Disabling Core Parking in windows fixed my stuttering in menu and game

[baileya1c]

Windows 11 Pro, 13900KS, RTX 4090. Max settings. I had awful stuttering/hitching in menus and in game on 2.9. Saw someone else posted about core parking and I tried it. My game has NEVER been so smooth. Here is the 2 minute video about it. Try it and see if it helps you out like it did me. I never post on here but this helped me out so much I had to. 

 

 

[QuiGon]

Hmm, for me as a Win10 user this registry edit has no effect. Windows still keeps parking CPU cores (even after a system reboot). Any other Win10 users here that to make this work?

Edited October 23, 2023 by QuiGon

[AdrianL]

The setting needs to be set for your active power plan. So you need to repeat the search on the registry for all items until the power settings key

Might be easier to use tool like https://coderbag.com/programming-c/disable-cpu-core-parking-utility 

Note: By default the High Performance power plan should have parking disabled.

[Hiob]

3 minutes ago, AdrianL said:

Note: By default the High Performance power plan should have parking disabled.

Then it should be easier to modify the powerplans (min and max cpu power) instead of tinkering with the registry.

[AdrianL]

It is. Setting is just hidden by default.

Edited October 23, 2023 by AdrianL

[AdrianL]

If you do not see the "Processor performance core parking min cores" option under "Processor power management" when viewing a power plan, then you can run the following command from an admin command prompt

powercfg -attributes 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583 -ATTRIB_HIDE

If you want to hide it again then change the -ATTRIB_HIDE to +ATTRIB_HIDE

100% means no core parking. 

This should be the default for the 'High Performance' power plan, as shown in the image in the post above.

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by AdrianL

[QuiGon]

2 hours ago, AdrianL said:

The setting needs to be set for your active power plan. So you need to repeat the search on the registry for all items until the power settings key

Might be easier to use tool like https://coderbag.com/programming-c/disable-cpu-core-parking-utility 

Note: By default the High Performance power plan should have parking disabled.

Oh, that's probably why it didn't work then. I wasn't aware this setting depends on the respective power plan
 

1 hour ago, Hiob said:

Then it should be easier to modify the powerplans (min and max cpu power) instead of tinkering with the registry.

That would have been my next question
 

1 hour ago, AdrianL said:

It is. Setting is just hidden by default.

Got it, thanks

Edited October 23, 2023 by QuiGon

[QuiGon]

2 hours ago, AdrianL said:

If you do not see the "Processor performance core parking min cores" option under "Processor power management" when viewing a power plan, then you can run the following command from an admin command prompt

powercfg -attributes 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583 -ATTRIB_HIDE

If you want to hide it again then change the -ATTRIB_HIDE to +ATTRIB_HIDE

100% means no core parking. 

This should be the default for the 'High Performance' power plan, as shown in the image in the post above.

Alright, I digged further into it, because if 100% is the default setting for the high performance power plan (which is the one I've always been using on my system), then why would it still be parking cores? Well, seems like there is another setting called "Processor performance core parking min cores for performance class 1 cores" or similar (my system is in German, so I'm not sure how the correct English description is) for systems with P- and E- cores that is set to 0% by default even on the high performance power plan. I guess this was the culprit. Testing now.

Edit: Alright, yeah, with this setting set to 100% as well, Windows has now stopped putting cores into parking and these major freezes in DCS seem to be gone. Will need to do some further testing to be entirely sure, but looking good.

Edited October 23, 2023 by QuiGon

[AdrianL]

13 minutes ago, QuiGon said:

Another setting called "Processor performance core parking min cores for performance class 1 cores"

powercfg -attributes 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318584 -ATTRIB_HIDE 
will show the E-Core setting in the power plan.
But my understanding is this should be left alone i.e. will be zero. Mine is  set to zero. 
The issue with CPU8/CPU0 affinity on startup is related to power cores.

 

None of your power cores should be parked. In your DCS log it will log out what it considers P or E-cores. Would check if that matches your CPU

Edited October 23, 2023 by AdrianL

[QuiGon]

13 minutes ago, AdrianL said:

powercfg -attributes 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318584 -ATTRIB_HIDE 
will show the E-Core setting in the power plan.
But my understanding is this should be left alone i.e. will be zero. Mine is  set to zero. 
The issue with CPU8/CPU0 affinity on startup is related to power cores.

 

None of your power cores should be parked.

Oh, sorry, I didn't noticed this setting was already included in the command you posted, as I digged into it myself after you gave me the right pointers. My bad!
Anyways, I'm glad I did do that, because it was quite eye opening to see what's going on there and what other hidden settings are available.

I hope your findings will help ED to address this issue

[AdrianL]

3 minutes ago, QuiGon said:

setting was already included in the command you posted

2nd cmd is different to the first. Ending in 83 is power core. Ending in 84 is e-core. 

PCore: powercfg -attributes 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583 -ATTRIB_HIDE 
ECore: powercfg -attributes 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00 0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318584 -ATTRIB_HIDE 

Also the setting seems unintuitive to me. 100% means no parking. Zero means allow parking for all cores.  Reading the setting I expected it to be the other way around

Scary how many settings are hidden. But they also generally hidden as you can have issues with some of them if the setting is not fully understood.

[QuiGon]

2 hours ago, AdrianL said:

Also the setting seems unintuitive to me. 100% means no parking. Zero means allow parking for all cores.  Reading the setting I expected it to be the other way around

Yeah, 100% is meant like all of the cores should be available at all times.
 

2 hours ago, AdrianL said:

Scary how many settings are hidden. But they also generally hidden as you can have issues with some of them if the setting is not fully understood.

Yeah, I just set them all to not be hidden anymore and use the GUI to tinker with them. It's amazing what kind of stuff you can set there in regards to CPU management!

Edited October 23, 2023 by QuiGon

[YoYo]

7 hours ago, AdrianL said:

It is. Setting is just hidden by default.

 

Thx, I’ll try it Today. Btw. I have High performance on however my cores are parking too. I’ll see after the changes.

Edit: I have 100% max and min.

Edited October 23, 2023 by YoYo

[YoYo]

On 10/22/2023 at 6:10 PM, baileya1c said:

Windows 11 Pro, 13900KS, RTX 4090. Max settings. I had awful stuttering/hitching in menus and in game on 2.9. Saw someone else posted about core parking and I tried it. My game has NEVER been so smooth. Here is the 2 minute video about it. Try it and see if it helps you out like it did me. I never post on here but this helped me out so much I had to. 

 

 

Checked but it doesnt work for Windows 10 after reboot as well. I see "parked" still.

8th and 10th cores 100%, the rest are parked

Edited October 23, 2023 by YoYo

[QuiGon]

45 minutes ago, YoYo said:

Checked but it doesnt work for Windows 10 after reboot as well. I see "parked" still.

Have you followed the instructions of @AdrianL?

5 hours ago, QuiGon said:

 On systems with CPUs that have both P- and E- cores (like the 12700, 12900, 13700 and 13900 intel CPUs) the 'High Performance' plan has core parking disabled by default only for the E-cores. On these systems you need to disable core parking for the P- cores as well as @AdrianL described here:

Be aware though, that it will increase the power consumption of your CPU in general, even if you're not playing DCS. It's yet another workaround in addition to the already discussed workarounds:

• Disabling Hyper Threading (HT) in the BIOS, which will disable all your virtual cores, thus reducing overall CPU performance.
• Taking core #8 away from DCS through the Task Manager, which has to be done everytime DCS is launched.

All three workaround work just fine, but each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages

 

 

[AdrianL]

18 minutes ago, QuiGon said:

Have you followed the instructions of @AdrianL?

Going to recommend people  use CPU Unpark https://coderbag.com/programming-c/disable-cpu-core-parking-utility Much easier than messing with registry or command lines.

Download and run. Nothing to install.

Make sure the slider is on 100% for the selected power plan. Press apply and you done.

No need to use the app again.

 

Note it does need .NET Framework 4.6.1 installed but most PCs will have that by now

Edited October 23, 2023 by AdrianL

[YoYo]

3 minutes ago, AdrianL said:

Going to recommend people  use CPU Unpark https://coderbag.com/programming-c/disable-cpu-core-parking-utility

Download and run. Nothing to install.

Make sure the slider is on 100% for the selected power plan (or press unpark all). Press apply and you done.

No need to use the app again

 

Note it does need .NET Framework 4.6.1 installed but most PCs will have that by now

 

Is this ok too? https://bitsum.com/parkcontrol/

[AdrianL]

1 minute ago, YoYo said:

Is this ok too?

Yes. It just gives more options so make sure you know what they do

[QuiGon]

7 minutes ago, AdrianL said:

Going to recommend people  use CPU Unpark https://coderbag.com/programming-c/disable-cpu-core-parking-utility Much easier than messing with registry or command lines.

Yeah, it's probably easier and less dangerous for most users to just use a tool do that

[YoYo]

Hmmm, unparked all > apply:

13900K, still see parked.

btw. this is my power plan (the highest), I have .NET Framework 4.6.1 or better. Windows 10.

Maybe the answer is here: https://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?t=11690#p91528 .

Edited October 23, 2023 by YoYo

[QuiGon]

16 minutes ago, YoYo said:

Hmmm, unparked all > apply:

13900K, still see parked.

btw. this is my power plan (the highest), I have .NET Framework 4.6.1 or better. Windows 10.

 

Well, I guess you have to use @AdrianL's command prompt instructions then. Have you tried them yet?

[YoYo]

Ahh.... after the restart of PC (important thing!).

Looks ok now:

Btw. for the future - how to set up back to default?

11 minutes ago, QuiGon said:

Well, I guess you have to use @AdrianL's command prompt instructions then. Have you tried them yet?

No, only soft.

Edit. You can go crazy, after a while, ups:

Edited October 23, 2023 by YoYo

[AdrianL]

1 minute ago, YoYo said:

how to set up back to default?

Default most likely would been 4, for later Intel CPUs. Just move the slider to the left until you see 4 and press apply.

Or just reset the entire power plan. Edit Power Plan, set another power plan active, select the the power plan you want to reset and then 'Restore plan defaults'. Then set that power plan active again

 

 

10 minutes ago, YoYo said:

Looks ok now:

Did it help with your stuttering / freezing issue?

 

[YoYo]

Jesus, it's not that simple. Now I see that I cannot change the plan, it always returns to the same one. From what I can see, this is a known issue:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-power-plan-will-not-changewindows10/254d2a4e-7fda-4e2b-bf98-acef8e6e0eb1

https://ugetfix.com/ask/how-to-fix-cant-change-power-plan-settings-in-windows/

Edited October 23, 2023 by YoYo

[AdrianL]

2 minutes ago, YoYo said:

Now I see that I cannot change the plan

Try creating a new power plan, using high performance as its base