This is just a general question about multithreading.

[RackMonkey]

I'm looking to build a gaming PC for DCS and the new multithreading makes me ask a whole new set of questions about what hardware to get. 

On my current system DCS gives me a "cpu bound: main thread" so...

What kind of CPU am I looking for? I'm assuming the one with the highest raw speed. Should I be looking at PCI bus speeds, memory speed/bandwidth, hard drive I/O. Any comments you want to add would help.

 

[schurem]

I went from a I5 9600K to a 5800X3D and I still get  "cpu bound: main thread" so yeah..

[rayrayblues]

What exactly does cpu bound: main thread mean?

[SharpeXB]

“CPU bound main thread” means that the main thread/core of your cpu is what is limiting you. Even though the game can utilize multiple cores, the speed of each core is still important as one of those may end up as your bottleneck. So it’s important to choose a CPU with high single core performance. Such as these

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
 

https://browser.geekbench.com/processor-benchmarks

But something will always limit you. If you’ve got a very strong GPU it can end up that the CPU might be your limiting factor, if the GPU is weaker or you’re running GPU intensive setting like high resolution, then the graphics card will be your limit. 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by SharpeXB

[diego999]

1 hour ago, rayrayblues said:

What exactly does cpu bound: main thread mean?

 

There is a current bug with multithreading where one of the cores goes to 100% load and stays there all the time (even when looking at the main menu) and you get that message.

Throwing new hardware at DCS won't solve this problem as in most cases it's not your CPU's fault.

 

[MADLOU1]

I wouldn't put too much stock in that cpu or gpu bound message at this point.  I have a midlevel computer (I5-12600k, 3060ti) and on a monitor I can completely max out all settings and get 90 plus frames rates while getting, get this, constantly alternating, cpu and gpu bound messages on MT. In VR I use a  Quest 2. Along with that headset I use a utility program called Oculus Tray Tool. In that program I set the ASW (otherwise known as motion reprojection)  to "force 30 fps."  With that I get a constant 24 fps with most of the ingame settings set to either high or medium, plus msaa set at at 4, SSAA set at 2, and AA set at 16x. The game gives great visuals and is smooth as a baby's behind, all the while telling me its cpu bound.  Ok. so be it.  As long as the game looks good and runs smoothly, the hardware can be cpu and gpu bound all day long.

[Droning_On]

4 hours ago, MADLOU1 said:

I wouldn't put too much stock in that cpu or gpu bound message at this point.  I have a midlevel computer (I5-12600k, 3060ti) and on a monitor I can completely max out all settings and get 90 plus frames rates while getting, get this, constantly alternating, cpu and gpu bound messages on MT. In VR I use a  Quest 2. Along with that headset I use a utility program called Oculus Tray Tool. In that program I set the ASW (otherwise known as motion reprojection)  to "force 30 fps."  With that I get a constant 24 fps with most of the ingame settings set to either high or medium, plus msaa set at at 4, SSAA set at 2, and AA set at 16x. The game gives great visuals and is smooth as a baby's behind, all the while telling me its cpu bound.  Ok. so be it.  As long as the game looks good and runs smoothly, the hardware can be cpu and gpu bound all day long.

i have a Quest 2 sitting in the cupboard…… is it worth setting up compared to a rock solid 75fps 2k with v high settings

[MADLOU1]

9 minutes ago, Droning_On said:

i have a Quest 2 sitting in the cupboard…… is it worth setting up compared to a rock solid 75fps 2k with v high settings

I would at least give it a try.  I think VR is a totally more realistic experience than a monitor.  Before  MT, I never used my Quest 2 for DCS because of the poor visuals and stuttering despite many hours of tinkering.  After MT and following the advice of others on the net, I found that the sweet spot, at least for me, is as I described before, using the Oculus Tray Tool and setting the ASW to "force 30 fps."

This setting was recommended by some on the internet and I initially said to myself "but that is not enough FPS!", but when I tried it, I found that I got a constant and buttery smooth 24 fps with in-game settings considerably higher than the preset VR settings including  visible range on high, shadows on high, clouds on ultra and MSAA, SSAA and AA on max.  It looks very good and runs as smooth as my 90 plus fps on a monitor with all settings maxed out.   Being computer illiterate it doesn't make sense but it works for me on my system.  

It may or may not work for you or your system, but if you really like VR I would give it a try.  If it doesn't work out now, try it again each time further developments are made with MT and eventually I think you will be pleased.

Before MT, the only flight sim I played was IL2 because the VR experience there was always very good.  But now, with MT, I am only flying DCS because even with my puny machine, the VR experience is just as good as IL2's but with better graphics and of course, clickable cockpits.

 

[RackMonkey]

Well, I'm strictly VR. I keep crashing when I try to fly from the monitor.
Next question. Is there anything that we can do to relieve the main thread? Something that can be turned off maybe. I'm assuming that the answer to my first and main question is a faster CPU. At least until ED tweaks the main thread to be as small as possible if that is even an option.

Edited March 25, 2023 by RackMonkey

[SharpeXB]

53 minutes ago, RackMonkey said:

Well, I'm strictly VR. I keep crashing when I try to fly from the monitor.
Next question. Is there anything that we can do to relieve the main thread? Something that can be turned off maybe. I'm assuming that the answer to my first and main question is a faster CPU. At least until ED tweaks the main thread to be as small as possible if that is even an option.

You’ll always be limited by something. You could be getting 90fps and still be main thread limited. If you turn down the CPU intensive settings then you’ll be GPU limited. Getting a faster CPU will just mean your main thread limit will result in higher FPS. 

[Dragon1-1]

Unless you limit the FPS, that is. This is recommended to get a smooth experience. In that case, you should be at the set limit 100% of the time, and have a bunch of CPU and GPU overhead for when things get busy.

That said, MT is still in the early stages. Graphics are quite impressively parallelized, AI and physics are still all on the main thread. Even when it works correctly (and it doesn't always), it's still not as great as it could possibly be.