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Micro-stuttering / hitch & Frametime spikes issue


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Hello @Flappie, I will activate power service and restore restore default power settings. I'll tell you the effect on DCS and Stuttering.
Something tells me that it may have something to do with disk power management as most of the stuttering happened when things are being loaded/read (ex : npc voices during mission).

I9 9900k | RTX 2080 | RAM: 32Gb | DCS Installed on SSD, W10 on another SSD | 1440p Screen | Trackir 5 | HP Reverb G1 | Hotas Warthog + Microsoft force feedback 2 stick + MFG Crosswind Pedals + Homemade 5 axis and  lots of button box.

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For me those two simple changes have been the solution to eliminate the micro stuttering completely (nVidia 2080 SUPER):

  1. deactivate VSync in the DCS options and
  2. set "Vertical Synchronisation" in the nVidia Control panel to "Fast" ("Schnell" is german and means "fast"):

20201227 Settings NVIDIA.png

This are my current DCS settings. System specification see signature.

20220107 DCS Options.jpg


Edited by AstonMartinDBS
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[Modules] A-10C, A-10C II, AH-64D, F-14A/B, F-16C, F/A-18C, FC3, Ka-50, P-51D, UH-1H, CA, SC
[Maps] PG, NTTR, Normandy, Sinai, Syria, TC

[OS] Windows 11 Pro
[PC] MSI Pro Z790-A, i9-13900K, 64 GB DDR5-5200, RTX 4090 24 GB GDDR6X, 2 x SSD 990 PRO 2 TB (M.2), Corsair 5000D Airflow, HX1500i, H150i RGB Elite, Acer X28, TM HOTAS Warthog (Grip@WarBRD Base), MS SW FFB2, Thrustmaster TFRP, TrackIR 5 & TrackClip Pro
[Checklists] A-10C, F-16C, F/A-18C, AH-64D, Ka-50, UH-1H

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Ok @Flappie I ran a tests for the 3 methods given in this link :

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/computer-starts-normally-only-when-power-service/67dcf6c1-4e67-4b2a-9a9e-8eae0d2342fb

First I simply reactivated power service in the same state I deactivated it: Stutters are back.

1/ Run the Power troubleshooter: Stutters are back.
2/ Restore default settings of power plan: Stutters are back.
3/ Create a power plan: Stutters are back.
 

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I9 9900k | RTX 2080 | RAM: 32Gb | DCS Installed on SSD, W10 on another SSD | 1440p Screen | Trackir 5 | HP Reverb G1 | Hotas Warthog + Microsoft force feedback 2 stick + MFG Crosswind Pedals + Homemade 5 axis and  lots of button box.

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Hi,

You may want to inspect the definition of the powerplan.

This can be found if you search: Edit power plan -> change advanced power settings

Something like this:

image.png

image.png

Be advised: the content you get depends on your setup, meaning you can see more or less settings than me. In my case I had to re-enabled some of the options I needed, since Dell did disable them!


Edited by okopanja
added another screenshot
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After I upgraded from 1070ti to 6800xt I was battleing wiered fps behavior, too.

 

Try to disable the Msi afterburner/Riva tuner... and use the in game frametime fps stats display...

Ironically the Program that shows you the problem  could be the problem itself...

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My System specs: Cpu 5800x3d liquid cooled GPU 7900XTX Ram 32GB 3600mhz cl16 Motherboard B550M MSI, Windows 10 PRO on NVMe Drive, DCS on its own SSD, Monitor Philips 32" 4k curved adaptive Sync framerate capped at 59fps, Trackir 5, VKB 

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when I deactivated the automatic feeding in
servises.msc I have 10 X more stuttering than before so I had to
reactivated it, on the other hand I noticed that my stuttering disappeared
when I deleted the I.A which served as my teammate .DCS becomes very fluid without follower I.A only on the map of Syria.🤔

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  • 4 months later...
2 hours ago, iRocco said:

I tried everything, power service, hot plug, new NVME drivers, etc. I still get horrible micro stutters. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the SSD / drive.

Have you tried to disable any sync technologie? (V-Sync, G-Sync, Freesync) Not only in game but in the gpu-driver. You will most likely get some screen tearing, but it's only for testing.
When you sit in a cold aircraft on a remote runway on the caucasus map and look around, you're ssd/drive should be doing nothing after initial preloading. When it still stutters, it's probably not the drive.

You could try to connect trackir to a different USB-Port - meaning to a different USB controller. Consult the manual of your MoBo. Some USB-Ports are connected to the CPU, some are connected to the chipset.

Just something to try if desperate. No guarantee for success.

"Muß ich denn jedes Mal, wenn ich sauge oder saugblase den Schlauchstecker in die Schlauchnut schieben?"

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Another thing to try, is the Nvidia Profile Inspector.

There you get under "sync and refresh" a couple of advanced options regarding v-sync. Play around with them and see if you can get improvements. Nothing to break there. You can always return to nvidia defaults with a simple button click.

"Muß ich denn jedes Mal, wenn ich sauge oder saugblase den Schlauchstecker in die Schlauchnut schieben?"

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8 hours ago, iRocco said:

I tried everything, power service, hot plug, new NVME drivers, etc.

Did you try to change those settings?

 

[Modules] A-10C, A-10C II, AH-64D, F-14A/B, F-16C, F/A-18C, FC3, Ka-50, P-51D, UH-1H, CA, SC
[Maps] PG, NTTR, Normandy, Sinai, Syria, TC

[OS] Windows 11 Pro
[PC] MSI Pro Z790-A, i9-13900K, 64 GB DDR5-5200, RTX 4090 24 GB GDDR6X, 2 x SSD 990 PRO 2 TB (M.2), Corsair 5000D Airflow, HX1500i, H150i RGB Elite, Acer X28, TM HOTAS Warthog (Grip@WarBRD Base), MS SW FFB2, Thrustmaster TFRP, TrackIR 5 & TrackClip Pro
[Checklists] A-10C, F-16C, F/A-18C, AH-64D, Ka-50, UH-1H

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  • 2 months later...

Some thread revival here, as i may have some helpful info. For the longest time i suffered from periodic hiccups in performance, that wouldn't always hit, but when they did they stayed there indefinitely, even after i restarted DCS. So about a week ago i found this forum and decided to try the disable power service and disable my anti virus during play. Lo and behold, this helped and the stutters did disappear. Until tonight that is. I flew around doing AAR, CASE I's and some instant action missions with no issues. And then i switched to a free flight mission during sunset. As i flew low over Beirut with all the city lights on the performance dropped (expectedly) from around 50 (my average) to around 30 or slightly bellow. 

This is when the funky stuff started again. After i flew over Beirut and into the sea, the average FPS got back to 50, but every few seconds it would drop to 30 or bellow. So turned off the mission. Started another mission in daylight and over desert. The stutters are back there as well. I change the map and the stutters remain. I turn off DCS, start it again and the stutters are still present.  

So in a moment of inspiration i change the resolution of DCS to the next lower 16:9 one (i was on 1980 x 1080 by default), DCS restarts itself for the settings to take effect, i start the same mission on Syria in brad daylight......et voila! The stutters are gone. I exit the mission, change the resolution to the default one, DCS restarts itself and the stutters are no longer there. I start flying real low, like treetop low over a densely forested area, the performance drops, and after i clear the area, the stutters are back. So what ever causes the stutters seems to go away when DCS restarts itself during settings change, but not during manual shut down of the program. 

 

@Flappie
Did someone report or noticed anything similar thus far?

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Modules: FC3, Mirage 2000C, Harrier AV-8B NA, F-5, AJS-37 Viggen, F-14B, F-14A, Combined Arms, F/A-18C, F-16C, MiG-19P, F-86, MiG-15, FW-190A, Spitfire Mk IX, UH-1 Huey, Su-25, P-51PD, Caucasus map, Nevada map, Persian Gulf map, Marianas map, Syria Map, Super Carrier, Sinai map, Mosquito, P-51, AH-64 Apache

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43 minutes ago, captain_dalan said:

Some thread revival here, as i may have some helpful info. For the longest time i suffered from periodic hiccups in performance, that wouldn't always hit, but when they did they stayed there indefinitely, even after i restarted DCS. So about a week ago i found this forum and decided to try the disable power service and disable my anti virus during play. Lo and behold, this helped and the stutters did disappear. Until tonight that is. I flew around doing AAR, CASE I's and some instant action missions with no issues. And then i switched to a free flight mission during sunset. As i flew low over Beirut with all the city lights on the performance dropped (expectedly) from around 50 (my average) to around 30 or slightly bellow. 

This is when the funky stuff started again. After i flew over Beirut and into the sea, the average FPS got back to 50, but every few seconds it would drop to 30 or bellow. So turned off the mission. Started another mission in daylight and over desert. The stutters are back there as well. I change the map and the stutters remain. I turn off DCS, start it again and the stutters are still present.  

So in a moment of inspiration i change the resolution of DCS to the next lower 16:9 one (i was on 1980 x 1080 by default), DCS restarts itself for the settings to take effect, i start the same mission on Syria in brad daylight......et voila! The stutters are gone. I exit the mission, change the resolution to the default one, DCS restarts itself and the stutters are no longer there. I start flying real low, like treetop low over a densely forested area, the performance drops, and after i clear the area, the stutters are back. So what ever causes the stutters seems to go away when DCS restarts itself during settings change, but not during manual shut down of the program. 

 

@Flappie
Did someone report or noticed anything similar thus far?

How much VRAM do you have on your GPU?  Syria Map is very VRAM hungry.  The map can consume 10GB of VRAM easily.  When you run out of VRAM things get copied from Dedicated to Shared VRAM.  This can cause stuttering.  You can watch the consumption of VRAM in the Task Manager.  Try setting Terrain Textures to LOW, and View Distance to LOW or MED.

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In this case, I tend to agree with Glide. When switching your resolution and restarting helped, it may very well be an VRAM related issue.

Though a "full" VRAM doesn't necessarily cause continuous stuttering. If it does, there is a different latent problem.

"Muß ich denn jedes Mal, wenn ich sauge oder saugblase den Schlauchstecker in die Schlauchnut schieben?"

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7 hours ago, captain_dalan said:

@Flappie

Did someone report or noticed anything similar

I agree with Glide. You ask for less work from your GPU and VRAM, and everything goes well becauss VRAM is not full. When you ask for more work (higher res), everything seems OK until VRAM is full.

When VRAM is full, your PC uses RAM, which is slower. Then when your RAM is full, your PC uses its pagefile, which is even slower.

I don't think your RAM is slow enough to give DCS noticeable hiccups. It is most likely your pagefile that is causing this. Check your pagefile drive access timings in Windows Resource Monitor: they should stay under 200ms.

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Don't accept indie game testing requests from friends in Discord. Ever.

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3 hours ago, Flappie said:

I agree with Glide. You ask for less work from your GPU and VRAM, and everything goes well becauss VRAM is not full. When you ask for more work (higher res), everything seems OK until VRAM is full.

When VRAM is full, your PC uses RAM, which is slower. Then when your RAM is full, your PC uses its pagefile, which is even slower.

I don't think your RAM is slow enough to give DCS noticeable hiccups. It is most likely your pagefile that is causing this. Check your pagefile drive access timings in Windows Resource Monitor: they should stay under 200ms.

Will try that tonight, when i get at home. 
Question 1: shouldn't VRAM, RAM and page file clear as i turn off DCS though? The stutters persist after it restart it manually. They only stop if it restarts itself when i change the settings. EDIT: it also happens on any map, it just happens to be Nevada and Syria i use most often. Once it does appear, it continues on any map as well.
Question 2: What parameter i am supposed to observe here exactly? <enclosed screenshot>

image.png

 

Or one of these?

image.png


Edited by captain_dalan
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Modules: FC3, Mirage 2000C, Harrier AV-8B NA, F-5, AJS-37 Viggen, F-14B, F-14A, Combined Arms, F/A-18C, F-16C, MiG-19P, F-86, MiG-15, FW-190A, Spitfire Mk IX, UH-1 Huey, Su-25, P-51PD, Caucasus map, Nevada map, Persian Gulf map, Marianas map, Syria Map, Super Carrier, Sinai map, Mosquito, P-51, AH-64 Apache

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1/ VRAM I don't know. But I believe Windows keeps in memory (and in its pagefile) program data that might be seful again in some time (programs that you use a lot).

2/ See here:

 

Don't accept indie game testing requests from friends in Discord. Ever.

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3 hours ago, captain_dalan said:

What parameter i am supposed to observe here exactly?

Resource Monitor (Performance Monitor) is overkill for this task.  Select Task Manager, click Performance tab, and click on your GPU. 

Screenshot 2022-08-10 080920.png


Edited by Glide
typo
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Tried all the missions i did last night, with the same settings, and flew for about 2 and half hours. There were drops in performance naturally, but the repeating hiccups didn't occur this time around. This is my GPU usage from min to max. All on Syria map. I did some other missions, including aerial refuels and dogfights, just to tax the machine. This is the best i could get. Thoughts? 
 

image.jpeg

beirut fly.jpg

max usage.jpg


Edited by captain_dalan
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Modules: FC3, Mirage 2000C, Harrier AV-8B NA, F-5, AJS-37 Viggen, F-14B, F-14A, Combined Arms, F/A-18C, F-16C, MiG-19P, F-86, MiG-15, FW-190A, Spitfire Mk IX, UH-1 Huey, Su-25, P-51PD, Caucasus map, Nevada map, Persian Gulf map, Marianas map, Syria Map, Super Carrier, Sinai map, Mosquito, P-51, AH-64 Apache

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I would also recommend changing process priority to see if this helps, you can obviously load the game up and use task manager to do this as a test rather than the registry or script hacks described here 

 

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Ryzen 5800x@5Ghz | 96gb DDR4 3200Mhz | Asus Rx6800xt TUF OC | 500Gb OS SSD + 1TB Gaming SSD | Asus VG27AQ | Trackhat clip | VPC WarBRD base | Thrustmaster stick and throttle (Deltasim minijoystick mod).

 

F14 | F16 | AJS37 | F5 | Av8b | FC3 | Mig21 | FW190D9 | Huey

 

Been playing DCS from Flanker 2.0 to present 😄

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23 hours ago, Sideburns said:

I would also recommend changing process priority to see if this helps, you can obviously load the game up and use task manager to do this as a test rather than the registry or script hacks described here 

 

Will keep this in mind, thanks! Last night and the night before i couldn't reproduce the issue, so maybe the power service was a fix. The stutters can occur on cycling through full screen or not, but that's a different matter and an even easier fix. Bookmarking this discussion! 

Modules: FC3, Mirage 2000C, Harrier AV-8B NA, F-5, AJS-37 Viggen, F-14B, F-14A, Combined Arms, F/A-18C, F-16C, MiG-19P, F-86, MiG-15, FW-190A, Spitfire Mk IX, UH-1 Huey, Su-25, P-51PD, Caucasus map, Nevada map, Persian Gulf map, Marianas map, Syria Map, Super Carrier, Sinai map, Mosquito, P-51, AH-64 Apache

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It certainly improved things for me, however I am noticed a lot of variation in stuttering with windows, graphics and driver updates recently. But I also run DCS BIOS and the UFC android app which can introduce their own latencies.

Ryzen 5800x@5Ghz | 96gb DDR4 3200Mhz | Asus Rx6800xt TUF OC | 500Gb OS SSD + 1TB Gaming SSD | Asus VG27AQ | Trackhat clip | VPC WarBRD base | Thrustmaster stick and throttle (Deltasim minijoystick mod).

 

F14 | F16 | AJS37 | F5 | Av8b | FC3 | Mig21 | FW190D9 | Huey

 

Been playing DCS from Flanker 2.0 to present 😄

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I got "lucky" tonight, if lucky is the word we can use here, and the stutters returned. I got a literal 5 to 12 call from a buddy in London for a short MP session, so jumped into DCS to warm up before flight. Punched the BFM instant action on the Caucasus map and bingo, stutters from the get go.  Here's a short video of how they look like, with the performance window opened as well. 
 


Adding the priority line to an alternate shortcut leading directly to the DCS exe seems to have resolved the issue. Performance on the Through the Inferno wasn't great, but that was a server wide issue, not specific to me. Is this the kind of stutters you guys were having?

Modules: FC3, Mirage 2000C, Harrier AV-8B NA, F-5, AJS-37 Viggen, F-14B, F-14A, Combined Arms, F/A-18C, F-16C, MiG-19P, F-86, MiG-15, FW-190A, Spitfire Mk IX, UH-1 Huey, Su-25, P-51PD, Caucasus map, Nevada map, Persian Gulf map, Marianas map, Syria Map, Super Carrier, Sinai map, Mosquito, P-51, AH-64 Apache

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