Annoying stutter every few seconds with powerful PC

[Exigeous]

Due to the stutter DCS is almost unplayable as it drives me crazy. Every 1.5-2 seconds or so it freezes for about 10-15 frames then it's butter smooth. Then stutter then butter smooth, over and over. Doesn't matter if I'm holding still or looking around, it stutters. I happens in either desktop screens or VR and in VR it completely ruins the experience and almost makes me sick (where I have an iron stomach for VR)

Here's my PC deatils
Core i7 4770k 3.5
32 GB DDR3 RAM
Samsung EVO 850 SSD (DCS installed here)
Zotac Amp!Extreme GTX1080 8GB
Oculus Rift CV1
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
VKBSim Mark IV flight pedals
Pagnian V2 Motion Platform
(many other USB/Joystick devices for racing sim)

I've tried the "VR" graphic setting and even the Low setting and I still get the stutter. I play dozens of high-end games in both VR and not and they all work just perfectly. Elite Dangerous is my current addiction and I can play it in VR on full Ultra with the Oculus Debug tool set to 2.0 supersampling (effectively 4x'ing the framesize). I leave that off in DCS and still stutter.

I found some older posts that suggested BIOS changes like disabling hyperthreading (made no difference) and disabling CPU power saving mode (can't remember the name - but again no difference). I'm a big flight sim fan and love playing Elite and War Thunder as the experience in VR is just incredible - as I imagine DCS is/will be if I can get it to work. Oh if it matters I'm flying the A10-C Warthog.

I've read a few other threads about this here with what seemed to be no resolutions, save for installing it on an SSD and that "fixed" it - originally I had it installed on my secondary drive, a SATA HDD so I did move it to my SSD but still exact same stutter. As I bought it a while back but am only now getting into it I'm way past my refund period so I'm stuck with a $40 title that I can't even play.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[JDarksword]

Are you on multiplayer? How big is the mission you are playing if you are on singleplayer. I can't remember exactly what setting it is but for ssds there is one that can cause stuttering that is enabled by default in windows.

[Exigeous]

No multiplayer, I'm just doing the top "Quick Action" mission, something about Russia in the spring if I recall correctly? There are some trucks on the ground popping green smoke that I think I'm supposed to take out.

The Windows setting you speak of - is that specific to Windows or to DCS?

[JDarksword]

The windows setting is specific to windows and can cause stuttering on solid state dives when attempting to load data rapidly such as when gaming (I can't remember the name still but will try to find it tomorrow), also stuttering can occur on HDDs due to their speed, and similar things with HHDDs.

[kazereal]

Some of the usual things are to check that GPU drivers are up to date.

Check that Windows is not running something silly at same time: task scheduler and services has many things by default you don't actually need on a gaming PC and might cause slowdowns.

Another thing is to check Steam or another program is not downloading/installing something which might need heavy IO.

And software that add overlay (streaming, chat programs etc.) can interfere with DCS.

One example: if you are sharing computer contents (harddrive, media) and something else tries to access those files at same time you are wasting disk IO there.
There's many more possibilites like over-eager AV software running scan of computer at same time.

Computer hardware you have should be very capable and you have tried low settings already so it is possible some other software is the cause of problems here.

[gekobal]

I feel you. I used to have a similar problem with my system which is lower than yours. (My stutters were not that often though. May be once in 10-15 seconds...). It turned out that the operating system was the problem. Once i upgraded my Windows 7 Pro to 10, that random stutters completely stopped. Right now i am able to play the game properly with a GTX670 4GB+i3770k+24GB RAM in low and medium settings.

[Exigeous]

To show you guys what I'm seeing I setup OBS to stream to Twitch to get a recording of the issue. To clarify @kazereal - I've worked in IT for 20+ years so trust me, it's none of the simple type stuff you list. While those are all great things to ask most people believe me it's nothing like that for me, nothing obvious. My machine is extremely clean, it's onlyl for gaming, always updated to the latest Windows/Drivers/etc. No AV/Malwear scanner other than Windows Defender (as I keep the machine very clean, no torrents or the like). I play a ton of very demaning AAA titles on it on 3 monitors or in VR and they are all butter smooth - the issue is clearly somewhere with DCS - or a conflict DCS is having with something on my machine.

Here's a clip I shot - it starts about 15 seconds or so in. I just kept looking out the left window holding my head as still as possible. You'll see the little pause/stutter I'm talking about - and while in some ways it might look really minor in this video and like I'm complaining over very little I assure you in VR its hugely annoying. If I start moving around a lot looking for targets it gets much much worse, it's just easiest to see it like this since I'm still

https://www.twitch.tv/exigeous/v/95025542

I'm just about to uninstall and never touch this POS again, I'm just such a big flight sim fan that I really want this to work. The view of the cockpit and everything in VR is just fantastic but if it can't be smooth I can't play it.

-Ross

[gekobal]

Yeah, that looks exactly the same as mine. Same annoying stutters... I believe my Windows was somehow corrupted and wasn't able to manage the power properly anymore. Upgrading to Windows 10 solved it for me but i met some people that upgrading or reinstalling OS didn't work for.

[kazereal]

Exigeous původně napsal:

Here's a clip I shot - it starts about 15 seconds or so in. I just kept looking out the left window holding my head as still as possible. You'll see the little pause/stutter I'm talking about - and while in some ways it might look really minor in this video and like I'm complaining over very little I assure you in VR its hugely annoying. If I start moving around a lot looking for targets it gets much much worse, it's just easiest to see it like this since I'm still

Ok, from the original I assumed it would stop for longer time each time the stutter occurs.

Also, while I don't use VR myself, I know it can be disorienting in that case.

But currently there is no way to make it work smoother than that.
VR is still in somewhat "experimental" stage.

Part of the thing is that Caucasus map still uses the old terrain engine, which is not that good at loading parts of terrain. Not like the new one that is in alpha in Nevada terrain.

So until the terrain engine upgrade has been completed you will just have to live with that.

[JDarksword]

I can assure you DCS is no POS, it's just picky with hardware, etc.

[Exigeous]

Ah, VR misconceptions from those that don't own it. Yes, of course I know that VR is still in an early stage, I was a KickStarter backer and have had my Rift since launch day. I know it well and use it on average about 5 hours a day as I game almost exclusively in VR these days. Calling it "eye candy" or "experimental" is rather silly at this point - while yes, it has some issues with the current hardware limitations - such a screen door effect, god rays and limited field of view those have nothing at all to do with performance. It's no harder for a PC to run a VR headset than it would be driving 3 1080p monitors as the pixel density of 3 1080p displays is higher than the overall pixel density of VR. I don't mean to sound rude but if you don't have VR yourself or are otherwise extremely familiar with it let's remove that from the conversation, VR is not the issue here.

Why do I say it's not the issue - as I have these exact same stutter issues if I play on my 3 1008p displays. Hell I have the same issues if I play DCS on a single display. @JDarksword I suppose I shouldn't call DCS a POS as there are clearly many playing it and enjoying it but I also wouldn't call it "picky with hardware" as that's, well, a less than technical statement. My current setup is far far more powerful than the setups that were available with DCS launched and it did or was supposed to run smoothly on those setups as well. As I said I've tried playing on a single 1080p display with low settings and I still get the little stutter that's in the video.

I did find a setting that changed the way trim works on an SSD but now I can't track it back down. I tried it as well and it too made no difference. At the moment I'm back to square one - my guess is there's something wrong with either a library (like it want's a certain version of a runtime and I have a newer/different) or their is an issue with my specific video card (which would surprise me as all other games, and there are many, play perfectly). I'm going to setup a RAM disk and may move DCS there for a test (just upgraded to 64GB of RAM so I have room).

Finally if you guys are curious here is a picture of my motion gaming cockpit with an extensive post I wrote on immersion in the space sim Elite Dangerous. Hopefully from seeing and reading this you'll realize I'm no noob here ;-)

http://i.imgur.com/gdtqBzc.jpg

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/287162-Building-The-Most-Immersive-Elite-Dangerous-Simulator-An-Extensive-Guide

Thanks for the help and replies, I do hope I can get this to work as if not it's $50 down the drain.

-Ross

[kazereal]

Exigeous původně napsal:

Calling it "eye candy" or "experimental" is rather silly at this point

You misunderstand - it is not the goggles but support in DCS that is at experimental stage.

Yes, they've integrated support for it but there are bugs to sort out, performance improvements to make and some user interface changes/features to make it work better.

So there are still some problems in the support for VR in DCS but that is something developers are looking into.

[Exigeous]

My apologies then as you're right I didn't realize you were referring to DCS. Sorry, I just hear silly comments and bashing about VR all the time and virtually every time when I ask the person which headset they have the answer is "oh I don't have one" - so again my apologies.

Okay, back on topic. I'll have to double check but I'm near positive that same stutter happens without VR just like it does with VR. I'm pretty sure I tested that as I was curious if the underlying game was the problem or the VR implementation was. I'll reconfirm that soon and post back. I really do hope that I can get this fixed as I've owend DCS for over a year. I try to pick it up and learn it every few month or so only to end in failure and give it back up.

[kazereal]

Exigeous původně napsal:

Okay, back on topic. I'll have to double check but I'm near positive that same stutter happens without VR just like it does with VR.

Yes, as I said before, I'm pretty sure it is about the old terrain engine used in Caucasus region map.

The new terrain engine (in 2.0 alpha) in Nevada is better at handling terrain information.

[Exigeous]

After your comment I looked into 2.0 alpha only to be stunned that they want me to shell out $50 on it - for an alpha?!? Uh, yeah, no thanks - especially when the reason I want to try it is because the game I've already spent $50 on doesn't work worth a crap.

Are you basically saying that these little issues in version 1.5 (or whatever I have from release, that wasn't clear either) are just going to be there and you just have to live with them? I can see that being possible in non-VR but not even remotely possible in VR. The 2 reasons I got DCS A10C in the first place is I have the Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS and a Rift CV1 - so if that's not gonna work then I'll just accept that they got my $50 for nothing and move on/back to all the other games that work just great with my setup.

I do appreciate your input BTW...

-Ross

[kazereal]

Exigeous původně napsal:

After your comment I looked into 2.0 alpha only to be stunned that they want me to shell out $50 on it - for an alpha?!?

2.0 has the Nevada terrain, which is pretty large and detailed (including Las Vegas).

And as said before, Caucasus is being upgraded to the new terrain engine which takes time.
2.5 is expected to be the one where both are integrated again to same DCS.

I suggest catching up by reading the FAQ:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/223750/discussions/0/492379439669702792/