CPU running 4 cores won’t shut down but 2 cores will

[GeorgeJames]

Thanks, that will need some careful studying.

Interesting how different the configs seem to be despite my system working perfectly except for this non-shutting down with 4 cores. Would any of the differences solve this problem?

Incidently I went through my config and removed one by on ALL the ticked boxes and except for slide=0 and npci=0x2000 the computer still booted and worked as far as I tested it.

I’ll get back to you when I have a solution but in the mean time I invite anyone to make suggestions how the subject problem may be solved with my current clover setup.

 

[GeorgeJames]

This question might be outside the scope of the forum but if I don’t ask I can’t be certain.

I can shutdown my hack if 1-2 cores are running but 3-4 refuses to shutdown (except randomly and very occasionally) but reboots instead.

At the site: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/qa/qa1141/_index.html

It suggested the cores can be turned Off/0n dynamically using Xcode/Chud.

It might be possible then when I want to shut down, with 4 cores, running Xcode (via a script) to limit to 1 core then shutdown. Of course no idea whether it would work.

Does anyone have any advice on any pitfalls if I install Xcode and then run it as I suggest?

 

[Feartech]

This question might be outside the scope of the forum but if I don’t ask I can’t be certain.

I can shutdown my hack if 1-2 cores are running but 3-4 refuses to shutdown (except randomly and very occasionally) but reboots instead.

At the site: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/qa/qa1141/_index.html

It suggested the cores can be turned Off/0n dynamically using Xcode/Chud.

It might be possible then when I want to shut down, with 4 cores, running Xcode (via a script) to limit to 1 core then shutdown. Of course no idea whether it would work.

Does anyone have any advice on any pitfalls if I install Xcode and then run it as I suggest?

how are you getting on with opencore?

 

[GeorgeJames]

As mentioned above I thought Xcode might be the answer to reducing the cores running while system was booted and so I’d be able to shut down computer.

After “some” investigation I found a slider window in the depths of Xcode where I could change the cores running to 3,2 or 1. Having reduced to 1 core the computer could be shutdown whereas it wouldn’t when 4 cores were running.

I had ‘some’ difficulty getting an Automator application to run as it needed SecurityAgent to be active.

Anyway eventual success.

So at the press of a button I can shut the computer down.

In addition through System Preference I can set the shutdown time and in Calendar I can have the core reduction app run 5 minutes before that time.

When system is rebooted it automatically starts up and remains with 4 cores.

All good.

 

[Feartech]

As mentioned above I thought Xcode might be the answer to reducing the cores running while system was booted and so I’d be able to shut down computer.

After “some” investigation I found a slider window in the depths of Xcode where I could change the cores running to 3,2 or 1. Having reduced to 1 core the computer could be shutdown whereas it wouldn’t when 4 cores were running.

I had ‘some’ difficulty getting an Automator application to run as it needed SecurityAgent to be active.

Anyway eventual success.

So at the press of a button I can shut the computer down.

In addition through System Preference I can set the shutdown time and in Calendar I can have the core reduction app run 5 minutes before that time.

When system is rebooted it automatically starts up and remains with 4 cores.

All good.

seems like a lot of unnecessary work

 

[GeorgeJames]

seems like a lot of unnecessary work

Quite to the contrary completely necessary work, to get my system purring, as none of the previous suggestions and my many other trials hadn’t worked. In the end a rather smooth solution. A lot less work and risk that trying OpenCore as I have said previously.

I suspect that OpenCore would not have worked either as I think it is the combination of my hardware set up that causes the errant shutdown etc. as I found out with the difficulty of restarting with Samsung 870 SSD (a previous thread). I agree I can’t be certain without doing it.

Of course I am still open to suggestions and I will assess the risk and time against the rewards.

Your, et al, help with suggestions was appreciated.

 

[Feartech]

Quite to the contrary completely necessary work, to get my system purring, as none of the previous suggestions and my many other trials hadn’t worked. In the end a rather smooth solution. A lot less work and risk that trying OpenCore as I have said previously.

I suspect that OpenCore would not have worked either as I think it is the combination of my hardware set up that causes the errant shutdown etc. as I found out with the difficulty of restarting with Samsung 870 SSD (a previous thread). I agree I can’t be certain without doing it.

Of course I am still open to suggestions and I will assess the risk and time against the rewards.

Your, et al, help with suggestions was appreciated.

That is why you use a USB to test opencore with so you don't break anything

 

[Middleman]

@GeorgeJames,

I have had a quick look at your Coffee Lake EFI specs against my Coffee Lake system EFI.
I am thinking it's possible you may need a combination of several SSDTs, starting with SSDT-AWAC.
This is what SSDTs I have for my Acer H370 system running on Monterey:

At the very least you'll need SSDT-AWAC, SSDT-EC-USBX, SSDT-PLUG, SSDT-PMC and SSDT-SBUS-MCHC for Coffee Lake (in my experience). It is also likely your SSDT.aml may be incompatible (causing the shutdown issues) so will need to be removed.

 

[GeorgeJames]

@GeorgeJames,

I have had a quick look at your Coffee Lake EFI specs against my Coffee Lake system EFI.
I am thinking it's possible you may need a combination of several SSDTs, starting with SSDT-AWAC.
This is what SSDTs I have for my Acer H370 system running on Monterey:

View attachment 555240
At the very least you'll need SSDT-AWAC, SSDT-EC-USBX, SSDT-PLUG, SSDT-PMC and SSDT-SBUS-MCHC for Coffee Lake (in my experience). It is also likely your SSDT.aml may be incompatible (causing the shutdown issues) so will need to be removed.

Thanks Middleman,
Firstly I apologise for not responding earlier but I didn't pick up that you had posted.

Thanks for your help and suggestion I shall get the main SSDTs you suggested together and try in the next couple of days.

I have checked the EFI and Clover attachments at posts #1 and #23 but cannot see SSDT.aml, can you please clarify which EFI I posted you refer to and can you tell me where SSDT.aml is in EFI?

 

[Middleman]

Thanks Middleman,
Firstly I apologise for not responding earlier but I didn't pick up that you had posted.

Thanks for your help and suggestion I shall get the main SSDTs you suggested together and try in the next couple of days.

I have checked the EFI and Clover attachments at posts #1 and #23 but cannot see SSDT.aml, can you please clarify which EFI I posted you refer to and can you tell me where SSDT.aml is in EFI?

Okay sure, and yes don't worry about the late reply, I do that sometimes too.

As for the SSDT.aml I may have wrote that in error (so you can ignore that). SSDT.aml is a file generated by the SSDTPrGen script that is used to help regulate the power management of an unsupported CPU. Most systems unless older than Skylake do not require a SSDT.aml these days for the CPU since the majority of them (Intel or AMD) are detected by macOS using VirtualSMC or related plugins such as SMCProcessor. If there is any need to manage the CPU's power further we can use either CPUFriend & CPUFriendData.kext or turn it on via OC's Kernel > Quirks as ProvideCurrentCPUInfo although that acts more as a CPU identifier setting for the system I believe.