Lag/Stuttering with EGPU

[averyjh]

I have a Razer Blade 15 with 1070 max-q and i7 8750h. I have been using it with a valve index for a couple of months with no issues. I decided to try using Razer Core X Chroma thunderbolt 3 EGPU with a 2080ti. Set up works perfectly with standard games through my external monitor, generally doubling my FPS vs. the internal GPU.

However, its an entirely different story with Steam VR. When using the EGPU it lags/stutter horribly in games, even just the SteamVR home or in the environment while a VR program is loading. Lag/stuttering makes VR unplayable.

My installation of EGPU coincided with the SteamVR 1.7 update so I don't know if that is the issue or if it is just the EGPU. Without the EGPU (HMD connect directly to the laptop), I have no issues with Steam VR.

Things I have already tried:
1. Index connected via display port directly to 2080ti, USB connected directly to the laptop. Have tried connecting USB through EGPU and all the USB ports on the laptop
2. Used DDU to remove all display drivers and updated with latest Nvidia Driver
3. Windows is updated
4. Reinstalled SteamVR
5. SteamVR Beta 1.8 has same issues
6. Have tried lower refresh rates on HMD
7. Set custom resolution to 100%. Was set to 150% by default
8. Enabled Direct Display Mode

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s0H-0OIyPg5kiDrqL8omTP9brk_kRk5n

Any help from some or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Matoro Zeliph]

Did you figure out what was the issue and resolved it?

[averyjh]

Disabling the intel hd graphics in device manger seemed to resolve most of the problems. Still not perfect, but I think that is just a result of running through an EGPU.

[Deronatron]

I'm having this issue it's so bad so do you know how to fix it is it something that will that's not our fault? Only when I start up steam vr my CPU reaches 100% usage and becomes laggy and unplayable. What's up with steam vr ?

[RoRz@kH]

I'm having a support request with Steam about this problem. i'm having the same configuration and the same problem. For now they are no looking really involved in finding a solution and they send me to this forum. I did a lot of manipulation, but the only solution for me to make everything run normally is to re-install all steam component/games. But it's not stable as the problem are back after a steam VR update.
Don't really know what to do now, i'm so disappointed by the solution....

['El' Jungle~[Latvia]]

I'm at the same situation! The Razor Core x with Valve Index is taking 100% of the first two cores of my laptop CPU. Everything is super lag full!

Any fix of this guys?

[RoRz@kH]

Hey guys,

After running some tests today i've maybe found a solution.

As far as i understand, Steam VR is not intereacting correctly with Nvidia driver and monitor management when you have 3 different graphic processors (CPU integrated one, Nvidia laptop version, and eGPU)

So you have two solutions for the eGPU part:

- Easiest one is to install the Razer GPU switcher and select your eGPU to be enalbe when available
- More complicated one is to manually disable your Nvidia laptop graphic processor into device manager ( it mean you have to enable it again when using your laptop without eGPU)

After that i was having a color problem in the headset (too much light or too much white)
It appeared when i started my laptop with the external monitor plugged in.

I just disconnect it and restarted the laptop, and the colors came back to normal.

Let me know if it worked you. I'll give this information to support.

[RoRz@kH]

One problem i still have is the access to monitor view inside VR, which is still working only on external monitor

[BenHead]

Welp, looks like this is still an issue 1.5 years later. I recently added an AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box to my Alienware 13 R3 - so external RTX 3080, internal GTX 1060, plus Intel Graphics - and had the exact same issue. I also found that disabling the GTX 1060 in Device Manager fixes it.

It's definitely a Steam VR issue - no other game (or anything else) lags like this on the monitor connected to the RTX 3080. (And it is configured as my primary display when docked.)

I'm guessing this problem is specific to Direct Display Mode, though I haven't yet tried disabling it, since I imagine doing so could easily cause other problems.