My Lazy PC - GPU 55% CPU 25%

[Gyster]

My system is an i9-13900k on a MSI Mag Tomahawk Max wifi, Asus Tuf RTX 4090, 64gb DDR 5, 2TB Samsung SSD.  I'm using a Pimax 8kx until my Crsytal Super arrives.  I'm wondering why I'm getting stuttering when the Nvidia overlay shows my GPU and CPU are hardly breaking a sweat.  I also installed Capframex, MSI Afterburner, and Riva Tuner, but I can only test with those tools using my monitor which is pretty much a waste of time.  (Anyone know how to get the overlay to display while using VR headset? The Nvidia overlay displays on my monitor while I'm using the headset, but I can't get the Afterburner overlay to display when using VR).  Nvidia reports my GPU usage is often in the 40s to 50s and the CPU is in the teens to mid-20s.  Unfortunately, the Nvidia overlay is pretty limited and doesn't show all cpu cores, frametime, and so on.  I'm wondering if I need to spend another $750 for a 9850x3d and mobo to make this problem go away.  Oh, I tried overclocking the cpu using the Gameboost option in the mobo bios - stock clock is 3.0 and now it's running at 5.6Ghz...but that didn't make the GPU work any harder.  I would prefer to keep the $750, but I'm at a complete loss of what I need to do to coax this system to work harder.  Any suggestions are welome and appreciated!

[LucShep]

Not sure ProcessLasso will help in your case, considering that DCS is always changing and evolving.

But to assign P-Cores only to DCS, and all background apps (the non Windows OS ones) to the E-Cores, it may help.

It works for some and doesn't for others, some prefer to have all cores (P-Cores and E-Cores) assigned to DCS, so YMMV. 

   Nothing to lose, other than your time that is...
 

Edited April 7 by LucShep

[LucShep]

4 hours ago, LucShep said:

Not sure ProcessLasso will help in your case, considering that DCS is always changing and evolving.

But to assign P-Cores only to DCS, and all background apps (the non Windows OS ones) to the E-Cores, it may help.

It works for some and doesn't for others, some prefer to have all cores (P-Cores and E-Cores) assigned to DCS, so YMMV. 

   Nothing to lose, other than your time that is...
 

 
Also, Park Control is a nice complementary app to Process Lasso (it's from the same developer, Bitsum), to unpark the Cores. 

https://bitsum.com/parkcontrol/

After that is installed, run it. 
Make sure it's set to start at Windows login (settings are in the app's icon, at bottom right of desktop). 



Some will change the "Active Power Profile" manually before running the game, to "Bitsum Highest Performance".
More than just a high power profile, this also unparks any and all Cores.

But if you have Process Lasso also installed, then I personally find it's better to do it this way, to automatize things:
 

1. Open Process Lasso.
   Got to "Options / Power / Performance Mode" and include the game's executable (browse to game's directory and add the game's .EXE to list).
   
   This automatically enables a higher power plan (Bitsum Highest Performance) with noticeable performance benefits whenever you run such program (game, etc) added to that list, reverting to whatever that was when you close it.
   
   But now with Park Control also installed, it will then also ensure that no Cores are parked when using that highest power plan, for whatever apps / games included in that list.
   
    
2. Run the game... Alt+Tab... back to Process Lasso.
   And in the game's executable (listed among all the others), right click and change or tick these options:
   
   - CPU Affinity / "Always" / "Select CPU Affinity" / change according to preference (to "P-Cores" only, or to all cores, as you wish) and click OK.
   - Induce Performance Mode (checked)
   - Exclude from ProBalance (checked)
   
   *side note:  there's the odd game that likes to run in 'High Priority' -- for that, if necessary, also do "CPU Priority" / "Always" /  change to "High"

With both Park Control and Process Lasso installed, that should be it.  

 

Edited April 7 by LucShep

[Gyster]

Thank you for taking time to reply guys.  I have process lasso and park control.  I'll review how I've got that set up again today, but if I recall correctly, I unparked the p-cores and assigned affinity to DCS.  I've also tried talking very sternly to the pc.   

[Gyster]

Used GPU Tweak to change settings on my gpu and flew low over Paris.  I got the GPU to 95%, so it's not super clear, but maybe I'm gpu bound not cpu.  Darn...5090s are stupid money.

[The_Nephilim]

30 minutes ago, Gyster said:

Used GPU Tweak to change settings on my gpu and flew low over Paris.  I got the GPU to 95%, so it's not super clear, but maybe I'm gpu bound not cpu.  Darn...5090s are stupid money.

what did you change with GPU Tweak?? is that specific hardware based software for asus or similar?

[SharpeXB]

On 4/7/2025 at 1:45 AM, Gyster said:

I tried overclocking the cpu using the Gameboost option in the mobo bios

Given the degradation trouble the 13-14 series Intel CPUs have had, I wouldn’t overclock them. I did that to my 13900 and killed it. Using the current BIOS version at its defaults appears to have alleviated this problem but older BIOS versions if not updated (like last August or so) or overclocking will likely degrade the chip. 

On 4/7/2025 at 8:41 AM, Gyster said:

I have process lasso and park control.

I understand if you’re using Windows 11 these aren’t necessary as it handles the Intel hybrid (gen 12-14) CPUs correctly. It might be useful with Windows 10? I use W11 and a 14900KS and have never found a need for these. DCS runs totally fine by default. 

On 4/9/2025 at 8:53 PM, Gyster said:

Used GPU Tweak to change settings on my gpu and flew low over Paris.  I got the GPU to 95%

This seems backwards. If you somehow enhanced or overclocked the GPU I would think you’d see its utilization go down, not up. I’m using the same 4090 and am able to max it out (DCS says GPU Limited) on a 4K screen. 

[Derbysieger]

On 4/10/2025 at 3:53 AM, Gyster said:

Darn...5090s are stupid money.

You have a 4090, there's no reason to upgrade to a 5090. Yes, the 5090 offers some pretty good gains in DCS VR but I  doubt it's a GPU issue.