@CptLucky8 : I will look into the “Ultimate Performance Power” scheme. However, I looked in my Alienware Command Center App (ACC) and found MSFS2020 in that library. I double tapped it and it loaded. Strangely, it did not require Steam to be open (my version of MSFS2020 was purchased through Steam and I have never loaded MSFS2020 except after first loading Steam then loading the Sim through Steam’s Library.)
I did a quick flight (2d) just to prove it was functional and it was. The graphics were stellar. I don’t know what this means, if anything.
Do you use SteamVR? I don’t. Only MRP, OXR, Steam and MSFS2020.
Back to overclocking. Reading you and @Beulah6126 is like trying to read some foreign language! but I truly appreciate the commentary…
Here is a screenshot of my ACC app settings for the Overclocking Profile I believe I am currently using:
Good to hear since my new purchase is an Alienware R11. Also, a lot of guys are saying the online functionality (live traffic/multiplayer, etc) is causing severe fps degradation and stuttering since update III. It sounds like a community issue for sure. I’m probably going to go with default OXR and start with 80 or 90 in MSFS VR rendering and dial in from there. I would like to go clouds high and increase ambient occlusion from low to medium.
ps. I don’t use steam VR with Reverb G2. Most guys recommend OXR. With my current rig (2080 Super GPU/32 GB DDR/i7-10875 at 5.0Ghz) I get really good performance but lack clarity for the most part with OXR at 70 and MSFS VR at 70. I’m hoping the 3090 etc will improve that. Also, thermal control is more challenging in a laptop than desktop with liquid cooling etc. I did have a question on RAM as well. I noticed an improvement in fps and load speeds etc when I upgraded from 16 to 32 GB. My new rig has 128GB DDR 4 at 3200Mhz and I’m wondering if that will provide a performance boost over 32GB?
I am a 3090 user who prefers having motion reprojection on.
Admittedly you have to bite the bullet and go down to a mix of medium and high settings.
That said I felt in my experience that I didn’t notice it too heavily. Nonetheless in this scenario I have to have render scaling at 80%. I find any higher and stutters start to come in as GPU usage sits at around 95% and above. In vr, sitting around 85 - 90% average feels more stable.
Some people would prefer the judder, but it’s something that gets on my nerves. Provided I have an experience of the world around me being smooth(buildings are clear and don’t shimmy) Im ok with the occasional bit of minor warping
Nonetheless in short - msfs needs to be better optimised!
3090 here, too, and while I am ok with the judders and prefer the crispness of higher settings/render scale, I just wanted to put another data point out there – with my G2 those settings also are my approximate breakpoint for reprojection.
I suppose it’s to be expected, but it’s still remarkable how MSFS can bring even a 3090 to its knees. Unless Asobo works some optimization miracles, it will probably be at least two more hardware generations before we can really turn up all the settings for VR.
You are right, I also found it shocking that the 3090 was still a bottleneck to the G2’s performance.
My fear is too that CPU is still not that far behind.
@CptLucky8 and @Beulah6126 I have been trying to educate myself regarding overclocking in the R11. What I have found leads me to believe Alienware does NOT finetune each machine individually.
My R11 contains a i9 10900KF running between 3.7 and 5.3 GHz. In the AWCC there was no overclocking setup preselected. My CPU was set to run at 3.7 GHz. I created an Overclocking Preset so it would run at 5.0 GHz. I stress tested it and it passed. Then I looked at my GPU and decided to leave the ‘stock’ settings as they were. On to RAM. I have 32 GB of DDR4 XMP capable of running at 3200 MHz. In the setup panel my RAM was set to run at ~ 2800 MHz (I forgot to note the exact number). In the Advanced Tab, under Memory Clock, my R11 was set to RAM : Disabled. I had to select RAM2 : Enabled, then reboot the machine for it to take effect. Coming back into the AWCC I found RAM was now running at 3200 MHz. I believe if Alienware set up machines individually, it would have been set at 3200 from the factory based upon what I had ordered. This applies also to the CPU speed. I recollect that the number ~2800 that my R11 was running at was the base choice of speed for the R11 when I was specifying the build I wanted to buy. I also believe RAM1 (which was also a settings choice) corresponded to the second option for speed I could also have chosen to purchase. I purchased the 3200 which corresponded to the RAM2 setting.
@CptLucky8 the image of the BIOS you posted where XMP Memory is “Disabled” in a box with a drop down, my BIOS showed XMP Memory as Disabled but the drop down was not functional. When the AWCC was showing RAM : Disabled that correlated directly to the BIOS showing XMP Memory Disabled. When I chose RAM2 : Enabled, rebooted the machine, clicked F2 to enter BIOS and checked the setting it showed XMP Memory RAM2 : Enabled.
So, I have changed some things to reflect the higher end capabilities of my R11 as listed in the Specs that determined the cost of my machine. I didn’t choose any settings that showed up yellow or red in the adjustment sliders, and each stress test returned a “passed” message.
I take this all to mean I have tuned my machine but not overclocked it and that my settings are safe but should provide some added performance capability.
Are either of you comfortable commenting one way or the other on the validity of my belief? I enjoy these interactions, I am learning quite a bit…
Anything other than the stock setting is overclocked. Your chip is supposed to run at base 3.7 with all core boost at 4.9, and turbo boost at 5.3. Those boosts are more of a gimmick than a real potential performance. Nothing wrong with keeping it at stock. What most people do including myself is to lock all core clock at 5Ghz + and your chip is probably capable of running up to 5.2-5.3, but you will have to have a decent AIO to get there. Boosts are more of temporary boosts for a set time until you hit the thermal limit. You will get better performance by overclocking your GPU, then RAM (XMP Profile is fine), then CPU. At the resolution that the Reverb is pumping, CPU clock will make very little difference if none at all. You’ve already chosen XMP profile 1 or 2 (3200 or 3000) if you got the 3200Mhz RAM so you are good there as well. Overclocking is like a black magic. I’ve pushed my chip to 5.1 and even 5.2, but at that speed stability and thermals get tricky. I run about 5-6 stress tools, but even with all the passes, your apps could still crash. In my experience, MSFS proved to be very sensitive to overclocking, and part of the reason could be poor optimization. My SIM still crashes in VR quite often stock or overclocked. So for now, I’d focus more on overclocking your GPU. I am an AMD guy, so can’t help you much there, but try to increase the power limit, then lower your voltage and increase frequency a little at a time. If your computer has presets, give that a try and run time spy or port royal stress for 20 loops. If you can pass those loops, your GPU can be deemed ‘almost stable’. You have the best set up that money can’t buy at this moment, so regardless, you will be getting the best performance you can get out of. Enjoy the machine and let it go to work. You can easily spend more time tweaking your machine than flying around the world seeing what the sim can offer. MSFS still has a long way to go, and I am hoping the next SIM update will iron out a lot of bugs that are bringing even the fastest machines to their knees. I never thought I’d be fighting to squeeze out extra few frames with my current setup which most people can’t even buy at the moment.
One of the best tools you can have is HWInfo64. It could look very intimidating at first, but it will teach you how to maximize your performance. Have fun.
OK, I will reset the CPU to the stock level as you suggest, leave RAM2 : Enabled and look at what I can do in the GPU area. I will also check out the tools you provided.
I do get in plenty of flying. Being retired I get to play golf and fly…
I bought the new release of the Spitfire and just landed from my 1st flight. Taking off on a grass airstrip with the sound of that engine, sitting inside that detailed cockpit and then flying off the coast of England gives a sense of what WWII pilots saw and felt. What a cool sim. MSFS2020 boggles my mind and the capabilities of the developers who create all these ‘assets’ are amazing, too.
Thank-you very much for sharing your knowledge. I have learned a lot from you and CptLucky8. I really appreciate all the time you have taken to write detailed responses.
Spitfire is one of my all time favorite planes. I fly it in DCS. I’ve been so tempted to get the spitfire but I just cannot imagine flying that bird without being able to shoot down other planes. Imagine DCS flight models in MSFS visuals? Can’t wait to see that day become a reality. Keep posting your experience. It’s helps everyone. You and the OP are sort of pioneering the way for the future upgraders, as the market has gone so crazy at the moment, and it will be months before others are able to get their hands on the 3000s series.
Good point – but until recently the type of improvement DLSS 2.0 brings to games would have been considered “miraculous,” so I think my statement still stands?
Wow! I get 30-40 with OXR at 70 and TAA at 100 but LOD definitely at 100 not higher otherwise I get lots of additional stutter! 150 in OXR and TAA at 70/80 sounds insane! Great that your rig manages that.
I have a 3090, 64gb ram but on an 8700k cpu, which might explain why I can’t get higher in LOD…
I will check out the DCS version. When flying last night I was looking for the trigger and how to turn on the gunsight! Now I understand why I couldn’t find them…
“I’ve been so tempted to get the spitfire but I just cannot imagine flying that bird without being able to shoot down other planes.”
That describes me… in DCS
It’s a tricky plane for sure. I haven’t tried the MSFS version though in MSFS my kill count would be the same
So as the OP I’m learning so much from the great and informative responses. Can someone tell me exactly motion reproduction does? I think VRflightsim guy with a 3090 has his on and 70 set in OXR and 100 in MSFS rendering. His videos are amazingly smooth. I think he leaves ambient occlusion and bloom off but everything else is high or some cases ultra. Thanks again.
Motion reprojection inserts frames to double or triple (or more) the framerate a little like the motion smoothing setting on a TV. 30 frames per second (which is all even a top end system can manage in FS2020 sometimes) will give most people a bad headache or motion sickness after more than a few minutes. Motion reprojection doesn’t work perfectly, so it introduces visual artifacts. It’s a tradeoff, but one that’s arguably well worth it.
