CPU, GPU or Headset

[stukemp]

Hi all! 
 

Haven’t really touched DCS this year as it frustrates the life out of me with poor optimisation.

I fly in real life so I fly in VR in the sim and maybe it’s my expectations or comparisons with that.

First thing, when I run Multi-Threading DCS for the some reason the programme maxes out CPU 0 at 100% with the other cores barley going over 25%. In game it stutters all the time even when in potato setting. FPS is always CPU main thread bound but can be fixed at 45fps but still with stutters and ghosting on fixed and fast moving objects. Frame times are pretty constant with only tiny spikes at around 21ms if I recall correctly . I can get the FPS to show GPU bound if I crank the PD up and textures and it’s shows GPU utilisation over 90%.
If I don’t do that the GPU utilisation is around 30%. 

Now if I load up DCS in Single-Thread mode the stuttering almost disappears and ghosting is reduced but it’s still there. 
All CPU cores are being utilised with no single core going above 92% utilisation but certainly it’s more balanced with, what appears each core taking its fair share. Frame times are all over the place but it doesn’t ever seem to stutter.
The thread type of multi or single core is verified at the bottom of the Home Screen. 

DLSS makes things look blurry so I leave that off and with Antistropic filtering set to x8 with pretty much every other setting except textures on Low. 
 

When I open multiplayer it’s just awful with FPS dipping to 36 and below on the ground and ghosting below 3000ft AGL in the sim regardless in it MT or ST.

 

So what can I do? 
 

Cant do everything but here’s what I got, and what I can do to hopefully make me want to stay on the sim in VR for more than 10mins.

 

Quest 2 with link cable. 72Hz slider all to the right or I can’t read anything.

i7 10700k at 5.0Ghz on a Z490 board

EVGA  3090

64GB 3200mhz XMP profile enabled

OS on m.2

DCS on high speed SSD but can’t remember the make.

 

What will make me enjoy DCS again?
 

4090 video card

or

i9 13900k with Z690 motherboard 

or

New headset probably maybe PC

Suggestions, Comments, theories.

Thanks 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by stukemp
Context

[dburne]

That is certainly not normal. Wishing you the best in getting it figured out. PC's  can be quite the fickle thing...

Please note my mind is now going so take what I suggest with a grain of salt. Hopefully it contains at least some good information.

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by dburne

[Mordants]

13 minutes ago, stukemp said:

Hi all! 
 

Haven’t really touched DCS this year as it frustrates the life out of with poor optimisation.

I fly in real life so I fly in VR in the sim and maybe it’s my expectations or comparisons with that.

First thing, when I run Multi-Threading DCS for the some reason the programme maxes out CPU 0 at 100% with the other cores barley going over 25%. In game it stutters all the time even when in potato setting. FPS is always CPU main thread bound and but can be fixed at 45fps but stutters and ghosting on fixed and fast moving objects. Frame times are pretty constant with only tiny spikes at around 21ms if I recall correctly . I can get the FPS to show GPU bound if I crank the PD up and textures. 
if I don’t do that the GPU utilisation is around 30%.

Now if I load up DCS in Single-Thread mode the stuttering almost disappears and ghosting is reduced but still there. 
All CPU cores are being utilised with no single core going above 92% utilisation but certainly it’s more balanced with what appears each core taking its fair share. Frame times is all over the place but it doesn’t ever seem to stutter.
The thread type of multi or single core is verified at the bottom of the Home Screen. 
GPU utilisation goes up to 85%+ with low/medium graphic settings. 
 

DLSS makes things look blurry so I leave that off and with Antistropic filtering set to x8 with pretty much every other setting except textures on Low. 
 

When I open multiplayer it’s just awful with FPS dipping to 36 and below on the ground and ghosting below 3000ft AGL in the sim.

 

So what do I do? 
 

Cant do everything but here’s what I got and what will make me at least want to stay on the sim in VR for more than 10mins.

Quest 2 with link cable. 72Hz slider all to the right or I can’t read anything.

i7 10700k at 5.0Ghz on a Z490 board

EVGA  3090

64GB 3200mhz XMP profile enabled

OS on m.2

DCS on high speed SSD but can’t remember the make.

 

What will make me enjoy DCS again. 
 

4090 video card

or

i9 13900k with Z690 motherboard 

or

New headset probably maybe PC

Suggestions, Comments, theories.

Thanks 

 

 

 

 

 

My system is almost identical to yours apart from I have a 4090 graphics card and with a quest 2 my system coped reasonably well with DCS 2.8. I was however always tinkering with various settings. 

I subsequently got a Quest Pro three weeks ago (I prefered it to the Q3) and with DCS 2.9 had to start tinkering again, it's took three weeks so far and I now have a reasonable picture. This though with DLSS turned off, shadows turned off and others turned down. FPS in single player gusts between high 70's and high 80's. Multiplayer fluctuates between 30's and 50's, mostly around 45 and 50 on Rotorheads. Grapics for me are quite resonable now apart from shimmering on multiplayer, and OK on single player. 

I hope you find your ideal settings swifter than I did, but then again I'm not so bright lol.

[Motomouse]

your 10700k & 3090 is not too far off my 5600 & 3080

I am very happy with the varjo aero

[Burt]

Tuned rig - Z490 mobo - 10900K @ 5.1 GHz - 3090 undervolted running @ 1965-1985 MHz - Varjo Aero running VFR/DFR with High Graphic settings runs everything perfectly fine, I mean really great performance and edge to edge clarity in the cockpit. I don't see the need to upgrade my rig at the moment. Maybe DCS 3.0 w/ vulcan I may upgrade just because I always wanted to build my own rig.

May want to check Task Manager while DCS is running to see if some other program is popping its head looking for an update. Possible your internet speed maybe alittle weak. Just a thought. 

Honestly think its the headset along with steamvr. 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Burt

[Jive]

Quite a few people, including me, fixed the CPU stutters with core unparking. Worth a try

https://youtu.be/sFz8HRk4WfI?si=q9rw4SOfETrPLMlK

 

 

[stukemp]

Thanks for the replies. I wonder how much of it is a limitation of the headset and how it needs to be compressed and sent via the cable to it. 
 

I’ve no idea about the core usage however but will give that core unparking a try. 

[Gorn_GER]

The 10700k is not the problem. I got the same one in standard configuration. 
I had the 3090 and upgraded it to 4090 not because it ran bad, more or less Luxus problems. Yes, the performance is way better with 4090 but It would be far to say that the 3090 did not work. With DLSS it should work fine. 
 

i would point out the headset because you need to much supersampling to compensate the low pixeldensity. 
 

back than I Switched from Quest1 to quest 2 (lend by a friend to test) and instantly had better performance because of the higher native resolution. As a result, I switched to HP Reverb G2 and again the performance per resolution/clarity rises. 
so either you get yourself a cheap G2 die to people selling them with the upcoming Q3 and keep your Q2 for good old VR only games that need good controllertracking (the G2 is terrible in controller tracking) or you directly switch to the Q3 and get the best out of ~600€ you can get at the moment. 
 

since I have the G2 and Q3, I would prefer the Q3 but at the moment, the prices of used but good G2 headsets should drop now. Maybe ask someone here in the Q3 Threads if he wants to sell his old one. 
 

a new CPU will bring the least performance and will cost the most (price/performance) because you need a new socket and may want to upgrade RAM, too. 
 

new GPU will be the most expensive but won’t bring quality of life due to the low resolution per eye on Quest 2

Edited November 2, 2023 by Gorn_GER

[Motomouse]

I would not recommend a used Reverb G2 due to the cable issues of the Reverb.

[Gorn_GER]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Motomouse:

I would not recommend a used Reverb G2 due to the cable issues of the Reverb.

What cable issue? 
 

you mean the fact that there was some kind of problem with AMD Grafic cards, so everyone got a new cable for free that works fine? 
 

my G2 never had any problems with the cable and works like on day one

[Motomouse]

I lost my Reverb due to cable issues. HP did replace it. The replacement did develop the same early warning signs. HP not continuing the Reverb. I would not recommend a used one. 

[dburne]

47 minutes ago, Motomouse said:

I lost my Reverb due to cable issues. HP did replace it. The replacement did develop the same early warning signs. HP not continuing the Reverb. I would not recommend a used one. 

 

Fully Agree!!

[stukemp]

Hello!

Thanks again for the replies. Varjo Aero would I need more GPU power to run it? The Pico 4 seems good value but it’s non native pc with wireless only? 

[dburne]

8 hours ago, stukemp said:

Hello!

Thanks again for the replies. Varjo Aero would I need more GPU power to run it? The Pico 4 seems good value but it’s non native pc with wireless only? 

 

I have a 4090 and am CPU limited.