Meet using tons of CPU / GPU resources? How to fix?

[icrew]

This has been happening forever, but I'm finally getting around to asking:

On my mac (macOS Monterey 12.6 on a 2019 MacBook Pro with an Intel i9 and 32GB of RAM), Meet uses tons of processes, and lots of CPU and GPU time, and makes the fans go nuts/makes it uncomfortably hot to have on my lap. See the screenshot below for an example of what it looks like when I'm in a Meet meeting.

This happens regardless of whether I'm using Meet from Chrome (natively or via the PWA) or from Safari, so it's definitely not a cookies/cache/etc. issue. It also doesn't happen when I'm using Zoom, so it's not a more generic videoconferencing issue.

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[KAM]

@icrew are you using anything like backgrounds or blurring?  -KAM

[icrew]

Thanks @KAM ! I was using blurring at the time. I'll do some experimenting the next time I'm on a Meet to see if that's the cause. (FWIW, blurring/backgrounds on Zoom don't spike the CPU.)

Much appreciated,

Ian

[KAM]

@icrew when the features for blurring first arrived, you needed a machine with some decent specs like 4 cores.  They've recently launched cloud features that offload the processing so this KB doesn't reference the requirements from before but take a look here: https://support.google.com/meet/answer/10058482?hl=en&fl=1#zippy=%2Clearn-what-you-need-for-cloud-ba...  You might want to make sure you have hw acceleration enabled, for example. -KAM

[icrew]

Thanks again!

I just read through that page. Hardware acceleration was already enabled, and my browser (Chrome 107) supports Web GL 2 without the "performance caveat". My machine is 3 years old, but it was the biggest, baddest, beefiest MacBook Pro Apple sold in mid-2019:

The GPU is a Radeon Pro 560X.

Testing it a bit with a one-person meeting, it does seem like you might be on to something with the thing about the blurred background. In a meeting with no other participants, Without the blurred background it takes about 25% of the CPU. With blurring turned on, it takes around 40-50% CPU (and causes a bunch more fan noise). I'll try again once I'm in a meeting with someone else.

Thanks,

Ian

[cryptochrome]

This definitely shouldn't happen on that kind of machine you have there. Something else is off. Do you have any other software installed that "does stuff" with the camera, by any chance? Some kind of filters for other software, tools like Krisp, etc. - I'd start there. 

Also, try doing the Meet in an incognito window to make sure none of your Chrome extensions interfere. I know you said you have the same problem with Safari, but it's still worth a shot. Just to rule things out. 

[skurlow]

I'm having more severe issues with a similar slightly less spec'd Macbook. This only started happening last few months. 😞 Now the excessive demands Google Meet has on my macbook is causing hardware faults on my WiFi such that the wifi chip overheats and shuts down and I lose internet access for few minutes maybe few calls a day. I will turn off some of the effects such as animated background to understand how that helps.

[icrew]

Sorry, I never did find a good solution—I eventually just upgraded to a new Mac, and it seems less problematic on that new machine, so I stopped worrying about it. I know that’s less than helpful, but maybe a tiny bit better than no reply at all?

[rvertemati]

I switched to my old-fashioned iPhone X to hold calls on meet. If I eventually have to share my screen, I also log in using my Macbook only to do it. No cameras, no Bluetooth audio (another issue I found using Meet), only screen sharing.

Shame on Google for that 😞