Please Help: Optimize and Overclock my PC!

I purchased the PC noted below about 2 years ago and after many false starts and technical difficulties I have finally gotten DCS loaded up and running in VR. I fly using the Oculus Rift almost exclusively though I do also have a TrackIR5 and trackhat.

Running just about everything at low or lowest settings the frame rate and overall visual quality in VR is pretty poor. The worst is that I get lots of stuttering and micro-freezes that make DCS difficult to play. I do believe this can be improved upon.

My knowledge of PC hardware technology is extremely limited. I know the difference between a hard drive and a processor, at least I think I do. BIOS? What the heck is that? How does on access it?

I could really use some help optimizing my PC for DCS. I have played around with in-game graphic settings and such but I firmly believe I can improve my experience if I could get some technical help with the PC.

Here are my specs:

Case 1 x Thermaltake Versa H35 w/ Window Gaming Case

Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i7 5820K Processor (6x 3.30GHz/15MB L3 Cache)

iBUYPOWER PowerDrive 1 x PowerDrive Level 1 - Up to 10% Overclocking

Processor Cooling 1 x Corsair Hydro Series H55 120mm Liquid CPU Cooler

Memory 16GB DDR4-2800 ADATA XPG**

Video Card 1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980Ti - 6GB

F802.11AC Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter

Motherboard 1 x ASUS X99-A -- - *Free upgrade to ASUS X99-A/USB 3.1

Power Supply 850W Thermaltake TPG - 80 PLUS Gold, Fully Modular

Primary Hard Drive 256GB SanDisk Z400S SSD* (Single Drive Only)

Data Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB Hard �Drive -- 32MB Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive

Optical Drive 14X LG Blu-ray Re-writer

Sound Card 1 x ASUS Xonar DGX -- 5.1 Channels, 96KHz/24-bit

Network Card 1 x Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card

USB Expansion Card 1 x PCI-Express USB 3.0 Expansion Card (2x External Port + 1x Header)

Operating System 1 x Windows 10 Home (64-bit) *Newest Microsoft Windows*

First - Optimize. I have no idea what programs may be running in the background. How do I tell and how do I change those settings? I have a SSD (256GB) and a 1 TB regular hard drive and I think DCS runs from the SSD but how can I tell? How can I make sure that everything that should not load from or run from the SSD is not? How do I make sure that the SSD is optimized for DCS?

I have read a bunch of forum threads about how DCS is bad with multiple core processors because it is limited to only using a single core. If I understand this right, it is somewhat shocking. A software company developing a high end graphics intensive game programs the game in a manner such that it cannot utilize the majority of the processing power of modern gaming PC's? How can that be? Just seems like a monumental unfathomable business failure to me. Oh well.... not my business. BUT - how can I try to optimize the core usage for DCS? What about Process Lasso or another means of managing CPU affinity?

How can I check and see at what clock speed my processor is currently running and which processor core DCS is running on? What about checking processor temps and other important stuff? How does one go about monitoring and changing these things? How can I develop some benchmarks in DCS so I can validate if changes I do are actually helping?

I want to overclock the CPU. I have an apparently decent water cooler and have been advised that overclocking should gain some horsepower for DCS. Should I use ASUS AI Suite? Some other tool or utility for overclocking? Anyone have a process to follow simple enough for a tech moron to follow?

Any and all help on this is HUGELY appreciated!!!

Fangio

AI suite will work, but if you read up a bit you can do it yourself via BIOS and not have AI suite running in the background hogging resources. I would suggest using it to begin with though. Go to the overclock utility, press auto overclock and watch what happens. You should be able to get up to at least 4.5 ghz with no problems.

Also make sure you run fan xpert as well to allow proper cooling at that overclock.

Once you’ve seen what it can do automatically, the next step is using the BIOS to do the same thing but with more control. Too much for a quick reply here but there are many articles online that take you step by step through that.

Finally for the cores- just ignore the fact that you have more than the 2 that DCS uses. You can’t do much about that and shutting down extra cores only matters for extreme overclocking.

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Some good programs to monitor what’s happening with your cpu are CPU-Z and RealTemp or CoreTemp. Either temp program will show you how hot the cores run and cpu-z will show you everything else

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...I think DCS runs from the SSD but how can I tell?

Normally your SSD is Drive C:

A standard installation should put DCS on Drive C:

You can check by navigating with Windows Explorer:

Here is an example of CPU-Z, recommended by ricktoberfest.

You can see the default (3.4 GHz), and overclocked speed (4.3 Ghz = 4299.00 MHz) of my CPU.

Watch that and come back with questions :)

Also get something like real temp to measure your temperature now and then later. I assume someone built this rig for you ?

Do you use all of your expansion cards ?

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-real-temp/

try this

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24075/Intel-Extreme-Tuning-Utility-Intel-XTU-

Also just been checking. Your mobo should come with asus AI suite which has an overclocking tool called 5 step optimisation. Check that out first

http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/misc/utils/ASUS_XTU_V612208.zip?_ga=2.220886616.1577527719.1511004757-1471997241.1509918883

This will give detailed info about your system

https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor

And if you really are not experienced in computing as such then please use this once a week. It will clean out your temp files etc and generally gives a boost in performance especially if you have never cleaned up your PC before :)

https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download I use the freeware option and run it about 2x a week. First time run it will take a long time and check the settings if you want to keep passwords etc

Before you turn any knobs, push any butons and move any slider, you should watch a few of those YT videos and READ about overclocking this or that CPU. It doesnt always need to be YOUR model, many things are similar when overclocking across all CPU's, i.e. more Volts = more Heat, direct proportional, anywhere with every CPU.

You should take notes what are your current, STABLE, settings, maybe save them in AISuite as "default-non_oc".

I run such a 5820k remotely as a SRV but and when I put it together I oc'ed all cores to 4G, no problem even with Noctua SRV-Style aircooler. With your AIO you might get 4.2-4.4, maybe 4.5G if you are real lucky.

Read before you tinker with it and be ready to run hours and hours of testsuites, reboot, tinker, reboot, fiddle, reboot, CRY, reboot..... HAVE FUN :)

1 Last tip: It pays to have a 2nd machine near by to read the web while your 5820k is in Bios or such. A laptop is fine.

THANK YOU for all the replies!

So I am going to give this overclocking thing a go following instructions given and in the video plus on some guides I found via google.

First though - I will be doing the following:

1. Get and run CC Cleaner from Piriform linked above. any tips or guides appreciated...

2. Updating the BIOS. I have never done this before so I plan to follow this video for instructions:

3. Get and install CPU-Z

4. Get and install Real Temp

5. Get and install Intel XTU

6. Run Benchmarks with all current settings (how to do this???? XTU offer this? )

THEN - actually do overclock using AI suite to start (probably)

Am I missing anything? Any tips are appreciated

Fang

I can offer a Teamviewer session and get you a quick throw into the cold water ;)

I also prefer Asus AiSuite overclocking from inside OS over Bios oc, for many reasons.

Give me a PM if you dare to share your Desktop and a ready for a ride on the wild side.

Bit

Dont follow the video with USB flashing if you dont need to.

It's far easier to flash that board from within LiveUpdate without the need to rename the Bios and go through the backpanel button pressing thing.

I have done it many times both ways, the USB way is actually made for rescuing boards, flashing without CPU and such. For a standard upgrade this is far toomuch fuzz and risky too.

Download the Bios, unpack it, go to Asus LiveUpdate--> manual-->choose file-->let it read it-->hit the UPDATE BIOS button once it verified the file and WAIT. Reboot as prompted and follow the prompts in Bios, DO NOT tinker with the power button, reset button or such...let it do its job, might take 1-2 minutes, depending on your very Bios and Firmware, X99 has more features usually than Z series. YOu will need to enter Bios with F1, then hit F10 to save & exit, --->DONE

;)

..OK....Teamviewer......

i sent the teamview id and password it gave me in pm - not sure I am doing it right....

Guys.... I am overwhelmed by the generosity and help that Bitmaster has extended to me. He got on teamviewer with me and spent HOURS going through all sorts of configuration and setup changes with me - stuff I had no idea existed and still grasp little of what all was going on but suffice to say before my PC would rarely boot without hanging up at the Asus screen and DCS performance was a stutter festival. No the pc will boot fine and I can actually fly in DCS. There are still some stutters when I fly a mission with enemies or try to turn up anything in settings but at the very least DCS is playable and to a point where I can actually test things and start figuring out getting it all actually optimized.

Bitmaster - YOU ROCK!

Let me add.... getting a PC setup or optimized for a high end game like this, particularly given the beta and generally rough level of finish to DCS currently, getting a pc setup to really run it is HARD. If one is not a pc hardware guru or lacks a general understanding of what all this stuff is and how it works doing what Bitmaster did for me on my own would be fundamentally impossible. I really believe that this issue is huge when it comes to accessibility of something like DCS.

I would urge Bitmaster to pursue a commercial service related to this, there is certainly a need and market. I know I would be quite happy to pay to have someone provide this sort of game specific pc software and hardware optimization and I have idea where one would go to get this!

:)

welcome !

There are still at least 2 things we need to work on, xmp and process lasso.

maybe today as i have baby-nite-shift and time hehe

*edit: the quick&dirty oc to 4.4G / 1.275v helped a lot !. your booting issue may come back, its a notorious x99 problem, tho i hope not.

process lasso will take you even further, i tested it a bit and its great. tho i dont actually need it.

Nice one :)

Nice to see how BitMaster sorted things for Fangio :thumbup:

And nice to read Fangio's feedback ;)

I don't know if there is a market for commercial services related to remote PC optimization in general or for a specific simulator.

I remember that in the days of Flight Simulator 2002 or 2004 there was a guy who proposed to optimize remotely PCs for MSFS. I don't know if the service still exists. I think not.

Anyway, I wish BitMaster lived near my town to build my next rig. Of course I would pay for that :) I would feel much more confident than having my PC built by an unknown guy from an online company.

Nice to see how BitMaster sorted things for Fangio :thumbup:

 

And nice to read Fangio's feedback ;)

 

I don't know if there is a market for commercial services related to remote PC optimization in general or for a specific simulator.

 

I remember that in the days of Flight Simulator 2002 or 2004 there was a guy who proposed to optimize remotely PCs for MSFS. I don't know if the service still exists. I think not.

 

Anyway, I wish BitMaster lived near my town to build my next rig. Of course I would pay for that :) I would feel much more confident than having my PC built by an unknown guy from an online company.

Honestly, it's not that hard. If you can use a screw driver, you can build a PC. Things have gotten so much easier. And there's a Youtube video for any build, that will walk you through the steps.

Honestly, it's not that hard. If you can use a screw driver, you can build a PC. Things have gotten so much easier. And there's a Youtube video for any build, that will walk you through the steps.

Some stores will even mount your cpu and heatsink for you when you buy a motherboard/cpu/heatsink together.

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Putting it together is the least effort.

The real issue for most is what and how next after the screws.

There is a market, amomng friends and collegues but not for money. It's one of those things that is hard to find and buy.

Many assemblers I met during my active phase were nothing but gangsters.

That much to how the scene looks like. They sold you the least junk and smiled when you payed them. I never did that.

Honesty, skill and trust is very hard to find. I gave up my job for this year, doing kids only. I still have my solid customers, some companies and some old folks that still call me for help, like this 82 year old Lady I go to every other months.

It's a shame that character, honesty and fairness is at such a decline.

edit:

you gotta rip them off, sell them BS at a high price, and all the other bad things to make a good profit.

As a boutique builder...LOL I stopped over 10 years ago to build PC's for money. That was dead in 2005 already when Aldi

and your bakery strated saelling PC's.

Ahhh I could go on for ever I guess but my little Franz wants his Milk :baby: That really counts !!

Have you tried PricessLasso meanwhile. That app is pretty straight forward, dont be afraid to load it. After a reboot all settings you may have done are nulled again.

I hope i find another couple hours soon when timezones fit.

Last night was too late for me, sorry pal :(

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