0xffffffde264b85d0: 0 pages, 192 threads: pid 0: kernel_

task

2023-06-10 12:47:02 StocksWidget - Crash

Executable: /System/Applications/Stocks.app

2023-06-10 12:47:02 WeatherWidget - Crash

Executable: /System/Applications/Weather.app

2023-06-10 12:47:01 WorldClockWidget - Crash

Executable: /System/Applications/Clock.app

iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Jun 15, 2023 12:49 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

VikingOSX

Community+ 2024

Level 10

116,009 points

Jun 16, 2023 6:56 AM in response to KChhetri18

Here is my assessment of your EtreCheck Pro report.

Fully remove

AVG Anti-virus - years of people reporting issues with their Mac that ceased when this junk was removed.
CleanMyMac X - same as previous
Pace Anti-Piracy software - same as previous
Mac Fans Control - the iMac is perfectly capable of doing this on its own
You have 95 X86 applications still installed which are not supported on Ventura.

The macOS operating system is designed to protect itself from virus incursions (Windows viruses cannot even run here) and the operating system itself is hardened by residing on a read-only System volume. See Apple Platform Security - Apple Support which is also applicable to Ventura on your 2020 iMac.

Update

Wacom software & drivers
Are your UAD2System audio drivers current?
OneDrive application (if you use this anymore)
Physical RAM
- You have 8GB RAM and the operating system will consume about 4 - 6 GB of that leaving almost nothing for your Apple Pro applications or Adobe Lightroom. These applications may actually require 16 GB RAM over and above the operating system depending upon your workflows.
- Add 8 - 16 GB of additional RAM from OWC. This is where I sourced my 2020 iMac RAM upgrade.
Perform a Time Machine backup of your iMac (after the full removals above) using external storage of 3 - 4 TB also sourced from OWC as SSD (Envoy).
Boot into Recovery mode (⌘R) and run Disk Utility First Aid on your Macintosh HD drive. Then reboot normally.

Summary

I think your crashes are precipitated by a mixture of incompatible and/or outdated drivers. Your A/V software and CleanMyMac X may have also played a role in these events. This is the worst stuff you can install in your Mac. This run of EtreCheck also revealed only 25MB of free RAM which may also play a role…

I cannot stress enough the importance of having regular Time Machine backups. Apple's iCloud is not a backup solution.

You have considerable unusable flotsam installed on this iMac and if it were mine, and after that Time Machine backup was done, I would boot into Recovery, erase Macintosh HD, and then reinstall macOS Ventura. After the operating system is rebooted, I would use Migration Assistant to reinstall user data and settings (but not applications) from that Time Machine backup, and then, on a case by case basis, reinstall Apple's applications from the Mac App Store, Lightroom, and then any absolutely necessary third-party applications/drivers that you require and are vendor confirmed compatitble with Ventura. That with updated RAM would make this feel like a new iMac.

Your biggest threat on this Mac is not viruses, but other forms of malware that may get installed by software downloaded from non-vendor sites. Usually, that can be remedied with the free version of MalwareBytes for Mac, and then that application can be uninstalled from its Help menu.

Reply

Answer 2

Jun 15, 2023 2:16 PM in response to KChhetri18

What version of macOS are you running on this iMac? Apple menu () : About This Mac.

I have the same unit but upped the RAM to 40GB and it has been flawless. One thing you might try is to reset the SMC by powering down the iMac, and then unplug it, wait 15 seconds, and then reconnect power and boot it up. Assess if the problem continues.

If the problem does continue, and if you have had it for less than a year, or purchased it with AppleCare+ as I did, consider contacting an Apple Store or Apple Certified Service Center about having them perform diagnostics and advise a course of action. You may have no choice in this matter even if out of warranty…

What did you do that triggered this behavior? Install something, or electrical surge from a Thunderstorm?

I suggest that you copy/paste the entire result of the EtreCheck report in the Additional Text Tool (third icon from right in this editor). Give EtreCheck full disk access before you run it.

Reply

Answer 3

KChhetri18 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 15, 2023 7:02 PM in response to VikingOSX

Hi VikingOSX,

Thanks for the reply.

My version is the latest macOS: Ventura 13.4 (latest).

Looks like my AppleCare+ is over although my limited warranty is still in place.

In regards to triggering this behavior..I am not quite sure. No electrical surges. I don't believe anything installed to be causing any viruses. Infact, I have a M1 Pro MBP 14" which has similar programs as this Intel iMac but never had this problem.

I have clean my mac and AVG but those are just anti virus software.

I also use a Wacom drawing pad(second monitor) and I have it disconnected at times and or connected and regardless, would still have the issue of my screen glitching out.

Reply

Answer 4

ku4hx

Level 7

23,586 points

Jun 16, 2023 4:49 AM in response to KChhetri18

Others will surely respond, but "More than one antivirus app - This computer has multiple antivirus apps installed." is a red flag to me.

Get rid of all the AV, fixers, optimizers and the like. They are nothing but trouble.

Reply

Answer 5

KChhetri18 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 16, 2023 9:57 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thank you so much VikingOSX, truly appreciate your help.

I'll give this a try and report back in the next 24-48 hours. If not, I'll just wipe it all clean from the hard disk and start the Mac OS all over again with a fresh slate.

Reply

Answer 6

KChhetri18 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 16, 2023 10:00 AM in response to ku4hx

Hi ku4hx,

I never knew this since coming from Windows. This is my first iMac or Mac in fact. I loved the iMac 27" so much that I ended up buying the M1 Pro 14" as a portable solution.

Anyways, Thank you for the helpful tip! This is most likely the issue and will have to restart everything if the worst-case scenario. Appreciate your help.

Reply

Answer 7

KChhetri18 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 17, 2023 5:23 PM in response to VikingOSX

Hi VikingOSX,

Good news - I have reformatted and started all over with everything erased from the previous disk and into a fresh Ventura OS.

I have tested and let my iMac sit around and even ran a few games. Normally the game(Dota 2 on Steam) would crash my iMac, but good news, not this time!

Everything seems to work!

If there's another update, I'll be sure to post it but for now, I can't thank you enough! Really happy now that my iMac is running very well. 😃 Thank you again!

Reply

Answer 8

KChhetri18 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 30, 2023 2:22 PM in response to KChhetri18

Alright, another update!

In case anyone has Google searched this on why the 5700xt has a problem..this thread and what VikingOSX has explained have helped..but I do want to update.

After a few days, it did black out a bit and started glitching.

So I took it to the Apple store and they fixed my logic board. This was free of charge due to Apple Care and warranty with my iMac.

So yeah. That was the last straw and it's finally fixed after testing it out for a few days. Normally I would run a game like dota 2 and would glitch out like crazy due to the GPU heating up but it ends up being fine now. No disconnects. No glitches.

I also went to Microcenter as they were not able to help..so just go to the source, the Apple store, if possible.

According to the Apple Technician, it was the Logic board. Really grateful for those who chimed in and help at this forum.

Thank you all again and best of luck for anyone else who may be having this problem.

Reply