Sudden 100% GPU usage ramp up

[The_Nephilim]

2 hours ago, Vitralette said:

 

Well could be that things changed through the updates. At the time of testing these were my findings for my system.

 

Due to the fact that the problem described in this thread was never addressed by the devs nor was anybody here apperarently able to solve it, I mostly quit the game, so I never followed up on this config. It's a shame really, but you can put all the budget into dynamics and systems as you want, if the engine sucks, it sucks. 

 

Well to be honest your issue appears to be you are running to high resolution I seen your screenshot and in the OP you had 1.7x the res that is probally way too high.. In the other screenshot you had it at like 5000 something res that is not native..

 

Now I am not a fan boy but since I OC'd the snot out of my PC and I only have a 1080 GTX my  game has been running with ASW 40FPS solid most times and I had pretty high settings.. What all you guys/gals are doing wrong is running the res and hz too high..

 

I have a Rift S and hardly see any issues.. whilst it is not perfect and get an occasional spike but overall very playable with lesser gear then some of you guys have.. my specs are in the sig if you have better then me and are running lower graphics well it is not all DCS's fault..

Edited August 21, 2021 by The_Nephilim

[eaglecash867]

2 hours ago, Vitralette said:

 

Well could be that things changed through the updates. At the time of testing these were my findings for my system.

 

Due to the fact that the problem described in this thread was never addressed by the devs nor was anybody here apperarently able to solve it, I mostly quit the game, so I never followed up on this config. It's a shame really, but you can put all the budget into dynamics and systems as you want, if the engine sucks, it sucks. 

It has always been this way, ever since DCS started getting more and more VR components added to it.  The biggest performance issues are caused by running super-sampling too high in whatever VR software you use, running DCS PD too high, shadows too high, cockpit displays resolution too high, trees too high, and MSAA too high.  Pretty much everything else, settings-wise, has a noticeable effect on visuals, with very little negative impact on performance.  Its all a matter of balancing those critical items in a way that gives you, as an individual, the best possible experience.  Motion reprojection/ASW are also critical components that determine how good your experience is, and that too depends on individual preferences.  I started in VR on this sim with a 980ti, then went to a 1080ti (that was where I noticed the biggest improvement in performance).  After that came the 2080ti, which gave a barely-noticeable performance boost, with noticeably better visual quality at the same settings.  The 3090 I now have was another bump in quality and performance, and now I'm able to run slightly higher DCS PD and SteamVR SS.  The biggest boost I ever saw in performance though was when I went from a Rift CV1 to an HP Reverb G1.  The higher native resolution allowed me to use significantly less supersampling, and supersampling/DCS PD are probably the biggest performance impactors.

[Vitralette]

vor 8 Stunden schrieb The_Nephilim:

 

Well to be honest your issue appears to be you are running to high resolution I seen your screenshot and in the OP you had 1.7x the res that is probally way too high.. In the other screenshot you had it at like 5000 something res that is not native..

 

Now I am not a fan boy but since I OC'd the snot out of my PC and I only have a 1080 GTX my  game has been running with ASW 40FPS solid most times and I had pretty high settings.. What all you guys/gals are doing wrong is running the res and hz too high..

 

I have a Rift S and hardly see any issues.. whilst it is not perfect and get an occasional spike but overall very playable with lesser gear then some of you guys have.. my specs are in the sig if you have better then me and are running lower graphics well it is not all DCS's fault..

 

 

I will just repost what I already wrote regarding resolution. x1.7 will indeed result in native resolution for the sweetspot of the quest 2. Everything lower is undersampling. No other program shows any problems with these settings except DCS. But, just to answer the question, the problem persists for any other resolution tested (down to 1.0 @ 72hz).

 

The reference given here is not some guy (Volga Aksoy) on twitter but one of the lead devs on the quest 2.

 

Zitat

First of, when it comes to the Q2 pixel density > 1 is not a relevant parameter anymore (for my system at least). When running at native resolution the quality in the sweetspot is stunning. To achieve native resolution (3664x1920) in the sweetspot you will need to set render resolution to 5408x2736 (due to lense barrel distortion). This is the most confusing part about the Q2 setup because most people think setting the slider to x1.7 (=5408x2736) is a supersampling multiplier, which it isnt. This Tweet by Volga Aksoy explaines this. So if your systems is able to run 1:1 app-to-display pixel ratio (PD = 1.0) you are already getting a crystal clear image, no need for supersampling. This is also the reason I never considered the G2. Spending alot of money on high res panels which I'm probably never be able to properly drive doesn't sound appealing to me. Regarding bitrate: I personally leave at 150 because I never encountered any noticable compression artifacts. But you could crank it up to 500. I never saw any difference.

 

[Hoirtel]

I run a Q2 in DCS and have no problems. Yes I'm on 3090 and I run full oculus res. However from extensive testing I know that doing this at 90hz is demanding. I prefer 80 as it gives more visual headroom. Also adding in any supersampling at this resolution is an instant cripple. Do do it. I don't need it to be honest. I can read and see everything. I wouldn't expect a 3070 with around half the cudas to be able to run a Q2 at this setting.Ido get 100% GPU usage. Not sure if this is sudden, or wrong. Is it hot. Yes. Are the fans running. Yes. Do I ever get slowdowns. Yes. But I don't see there is any problem. 

[The_Nephilim]

16 hours ago, Vitralette said:

 

I will just repost what I already wrote regarding resolution. x1.7 will indeed result in native resolution for the sweetspot of the quest 2. Everything lower is undersampling. No other program shows any problems with these settings except DCS. But, just to answer the question, the problem persists for any other resolution tested (down to 1.0 @ 72hz).

 

The reference given here is not some guy (Volga Aksoy) on twitter but one of the lead devs on the quest 2.

 

 

well maybe for the quest 2 IDK but he does mention if you are able to run a 1:1 PD 1.0 they there should be no need for SS.  I read the tweet but it does not make sense that you would need to be higher then the panel res? I understand he noted Panel distortion but it still seems way high for a panel distortion.

 

If I went that high 1.7 with my Rift S there is no way it would work with my current system in DCS.. But like you stated the problem persisted down to 1.0 well there could be something wrong somewhere in your system perhaps does not make sence that you lowered the res and still had stutters or whatnot?

 

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by The_Nephilim

[Hoirtel]

7 hours ago, The_Nephilim said:

well maybe for the quest 2 IDK but he does mention if you are able to run a 1:1 PD 1.0 they there should be no need for SS.  I read the tweet but it does not make sense that you would need to be higher then the panel res? I understand he noted Panel distortion but it still seems way high for a panel distortion.

 

If I went that high 1.7 with my Rift S there is no way it would work with my current system in DCS.. But like you stated the problem persisted down to 1.0 well there could be something wrong somewhere in your system perhaps does not make sence that you lowered the res and still had stutters or whatnot?

 

 

 

This is an unfortunate confusing point with the Q2 as it has an extra slider within the main oculus software (not debug) that allows you to control the panel res. Oculus will control this automatically which will allow for smooth use in all systems. However you can change manually. For whatever reason oculus decided to name these changes as 1.X but the X relates to some sort of system load rather than a multiplier. On my 3090 full res is 1.5 (90hz) seems on the 3070 it's 1.7. Same res, different systems. The pixel dimensions are displayed and are larger than the native res of the panels which is the pixel distortion value.

 

All this is effectively locked at full in the rift s as there are no such controls available (I have this too).

Edited August 22, 2021 by Hoirtel

[The_Nephilim]

3 hours ago, Hoirtel said:

This is an unfortunate confusing point with the Q2 as it has an extra slider within the main oculus software (not debug) that allows you to control the panel res. Oculus will control this automatically which will allow for smooth use in all systems. However you can change manually. For whatever reason oculus decided to name these changes as 1.X but the X relates to some sort of system load rather than a multiplier. On my 3090 full res is 1.5 (90hz) seems on the 3070 it's 1.7. Same res, different systems. The pixel dimensions are displayed and are larger than the native res of the panels which is the pixel distortion value.

 

All this is effectively locked at full in the rift s as there are no such controls available (I have this too).

 

OK I see now so this is only for the Quest 2.. I was wondering in the Rift S do I need to set the panel distortion as well and not use the native rez?

[eaglecash867]

I recently read something similar about the G2 and SteamVR as to why SteamVR usually defaults to a higher than native resolution with supersampling at a higher percentage than 100%.  What I read also said that it was to compensate for barrel distortion.  With the 3090, SteamVR currently defaults to 150% for supersampling for me, so I have left it set to that.  For DCS PD, I'm actually undersampling a little bit there, having that set to 0.7.  It looks great and is smooth.  Previously, with my 2080ti and SteamVR defaulting to 128%, I experimented with my settings.  I originally had SteamVR supersampling set for 70% (I think), with a DCS PD of 1.0.  After reading about the barrel distortion thing, I tried letting SteamVR default to 128% and set DCS PD to 0.6.  I found that the image quality actually improved a little bit, and the performance stayed the same, with only occasional ghosting when looking at things I was flying past.  It doesn't hurt to experiment with it and see what it looks like for you.  The changes only take a few minutes and are in no way permanent.  I wouldn't worry too much about dogmatic statements as to what the "right way" is to accomplish good image quality and performance.  Play around with it and see what works best for you. 

Edited August 22, 2021 by eaglecash867

[Hoirtel]

22 hours ago, eaglecash867 said:

I recently read something similar about the G2 and SteamVR as to why SteamVR usually defaults to a higher than native resolution with supersampling at a higher percentage than 100%.  What I read also said that it was to compensate for barrel distortion.  With the 3090, SteamVR currently defaults to 150% for supersampling for me, so I have left it set to that.  For DCS PD, I'm actually undersampling a little bit there, having that set to 0.7.  It looks great and is smooth.  Previously, with my 2080ti and SteamVR defaulting to 128%, I experimented with my settings.  I originally had SteamVR supersampling set for 70% (I think), with a DCS PD of 1.0.  After reading about the barrel distortion thing, I tried letting SteamVR default to 128% and set DCS PD to 0.6.  I found that the image quality actually improved a little bit, and the performance stayed the same, with only occasional ghosting when looking at things I was flying past.  It doesn't hurt to experiment with it and see what it looks like for you.  The changes only take a few minutes and are in no way permanent.  I wouldn't worry too much about dogmatic statements as to what the "right way" is to accomplish good image quality and performance.  Play around with it and see what works best for you. 

 

Yes its the same thing. The added resolution is always required in VR to account for the distortion. The confusion comes from both oculus and steamvr handling this in a way that appears to be very similar to supersampling, thus when people "correct" it and match the resolution to the headsets panel specifications (which usually isn't exactly possible) they are actually undersampling. 

[The_Nephilim]

On 1/4/2021 at 5:54 PM, Vitralette said:

Hello everybody!

First time posting and it’s gonna be a long one. I am currently chasing the elusive VR Dragon and my adventures lead into a dark and damp cave. So I stand before you in hopes of illumination of the colorless fog surrounding my problem.  

 

I am using the Quest 2 via Link. I don’t need high environmental graphics, but what I do need are stable 45ASW frames and a readable cockpit. After extensive optimization I made DCS run beautifully. So, problem solved for single player I guess – lets make multiplayer work next.

 

And this is where the problem starts. Of the bat the performance is still great. 45ASW stable at 60-70% utilization, so there is plenty headroom. But after a variable amount of time spend on the server (1h / 30min / 10min) the GPU utilization suddenly ramps up to 100% (step-input like) and will stay there for no apparent reason. FPS drop to anywhere between 10-20. GPU will stay pinned even after leaving the server. Only after closing DCS will the GPU return to “normal” behavior. Returning to the server will yield another 10-30min of perfectly smooth flying until it hits the wall again.

 

In a thread discussing importance of VRAM @Hawkeye_UK posted a paragraph where he pretty much describes exactly what I am experiencing here. He describes it as a function of respawing, changing aircrafts or opening F10. Tho it does seem like those action accelerate the occurrence of the GPU going up in flames I also experience this by just flying a single airframe. After 10-30mins BOOM 100% GPU, Game Over.

 

I tried virtually everything I could dig up – but the bottom line is no matter how low I turn the graphics this behavior will still occur. Tested on low (~5 player) and high population servers (~15-32 players).

 

So this is more or less a sanity check for me. I would really appreciate if anyone could tell me if there is something that can be done about this (e.g. getting more VRAM ☹) or if this is known and accepted behavior.

 

System Specs

CPU                        Intel i5-8600k | 4.8GHz

GPU                       ASUS GeForce RTX3070 Dual | 1980MHz | GDDR-7000MHz | 8GB

RAM                       G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200-CL16 | 32GB

SSD                        SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 | 3.5GB/s

HMD                      Oculus Quest 2 | Oculus Link USB 3.0 | ASW 45fps forced | 5408x2736

 

DCS Settings

 

Nvidia Settings

 

Oculus Link Settings

 

Well I looked in to the Barell distortion thing and setting the correct native res. while you are correct about setting the rez higher in Link Settings it does not mean you can..

 

If you note in your Link settings pic where it states Render Resolution Resolution under the L there is a white tick mark that is the suggested setting for your System and is reccomended to use it..

 

I also note you said you tried it @1.0 and it did not effect anything well if that is true then there is something else that is wrong here.. maybe your PC is defective or OC too high or something.. but you said all your other games run fine but DCS being DCS is NOT the other games..

 

Not sure what to tell you but I would rety setting to the Reccomended tick mark there and restart the link Program and DCS and see what your Frametimes are? if your @1.7 but the settings program is reccomending lower higher is not gonna fix that Problem and yes I understand that is the native rez but like I said above just because it is the native rez does not mean you can run it at native res

 

Are your setting in DCS the same and you are on a 3070? PErhpas try a Uninstall of GPU Drivers with DDU and reinstall newer drivers?

Edited August 25, 2021 by The_Nephilim

[MoleUK]

Experiencing the same issue, also on a 3070. Definitely feels like it's a VRAM problem.

[Mikelug]

Starting from this week I've got the same issue with RTX 3080.

[MoleUK]

14 hours ago, Mikelug said:

Starting from this week I've got the same issue with RTX 3080.

Which headset you using?

[Mikelug]

18 minutes ago, MoleUK said:

Which headset you using?

Reverb G2

[MoleUK]

4 minutes ago, Mikelug said:

Reverb G2

You been changing any settings lately? If it's VRAM related then higher resolution / textures might be triggering it.  I'm already at the point of shutting down all other apps/processes I can to try and reduce vram and CPU usage, heh.

[TED]

15 hours ago, Mikelug said:

Starting from this week I've got the same issue with RTX 3080.

Use something like fpsvr and try to see also if u r being bound by cpu as well or gpu. These issues are quite common but the good news is once you know where to look they are often relatively simple to work out. There are just so many settings and variables between windows, svr, wmr and dcs. 
Make sure your cpu is not working in lots of background processes. Just check task manager for this. Set priorities in task manager accordingly with dcs being highest and vr compositors also being high. Anything else can be set to low priority. You can also set cpu affinities in task manager and separate the cores dcs and svr are using. I’ve had some success with this but it’s not the first thing I would do. 

For offloading the gpu - Make sure your monitor resolution are all set to lowest, both through windows and also in the dcs settings. 
In windows settings, system, display, graphics settings - u can select various apps and options and set their gpu priority to high performance (often defaulted to “let windows decide”) Likewise set any other other large apps to power saving if they are not critical. 
Have all other windows minimized when using dcs. Miniseries wmr, steam settings, and anything else. Ideally nothing else should be open, perhaps srs and voice attack, but minimize them too.

Make sure HAGS is off. Game bar off in windows settings.

start with these few things and see how U get on. If you’ve done all that, then it’s into bios settings and usb settings and overclocking.

Edited January 14, 2022 by TED

[MoleUK]

1 hour ago, TED said:

Use something like fpsvr and try to see also if u r being bound by cpu as well or gpu. These issues are quite common but the good news is once you know where to look they are often relatively simple to work out. There are just so many settings and variables between windows, svr, wmr and dcs. 
Make sure your cpu is not working in lots of background processes. Just check task manager for this. Set priorities in task manager accordingly with dcs being highest and vr compositors also being high. Anything else can be set to low priority. You can also set cpu affinities in task manager and separate the cores dcs and svr are using. I’ve had some success with this but it’s not the first thing I would do. 

For offloading the gpu - Make sure your monitor resolution are all set to lowest, both through windows and also in the dcs settings. 
In windows settings, system, display, graphics settings - u can select various apps and options and set their gpu priority to high performance (often defaulted to “let windows decide”) Likewise set any other other large apps to power saving if they are not critical. 
Have all other windows minimized when using dcs. Miniseries wmr, steam settings, and anything else. Ideally nothing else should be open, perhaps srs and voice attack, but minimize them too.

Make sure HAGS is off. Game bar off in windows settings.

start with these few things and see how U get on. If you’ve done all that, then it’s into bios settings and usb settings and overclocking.

 

Been through all this, this is quite a specific problem that doesn't appear related to any of the above.

GPU usage just goes along as usual, then something happens after a medium-long session and the GPU suddenly shoots up to 100% and stays there while the FPS tanks. I'll go from 45 FPS with ASW enabled with 60-70%ish GPU usage, to 20 FPS with 100% usage.

No change in CPU behavior or anything else. Plenty of unused ram capacity. Only a restart of DCS seems to fix it atm. Vram theory makes sense, particularly if there's a leak of sorts.

Edited January 14, 2022 by MoleUK

[Mikelug]

Finally I found the source of my problem.

I've used settings from this topic: 

 

After I deleted all changes, I received stable fps.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Mikelug