IB TWS using 300% CPU on macbook suddenly?

[AL4727]

I had this problem with TWS on windows. I increased the memory allocation:

Edit -> Global Configuration -> Configuration -> General -> Memory Allocation (in MB).

What's yours currently set to? Mine is currently at 6144. That seemed to be enough. My assumption is that when this limit is too low, Java's memory management is swapping or doing garbage collection or other tricks to free up memory more frequently, effectively trading CPU for memory. In any case, I was having this problem for a while and increasing the memory solved it completely for me.

While I don't run tws on my mac, it's likely to behave the same if you are also memory constrained. Bear in mind, your machine needs to have enough memory as well. TWS being a Java application will not consume more memory than the JVM is allotted, so even if your machine has 16GB, TWS may only be using ~1.5GB or whatever is allotted.

So mine was set to 768 mb and i increased it to 4000 mb and that was the max it would let me do (i kept getting an error when i tried to increase it anymore). My cpu dropped but if i click on anything in tws or tinker with global configuration- it spikes to 100% cpu now and stays there.

So im guessing that ib messed something up on their end for this specific update (970.1b) for mac and its requiring way more memory than the previous versions. Although this also happened with stable, beta and offline versions as well so im not sure what exactly is going on.

I guess all i can do now is wait for the next update and see if the problem gets fixed because ive used tws on my mac for 2 years without a single problem and my layout was always the same and i never changed my settings.

If the next update doesnt help im gonna go buy a windows specifically to run tws because *sigh* im sick of wasting my time googling and changing my mac settings trying to fix the issue lol.

Anyways, thank you very much your suggestion dropped my cpu from the high 200-300% to 100% which is still an improvment. Now if only it would go back down to less than 10% like before haha

 

[NoodleStrudle]

Uninstall and install again. I am on Ib's latest for years and I run at 1.7% in a quad core machine 2016 built, nothing fancy. I have always 4 screens open on 4 separate monitors. Obviously the error is not with TWS but your machine. Hence I would try to wipe and install again. Try also installing Java again.

So mine was set to 768 mb and i increased it to 4000 mb and that was the max it would let me do (i kept getting an error when i tried to increase it anymore). My cpu dropped but if i click on anything in tws or tinker with global configuration- it spikes to 100% cpu now and stays there.

So im guessing that ib messed something up on their end for this specific update (970.1b) for mac and its requiring way more memory than the previous versions. Although this also happened with stable, beta and offline versions as well so im not sure what exactly is going on.

I guess all i can do now is wait for the next update and see if the problem gets fixed because ive used tws on my mac for 2 years without a single problem and my layout was always the same and i never changed my settings.

If the next update doesnt help im gonna go buy a windows specifically to run tws because *sigh* im sick of wasting my time googling and changing my mac settings trying to fix the issue lol.

Anyways, thank you very much your suggestion dropped my cpu from the high 200-300% to 100% which is still an improvment. Now if only it would go back down to less than 10% like before haha

 

[AL4727]

Uninstall and install again. I am on Ib's latest for years and I run at 1.7% in a quad core machine 2016 built, nothing fancy. I have always 4 screens open on 4 separate monitors. Obviously the error is not with TWS but your machine. Hence I would try to wipe and install again. Try also installing Java again.

Ive tried that many times, it doesnt work. But i have an update:

Yesterday TWS updated their latest version to the next one and it automatically installed when i tried to log in. The cpu after that update has dropped significantly - im using only 20-60% now no matter what i do in tws which is a HUGE improvement than before.

But either way im going to be picking up a windows laptop tomorrow, so my problem is technically "solved".

Ill log into mac tws in a month or so and see if the problem is fixed

Also, I dont believe its my mac as every other program i have works fantastic. Its only tws thats been giving me problems. Also, another poster has posted to this thread that for the last week or so tws has also been using up his macbook as well. So its not an isolated incident.

If anyone has any other solutions though, feel free to post to my thread, it might help someone else who has a mac!

 

[NoodleStrudle]

I am confused. Why is your problem solved with a windows machine when you just claimed I was wrong in my suggestion that the problem lies with your setup and not with TWS? A wild guess and possibly a wrong one could be that you have a very strange setting in Java or your GL settings and that all visual rendering is offloaded to your CPU instead of GPU. I would at least check into that direction.

Ive tried that many times, it doesnt work. But i have an update:

Yesterday TWS updated their latest version to the next one and it automatically installed when i tried to log in. The cpu after that update has dropped significantly - im using only 20-60% now no matter what i do in tws which is a HUGE improvement than before.

But either way im going to be picking up a windows laptop tomorrow, so my problem is technically "solved".

Ill log into mac tws in a month or so and see if the problem is fixed

Also, I dont believe its my mac as every other program i have works fantastic. Its only tws thats been giving me problems. Also, another poster has posted to this thread that for the last week or so tws has also been using up his macbook as well. So its not an isolated incident.

If anyone has any other solutions though, feel free to post to my thread, it might help someone else who has a mac!

 

[AL4727]

I am confused. Why is your problem solved with a windows machine when you just claimed I was wrong in my suggestion that the problem lies with your setup and not with TWS? A wild guess and possibly a wrong one could be that you have a very strange setting in Java or your GL settings and that all visual rendering is offloaded to your CPU instead of GPU. I would at least check into that direction.

Sorry i should have said before, i used a relatives laptop to check if tws for windows was doing the same thing and it was not. Cpu barely jumped over 7% when i was logged in on their windows so thats why my problem is "solved" because i am buying a windows laptop today specifically to run my tws.

And like i answered before, my setup and settings never changed on my mac, tws updated on march 28th and thats when this all started happening. And its not my mac only, poster on page 1 of this thread said his mac tws started doing this around the same time mine did. So thats why i think it has to do with tws update and not my mac. Ive reset everything i can, spent 3 hours on live chat with apple and my mac doesnt seem to be the problem unless i missed something.

I will look into your suggestion but the only java i have is the jar files in the tws folder. I dont have any java installed on my mac and i never have. When i go into applications there is no java icon. But when i go into tws file there are "JAR FILES". Maybe im missing something?

 

[NoodleStrudle]

You definitely have the Java runtime environment installed else you would not be able to run Java applications.

Sorry i should have said before, i used a relatives laptop to check if tws for windows was doing the same thing and it was not. Cpu barely jumped over 7% when i was logged in on their windows so thats why my problem is "solved" because i am buying a windows laptop today specifically to run my tws.

And like i answered before, my setup and settings never changed on my mac, tws updated on march 28th and thats when this all started happening. And its not my mac only, poster on page 1 of this thread said his mac tws started doing this around the same time mine did. So thats why i think it has to do with tws update and not my mac. Ive reset everything i can, spent 3 hours on live chat with apple and my mac doesnt seem to be the problem unless i missed something.

I will look into your suggestion but the only java i have is the jar files in the tws folder. I dont have any java installed on my mac and i never have. When i go into applications there is no java icon. But when i go into tws file there are "JAR FILES". Maybe im missing something?

 

[AL4727]

You definitely have the Java runtime environment installed else you would not be able to run Java applications.[/QUOTE

You definitely have the Java runtime environment installed else you would not be able to run Java applications.

Googled where to find the JRE on mac, still couldnt find it though... Scratching my head now because youre right about needing it to run java apps as everyone on java forums is saying that too. I sent oracle an email about it hopefully they can help me.

 

[HobbyTrading]

Googled where to find the JRE on mac, still couldnt find it though... Scratching my head now because youre right about needing it to run java apps as everyone on java forums is saying that too. I sent oracle an email about it hopefully they can help me.

I think that you don't need to worry about this. TWS comes bundled with its own Java installation. IB does this on purpose, so that they are assured that the correct version of Java is available for their TWS. You do NOT need to install Java separately.

 

[NoodleStrudle]

There are settings in the JRE that may collide with MacOS, that's why I brought it up.

I think that you don't need to worry about this. TWS comes bundled with its own Java installation. IB does this on purpose, so that they are assured that the correct version of Java is available for their TWS. You do NOT need to install Java separately.

 

[misterkel]

Hello, I literally just created an account on here because im having the following issue:

I have TWS latest installed on my macbook which updates automatically. Ever since the latest update on March 28 (version 970.1b) my cpu is in the high 200-300% for tws in my activity monitor. When i minimize it, the cpu drops back down to 5-10%

I only use tws to execute orders and for the last 2 years it hasnt given me any problems

Its not my macbook either because it only happens with TWS- no other trading platform or application.

Ive already tried un installing and installing stable and beta and offine versions of tws but the same thing keeps happening.

If anyone had or has a similar issue and can help id greatly appreciate it! I havent been able to log in for a week because im afraid of frying my macbook

Also i live chatted with Interactive brokers and they told me they couldnt do anything about it other than suggesting i install the stable version which i did and the problem hasnt resolved :/

Similar problem on a Mac desktop even. I had show all on the Options window and man - it took a LOONG time to load the AMZN chains. I cut the feed to fewer options and it worked better. Maybe one of your windows is drawing down too much data?