diff --git a/candle-core/src/metal_backend.rs b/candle-core/src/metal_backend.rs
index 673e6e11..aa97c04a 100644
--- a/candle-core/src/metal_backend.rs
+++ b/candle-core/src/metal_backend.rs
@@ -4,11 +4,8 @@ use crate::op::{BinaryOpT, CmpOp, ReduceOp, UnaryOpT};
 use crate::{CpuStorage, DType, Layout, Result, Shape};
 use candle_metal_kernels;
 use candle_metal_kernels::Kernels;
-use cudarc::driver::DeviceRepr;
 use metal;
-use metal::{
-    Buffer, CommandBuffer, CommandQueue, MTLPurgeableState, MTLResourceOptions, NSUInteger,
-};
+use metal::{Buffer, CommandBuffer, CommandQueue, MTLResourceOptions, NSUInteger};
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::ffi::c_void;
 use std::path::Path;
@@ -1546,12 +1543,11 @@ impl BackendDevice for MetalDevice {
             Ok(val) => val.parse()?,
             _ => 20,
         };
-        let s = device.new_buffer_with_data(
-            299792458 as *const u32 as *const c_void,
+        let seed = Arc::new(Mutex::new(device.new_buffer_with_data(
+            [299792458].as_ptr() as *const c_void,
             4,
             MTLResourceOptions::StorageModeManaged,
-        )?;
-        let seed = Arc::new(Mutex::new(s));
+        )));
         Ok(Self {
             device,
             fence,
@@ -1676,19 +1672,16 @@ impl BackendDevice for MetalDevice {
     }
 
     fn set_seed(&self, seed: u64) -> Result<()> {
-        if seed > u32::MAX as u64 {
-            MetalError::Message("Metal seed must be less than or equal to u32::MAX".to_string())?
+        let seed: u32 = seed.try_into().map_err(|_| {
+            MetalError::Message("Metal seed must be less than or equal to u32::MAX".to_string())
+        })?;
+
+        let seed_buffer = self.seed.try_lock().map_err(MetalError::from)?;
+        let contents = seed_buffer.contents();
+        unsafe {
+            std::ptr::copy([seed].as_ptr(), contents as *mut u32, 4);
         }
-        let seed = seed as u32;
-
-        let mut s = self.seed.try_lock().map_err(MetalError::from)?;
-        *s.set_purgeable_state(MTLPurgeableState::Empty);
-
-        *s = self.device.new_buffer_with_data(
-            &seed as *const u32 as *const c_void,
-            8,
-            MTLResourceOptions::StorageModeManaged,
-        )?;
+        seed_buffer.did_modify_range(metal::NSRange::new(0, 4));
 
         Ok(())
     }
diff --git a/candle-metal-kernels/src/random.metal b/candle-metal-kernels/src/random.metal
index 5eae2715..a7e48393 100644
--- a/candle-metal-kernels/src/random.metal
+++ b/candle-metal-kernels/src/random.metal
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ static constexpr constant int3 S1 = {13, 19, 12};
 static constexpr constant int3 S2 = {2, 25, 4};
 static constexpr constant int3 S3 = {3, 11, 17};
 
+// Used to prevent bad seeds.
 static constexpr constant uint64_t PHI[16] = {
     0x9E3779B97F4A7C15,
     0xF39CC0605CEDC834,
@@ -110,10 +111,6 @@ struct HybridTaus {
     }
 };
 
-METAL_FUNC float absdiff(float x, float y) {
-    return abs(x - y);
-}
-
 template<typename T> METAL_FUNC void rand_uniform(
     constant size_t &size,
     constant float &min,
@@ -126,14 +123,16 @@ template<typename T> METAL_FUNC void rand_uniform(
         return;
     }
 
-    float diff = absdiff(min, max);
+    float diff = abs(min - max);
     HybridTaus rng = HybridTaus::init({ulong(seed), tid, 1, 1});
     out[tid] = static_cast<T>(rng.rand() * diff + min);
-    out[size - tid] = static_cast<T>(rng.rand() * diff + min);
-
     if (tid == 0) {
         atomic_store_explicit(seed, uint(rng.rand() * UNIF01_NORM32), memory_order_relaxed);
+        // Return early if tid == 0, otherwise we will write to out[size].
+        return;
     }
+    // Use symmetry to fill the other half of the array.
+    out[size - tid] = static_cast<T>(rng.rand() * diff + min);
 }
 
 // Create Gaussian normal distribution using Box-Muller transform:
@@ -160,11 +159,14 @@ template<typename T> METAL_FUNC void normal(
     float z1  = mag * sinval + mean;
 
     out[tid] = static_cast<T>(z0);
-    out[size - tid] = static_cast<T>(z1);
 
     if (tid == 0) {
         atomic_store_explicit(seed, uint(rng.rand() * UNIF01_NORM32), memory_order_relaxed);
+        // Return early if tid == 0, otherwise we will write to out[size].
+        return;
     }
+    // Use symmetry to fill the other half of the array.
+    out[size - tid] = static_cast<T>(z1);
 }
 
 #define UNIFORM_OP(NAME, T)                             \