External display/monitor causes M4 Macbook to crash/hang

[theanimaster-1383]

When playing a co-op game a 2024 14” M4 Pro MacBook Pro connected to a 32” OLED display (whether via HDMI -or- USB-C) the MacBook freezes after a few minutes of gameplay: screen freezes and is not responsive to any input (force quit or command-tab); Hard reset required.

I thought maybe it’s the MacBook — but I was able to get the game to crash in the same way on my son’s 2024 14” M4 (regular) MacBook Pro.

I chatted with Apple Support about it and they directed me to try playing the game in Safe Mode. So far, it is working! I played a full co-op mission without it crashing/hanging. But this is just one game — I will test more.

EDIT: SAFE MODE DOESNT WORK - IT STILL CRASHES! I also tried disabling GAME MODE and IT STILL CRASHES. So I’m totally lost here.

Only crashes when connected to an external monitor — whether direct via USB-C or HDMI or via Thunderbolt Dock (using thunderbolt 4 dock from OWC).

[GlassTossGSL-2131]

You shouldn’t be playing this game on a laptop bro.

[theanimaster-1383]

Ok… so I think I’m closer to figuring it out. I tested the MacBooks with other monitors we have (including a display tablet) — AND NO CRASHES! I have never heard of a display that can cause a kernel panic in a Mac??? Turns out the crashes are only happening with my 32” MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED monitor. Like, wtf? Now I’m going to have to install Windows on my Mac mini just to update the firmware and pray it works.