Micro-stutters when connected to internet

[Spike88]

I built this computer back in December 2018 with a primary purpose of playing DCS and other sims, and I've had constant FPS microstutters since then(issues that I never had with my weaker gaming laptop). My FPS would be at 144(screen refresh rate) on the menu and suddenly drop to 10-20, in game it would be 50-60 and drop to 8-20, which would cause discernible lag.

 

 

I tried all the various fixes people suggested, installed an extra SSD just for DCS, upgraded from a 1060 to a 2080, and recently reinstalled windows all trying to resolve the issue, to no avail.

 

 

Today while watching my performance in task manager, I noticed my WIFI connection is constantly fluxing. After trying everything else, I say 'Why not?', disconnect from my WIFI, and instantly my FPS goes to a steady 72FPS(144 on menu). If I turn the WIFI back on, the game starts microstuttering again.

 

 

On one hand, my microstutter issue is now resolved, on the other hand, this means I can't play multiplayer. The thing I don't understand is that my laptop was always WIFI and never had issues with the connection.

Looking in the resource monitor, I notice the two biggest users of my connection are svchost and dashost. Does anyone have suggestions for how to resolve this issue?

 

 

My specs are:

i7-9700k

Geforce 2080 8gb

32gig ram at 3000mhz

500gig SSD for OS

500gig SSD for DCS

2TB Hybrid for Data and other games

 

 

I'm using a Gigabyte dual channel card for my internet. On the topic of a wired connection, my router is downstairs and my computer is upstairs, also all of my Ethernet ports on my router are in use. If it would resolve my issue, I could always get an ethernet cable splitter and run a cable upstairs. I also have someone offering a free router that I could set up upstairs if that would be a viable option.

 

 

I don't have these issues with any other game besides DCS.

 

 

Edit:For Clarification, my firewall is allowing DCS through, and I still have the issue if I disable my firewall along with windows firewall.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Spike88

[BitMaster]

Likely your WiFi card is causing I/O trouble on the board. It may share lanes with a thing you also use heavily ( PCH bound ).

 

1. You can try disabling ALL chips and extras you dont need and see if that helps, but I doubt.

2. Try an external, USB driven, WiFi ( and disable the onboard one )

3. ( my best bet ), hook up another Router as AP and connect to that with your LAN card.

like this: Router<--WiFi-->AP<--LAN-->PC

[Drac]

Check your Internet speed using this link if you haven't done so already: https://www.speedtest.net/

[Spike88]

Likely your WiFi card is causing I/O trouble on the board. It may share lanes with a thing you also use heavily ( PCH bound ).

 

1. You can try disabling ALL chips and extras you dont need and see if that helps, but I doubt.

2. Try an external, USB driven, WiFi ( and disable the onboard one )

3. ( my best bet ), hook up another Router as AP and connect to that with your LAN card.

like this: Router<--WiFi-->AP<--LAN-->PC

 

 

On 3, you mean with the ethernet port built into my mobo, right?

 

 

Check your Internet speed using this link if you haven't done so already: https://www.speedtest.net/

It's not my network speed. I get 465Mbps download, 41.06 upload, and 13ms ping.

[BitMaster]

yes, connect your Mobo's LAN port to a 2nd Router/AP that connects to your primary Router with WiFi.

 

And disable your onboard WiFi if the above works.

[GPatricks]

I followed the advice above, am now plugged directly into the router that is also the wireless connection from my Internet provider. I have disabled/uninstalled the wireless software and drivers (Killer Control Panel) and disabled the wireless adapter in Network properties. I looked in BIOS but I see no setting for it, so that's about it. I'm using the OEM P51D Instant Action ground attack mission to test. I was getting a 1 second pause every 6 seconds before, now I was smooth as silk until I came up on the convoy and then got slight stutters every few seconds. I kept making passes on the convoy and after the second pass.. no more stutters! I don't have time to run it again but i'll report back after another try..

 

Edit: I just check the cores and DCS has all enabled.. i'm starting to think this may be G-Sync related, will play with that next. Also may try lowering FSAA and Anisotropic.

 

System:

Alienware R4 Win10 Pro

i7-7820HK @ 2.9gz

16 gb

512GB SSD Boot drive (DCS installed here)

GTX 1080 card

Output to a new LG 32GK850G-B 32" G-Sync monitor at 144hz

Edited July 20, 2019 by GaryR

[Spike88]

yes, connect your Mobo's LAN port to a 2nd Router/AP that connects to your primary Router with WiFi.

 

And disable your onboard WiFi if the above works.

 

 

I ran a 100ft Ethernet cable from downstairs to upstairs and physically uninstalled my wireless network card. Unfortunately I'm still having the same issue when connected to the internet.

 

 

Edit: After noting spoolsv(process for spooling printing tasks) was a primary user of my internet connection and turning off my printer, my network usage immediately went down, and the lag went away. My printer is an Officejet 3830, that is connected to my wireless network. I could just leave the printer off while gaming, but I can already see issues arising where my wife wants to print while I'm gaming. Strangely, I don't have this issue with my laptop that's also connected to the wireless network.

 

 

 

I've also realized I'm having the same issue in Ghost Recon Wildlands(although a lot less severe) and Splinter Cell Blacklist, in both cases turning off the printer fixed the issue.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Spike88

[BitMaster]

Haha, yeah, you are NOT the first one with this finding. Well done !

 

Do laptop and gaming PC use the same drivers for your printer ? Maybe that could help if not the same.

 

Get a proper LAN printer, that could fix it too, or build a small printing box with an old PC if energy consumption is not your biggest concern.

 

I use a LAN printer btw. Brother MFC series.

[hansangb]

I ran a 100ft Ethernet cable from downstairs to upstairs and physically uninstalled my wireless network card. Unfortunately I'm still having the same issue when connected to the internet.

 

 

Edit: After noting spoolsv(process for spooling printing tasks) was a primary user of my internet connection and turning off my printer, my network usage immediately went down, and the lag went away. My printer is an Officejet 3830, that is connected to my wireless network. I could just leave the printer off while gaming, but I can already see issues arising where my wife wants to print while I'm gaming. Strangely, I don't have this issue with my laptop that's also connected to the wireless network.

 

 

 

I've also realized I'm having the same issue in Ghost Recon Wildlands(although a lot less severe) and Splinter Cell Blacklist, in both cases turning off the printer fixed the issue.

 

I can't imagine your printer is spewing that much traffic. Are you checking from your router to see who's using your ISP connection?

 

Do you need to print from the Internet or remotely? If not, manually assign the IP on the printer and remove the gateway IP. That way, you can print normally from the network, but the printer won't be able to contact the Internet.

 

What printer do you have?

[BitMaster]

I suspect it's the software on Windows that troubles him as his wife's PC has none of those issues.

 

He's not the 1st one reporting such behavior with "bad" LAN printers.

[hansangb]

But I'm thinking he's wife is blissfully unaware since she doesn't play DCS?

 

Anyway, good tip is to always set the minimum protocols on the printer. Otherwise SLP (service location protocol) and every other protocol can chatter away.

 

Also, to the OP, make sure you don't have couple of hundred documents in your printer queue. Just the other day, I was helping someone who had a very laggy computer. When I saw the top talker, I opened the printer queue and it had 350+ docs that didn't print. He said "yeah, sometimes, things don't print and I have to print it out again. Sometimes, it prints hours later" :)

[jeffmaysefaith79]

I am having the same microstutters with ethernet cable plugged in. even in single player. If I disconnect cable they go away. Have tried every fix suggested.

[GPatricks]

I am having the same microstutters with Ethernet cable plugged in. even in single player. If I disconnect cable they go away. Have tried every fix suggested.

 

If no newer drivers are available for whatever Ethernet chipset you have, you can try uninstalling the Ethernet Controller in Device Manger and rebooting. Windows will normally reinstall it automatically, but download the latest drivers to have on hand JIC... I know that's what I would try if having a Cat5 cable plugged in made a difference after testing the theory 5-10 times, because this is one finicky game.

[BitMaster]

I am having the same microstutters with ethernet cable plugged in. even in single player. If I disconnect cable they go away. Have tried every fix suggested.

 

I do not think that it is caused by your NIC driver but by a process that communicates via that network interface card.

 

Typical suspects are:

 

- LAN printer

- NAS devices

- DLNA or other Media devices, like Smart-TV, connected Hifi equipment, Google/Amazon/Apple devices

- infections ( not likely but possible )

 

To test that you could switch off WLAN in your network to eliminate WLAN connected devices and also pull all LAN cable other than your PC. If that cures it, reconnect 1 by 1 until you get the stutter back. Once you have found the bad device...that's another thing how to deal with that.

 

Get back once you know which device/service causes it.

[hansangb]

You can also get a clue by using the Network tab of the Resource Monitor (built in app). There are other surefire ways, but it may require more learning curve than necessary.

[GPatricks]

You can also get a clue by using the Network tab of the Resource Monitor (built in app). There are other surefire ways, but it may require more learning curve than necessary.

 

NRM is a good generic way of seeing what is using your bandwidth. In my case the biggest offender was Lcore.exe, a Logitech program that is totally unnecessary. I disabled it and also blocked it in the Firewall. If you have email/browsers/VPNs/etc. turned off you should see very little traffic and any offender should pop to the top of the list. Good call hansangb.

[Gryzor]

It seems (after various test) that adding the file autoexec.cfg in USER\DCS\Config with the parameter "options.graphics.maxfps = 400" solves this issue. Yesterday I have the same sort of stutterings.

[GPatricks]

It seems (after various test) that adding the file autoexec.cfg in USER\DCS\Config with the parameter "options.graphics.maxfps = 400" solves this issue. Yesterday I have the same sort of stuttering.

 

How did you come up with this Gryzor.... and you are here in Valencia? Seems like it would be something to add in Options.lua as there is no autoexec.cfg there now.

Edited August 12, 2019 by GaryR

[Gryzor]

Yes, I live in Valencia. You have to create the file with txt editor, and put that line into it.

[GPatricks]

Yes, I live in Valencia. You have to create the file with txt editor, and put that line into it.

 

Cool, i'm in Ruzafa. Can you give me an idea on where you read/heard about this?

[Gryzor]

Cool, i'm in Ruzafa. Can you give me an idea on where you read/heard about this?

 

I did for myself, only by testing. The fps = 400 I thinkl that was used by someone to prevent some sort of stutterings related to vsyn.

[Mustang]

It seems (after various test) that adding the file autoexec.cfg in USER\DCS\Config with the parameter "options.graphics.maxfps = 400" solves this issue. Yesterday I have the same sort of stutterings.

 

Also try maxfps = 0 as this completely disables the FPS cap completely.