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OS X 10.9.3 causing more headaches for Mac Pro users: external monitors getting disabled

Philp-Schiller-4K-Mac-Pro-WWDC-02

Apple’s recent OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 update is causing even more headaches for users of the latest Mac Pro line. Last week, we reported that 10.9.3 incompatibilities are the source of GPU issues with professional video editing programs. Now, multiple threads on Apple’s support forums are indicating issues with 10.9.3 Mac Pros and multiple external monitors. The issue causes users with several monitors to only see a portion of their monitors functioning.

As one user explains:

I have three 30″ displays, but after the 10.9.3 update, only 2 of them work at a time. Is this a known issue? Can I downgrade to 10.9.2 to get the use of my other display back? It was working just fine on my Mac Pro with 10.9.2.

And several users corroborate:

Screen Shot 2014-05-26 at 3.49.51 PM

While the several-thousand dollar Mac Pro improperly utilizing external monitors in professional work environment is a serious problem, there is some good news to report. According to one poster who submitted a bug report to Apple, the Cupertino-based company appears to be aware of and investigation the issue:

Screen Shot 2014-05-26 at 3.51.23 PM

Some users are also reporting some solutions for the problem. Some users say that re-installing the 10.9.3 Combo Update is helpful. Users are also recommending combining that re-install with a PRAM reset. Lastly, one user suggests installing the GPU driver files from the preceding 10.9.2. Apple is already internally testing OS X 10.9.4, so hopefully that update has a definitive fix for these Mac Pro GPU problems.

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Comments

  1. The best way to see any kind of software problem fixed by Apple – is to submit a bug report via bugreport.apple.com. Even though somebody might have reported your bug ahead of you (your report will be marked as a duplicate), it is still very important as your report might provide more information. Besides, more duplicates mean higher priority for Apple engineers.

  2. Mark Gary Blumenthal - 10 years ago

    Am having considerable difficulty properly integrating my ViewSonic ISP monitor with my MacBook Pro retina running 10.9.3. I’m not sure it’s just Mac Pros.

  3. rafterman11 - 10 years ago

    If isn’t just Macbook Pros. My Retina, hooked to a Belkin Thunderbolt box, will “lose” the external monitor sometimes (but not all the time) when going to display off mode.

  4. Jason Bryant - 10 years ago

    I’m having the same issue with my Belkin Thunderbolt dock. Using an attached Belkin to HDMI thunderbolt adaptor…. Have to disconnect from the docking station, physically hard reboot my Retina MacBook Pro then I get can use my computer again.