Avoid high kernel_task utilization on 2005 PowerBooks

Aug 12, '05 08:53:00AM

Contributed by: jrk

Like many 2005 PowerBook owners, I have been frustrated with the apparent bug in Apple's new USB trackpad driver on these machines which forces idle kernel_task utilization upwards of 7% at all times, dramatically reducing battery life, lowering system performance, and preventing the machine from cooling down while relatively idle.

Well, after several months living with this frustrating bug, I was further frustrated to see that there were still no widely-publicized solutions. I decided to stop waiting and try to address the bug myself by simply removing Apple's trackpad driver from the equation.

To my (pleasant) surprise, installing the SideTrack 1.2 trackpad driver fixed the problem completely, driving idle kernel_task utilization down as low as 1%.

While I would rather not have to use SideTrack forever, not only has it improved my battery life and idle temperature, it also definitively demonstrates that, indeed, it is Apple's new 2-finger scrolling trackpad drivers in 10.4 which are to blame. Hopefully now they'll do something about fixing them in 10.4.3.

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