Bitcoin-QT **VERY** Slow to Acquire Blockchain in OS X Mavericks?

[nightengale]

I've a feeling this may be something on Apple's side, but I've gotten a brand new iMac 6 days ago and installed QT and started the blockchain download. 6 days later, I still have 45 weeks to go. I'm on a decently fast internet connection (+50 Mb). I've configured the system to disable sleeping when the screen goes off, and I've disabled the "App Nap" feature for Bitcoin-QT. Am beginning to feel like Apple has something against Bitcoin on the Mac side as well.  : /

Does anyone else know of a way to speed this up or what I'm doing wrong here?

[cr1776]

I resync'd the blockchain on a 2011 Mac Mini running Mavericks and it took about 72 hours.

You did the things I'd have suggested off the top of my head, but can you see the number of connections you have? What does activity monitor say? Does qt show anything in the console?

(This should probably go in a different section, btw. :-)  )

[nightengale]

Thanks for the response, have 39 active connections, nothing in the console window. I really think that it's something with Mavericks, because it only seems to make progress when I'm around the computer, using it. When I leave it overnight, doesn't seem to be progressing. I have an older MacBook as well, and got up to date in a few days on that machine. Other people have to be experiencing this same problem... Only other thing I can think of is that this machine has that FusionDrive option, which could somehow affect how QT is running...

[Mike Hearn]

The issue is AppNap. Disable that for Bitcoin-Qt and it should go faster.

[cr1776]

The statement that it isn't making progress at night makes Mike's statement almost assuredly the answer.

If you do a "get info" on bitcoin in the Finder, see what the checkbox for Prevent App Nap shows.

[nightengale]

Should have included in my OP, but I'd already disabled AppNap   

I ended up copying the block chain from my old system. Worked like a charm, but feel bad for noobs using Macs who may have the same problem.