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DCS VR Performance Optimization

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sleighzy

sleighzy

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Ready said:

I stayed on W10 knowing that W11 for my Ryzen was not going to bring anything extra performance-wise

I thought that was the opposite. Windows 11 24h2 introduced specific performance improvements for AMD which is why a number of players upgraded when they did (myself included).

Edited by sleighzy

AMD 7800x3D, 4080Super, 64Gb DDR5 RAM, 4Tb NVMe M.2, Quest 2

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Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, sleighzy said:

I thought that was the opposite. Windows 11 24h2 introduced specific performance improvements for AMD which is why a number of players upgraded when they did (myself included).

I am very interested in the info you are referring to and the experiences/test results if any are made available.

Thus far did not receive/could not find anything substantial and convincing for my specific setup to swap.

On the contrary; there are additional concerns that also prevent me to swap. Knowing what a timedrain it is for me to tweak an OS + all the apps, I have not taken the plunge on my DCS rig.
 

The following is what ChatGPT gave me just now. It knows quite a bit about my setup and quirks by now.
-Please note: it brings me regular irritations because it tends to feed me garbage at times and sometimes just tells me what I want to hear it seems. It sometimes feels like the world is upside down; where I have to do the convincing. So please don't take it as the truth and if W11 works perfectly for you, that is great. I don't want to disrespect.

-----

Performance (9800X3D)

DCS VR

  • There are no published Win10 vs Win11 24H2 benchmarks for DCS VR or any VR title on 9800X3D.

  • Nothing demonstrates that Windows 11 24H2 improves VR frame-times, latency, or stability.

Downsides of switching to W11

  • You lose left taskbar, vertical taskbar, and many customization features.

  • File Explorer and UI surface changed/limited.

  • More background processes and scheduled tasks.

  • Windows 11 updates have a history of breaking gaming performance (including on high-end CPUs/GPUs).

  • More telemetry & security layers (VBS/HVCI) that can affect FPS.

  • Tooling that works perfectly on Windows 10 can break or behave differently.

Bottom line:
There is no compelling performance reason to move to Windows 11 24H2 for DCS VR on a Ryzen 9800X3D — and multiple downsides exist for a power user with a tuned Windows 10 environment.

✅ Detailed Evidence

1. Ryzen 9800X3D: Windows 10 vs Windows 11 24H2 (direct comparison)

The most relevant article comparing Win10 22H2 vs Win11 24H2 with 9800X3D:
▶ https://szyunze.com/ryzen-7-9800x3d-win-11-24h2-vs-win-10-22h2-performance/

Key findings:

  • Ghostwire Tokyo: +2% Win11

  • God of War: +13% Win11

  • Cyberpunk 2077: –1%

  • Silent Hill 2: +2%

  • Horizon FW: +1%

  • Stalker 2: 0%

  • The Last of Us: 0%

Conclusion from the article:

“Performance is essentially identical. There is no clear advantage for Windows 11 24H2 vs Windows 10 22H2 for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.”

This is currently the strongest dataset for your exact CPU.

2. 9950X3D / 9800X3D CPU-bound testing: Windows 10 often wins

Sources:

Example: CS2 (1080p low)

  • Win10: ~745 FPS

  • Win11: ~729 FPS

  • Win11 + VBS: ~710 FPS

Example: Fortnite (1080p low)

  • Win10: 591 FPS

  • Win11: 541 FPS

  • Win11 + VBS: 500 FPS

Many CPU-limited titles show the same pattern.

3. General Zen 4/Zen 5 data on Windows 11 24H2

Windows 11 24H2 includes new scheduler and branch-prediction paths that can boost performance.

Sources:

However:

  • Gains heavily depend on the game.

  • Some titles gain 10–20%, others 0%, others lose performance.

  • These are all flat-screen tests, not VR.

Thus: nothing here is evidence-based for DCS VR.

4. Windows 11 update instability affecting gaming

Recent example: cumulative update KB5066835.

Sources:

Results:

  • Up to 33–50% FPS loss in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

  • On Ryzen 7 9800X3D + RTX 5090 systems

  • Fixed only after NVIDIA released a hotfix driver

This shows that Windows 11’s servicing builds can impact gaming stability more dramatically than Windows 10.

5. No VR-specific benchmarks for DCS or Aero

There is zero official data comparing Win10 vs Win11 for:

  • OpenXR

  • Varjo Aero runtime

  • Quad Views

  • Foveated rendering

  • VR frame-time latency

  • DCS VR performance

❗ Practical Downsides of Switching to Windows 11 (for a power user with a fully tuned Windows 10 desktop)

These are real behavioural changes in Windows 11.

1. Taskbar regressions

  • No left-aligned taskbar.

  • No vertical taskbar (cannot dock left/right).

  • Less control over pinned items and layout.

  • Many classic taskbar utilities break.

Documentation: Microsoft removed vertical taskbar support in Win11 — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/windows-11-known-issues#taskbar

2. Explorer and Desktop UI regressions

  • Right-click context menus show a simplified “modern” version; classic shell is behind Show more options.

  • Ribbon removed.

  • Several folder views, toolbars, commands removed.

  • Drag & drop to taskbar was broken for a long time (inconsistently fixed).

Reference: Microsoft File Explorer / context menu redesign —
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/design/basics/context-menus

3. More locked-down processes

Windows 11 enforces:

  • Widgets service

  • Chat/Teams integration

  • News/Interests service

  • More background UWP processes

  • Multiple new scheduled tasks

  • SearchIndexer running more aggressively

These consume CPU cycles and cannot be reliably disabled.

4. Telemetry & Security overhead

Windows 11 forces or encourages:

  • VBS

  • HVCI

  • Memory Integrity

  • TPM-backed isolation

  • Additional kernel monitoring paths

These are known to reduce CPU throughput unless manually disabled.

Microsoft documentation:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/hardware-security/overview

5. Compatibility concerns with utilities

Your environment includes:

  • OBS

  • Varjo Base

  • OpenXR Toolkit / Quad-Views

  • SimHaptic

  • SRS

  • VoiceAttack

  • WindowGrid

  • Audio routing (Voicemeeter, etc.)

  • PowerShell automation

  • Desktop and taskbar extensions

Windows 11 frequently changes:

  • window snapping

  • DPI-scaling

  • taskbar behaviour

  • window class identities

  • UWP overlay priorities

All of which can break toolchains built for Windows 10.

6. Windows 11 changes UI/UX more frequently

Windows 11 receives more UX updates than Windows 10, including:

  • Explorer rewrites

  • Settings app changes

  • Taskbar feature toggles

  • Icon pack changes

  • Start menu revisions

These can break custom shells or third-party extensions after patch Tuesday.

🔻 Overall Conclusion (factual, not advice)

Performance

  • For Ryzen 9800X3D gaming, Windows 11 24H2 provides no consistent advantage over Windows 10.

  • In several CPU-bound cases, Windows 10 is faster.

  • For DCS VR specifically, no data supports an upgrade.

OS Behaviour

Switching to Windows 11 means losing:

  • Vertical/left taskbar

  • Classic Explorer behaviour

  • Granular system control

  • Predictable OS updates

  • Compatibility stability

While adding:

  • More telemetry

  • Security layers that can reduce FPS

  • A higher chance that updates affect gaming performance

Net Result

For a power user with a heavily customized, stable, and controlled Windows 10 environment:

Windows 11 24H2 offers no proven DCS VR performance benefit, and several concrete downsides.

Edited by Ready

I fly an A-10C II in VR and post my DCS journey on Is your phone a YouTube Signature Device? - Gizmochina     |   Subscribe to my DCS A-10C channel   

Come check out the 132nd Virtual Wing                                   |   My VR Performance Optimization (4090/9800X3D/Aero)  
SYSTEM SPECS: Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX4090, 64GB DDR5-6000, Windows 10, ROG STRIX X870E-E Gaming WIFI, Varjo Aero, VKB Gunfighter MKIII MCG Ultimate with 10cm extension, VPC MongoosT-50CM3 Throttle, VPC Control Panel #2, TM TPR Rudders. Buttkicker, Gametrix Jetseat, PointCTRL, OpenKneeboard, Wacom Intuos Pro Small.

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