Currently before every flight I'm doing this...

- disable NVIDIA shader cache
- restart PC
- run disk clean up and remove DirectX Shader Cache files
- delete cache files in AppData/Local/D3DSCache, AppData/Local/NVIDIA, AppData/LocalLow/NVIDIA/PerDriverVersion/DXCache, AppData/Roaming/NVIDIA/ComputeCache
- set NVIDIA cache back to 10GB
- restart PC
- Start MSFS
- Delete MSFS rolling cache 

I know it seems a lot but it seems to stop pretty much all stutters etc. Am I going mad? Am I just using this as a 'placebo' in a way.

Are there any steps I could stop doing? Do I need to restart my PC after setting the NVIDIA shader cache back to 10GB? 

Thanks in advance

1 hour ago, BWBriscoe said:

Do I need to restart my PC after setting the NVIDIA shader cache back to 10GB

You should restart the PC before you re-enable shader cache in NVCP, I use Driver Default.

And there is absolutely no need to do all of it before every flight, maybe after each update, but as always - whatever floats you boat etc. 😉

 

You are watching too many performance videos on Youtube 😄

i can pretty much guarantee you are dealing with 100% placebo when it comes to those steps you are taking. in very, very rare circumstances those steps may be applicable.

msfs is an extremely difficult piece of software to achieve stutter-free performance (i.e. truly perfect and consistent frame pacing) with unless you have current top of the line hardware, and that's 100% default msfs. the moment you add in complex payware aircraft, sceneries, and utilities like GSX, you increase that difficulty massively from there. what i can tell you, having upgraded from my 9900k to an AMD 5800X3D setup almost two years ago, is that older gen hardware such as that 9900k are very dated (to oversimplify things) and aside from raw single thread performance, suffer from other deficiencies that msfs or other modern, demanding sims (e.g. dcs world) will readily highlight.

that being said, the biggest single hurdle to achieving smooth frame pacing in msfs is vram management. depending on your use case scenario, your display resolution, and so on, you can consume 16+gb of vram in the blink of an eye. unless you have a gpu with 16gb+ of vram, that means stutters as your system ram is used to swap whatever can't fit into vram. for example, on my PC, running a 4k display, with the Fenix A320, FSLTL AI traffic (with VERY modest amounts of traffic,) GSX and a large third party/Asobo 'premium' airport, i hit my ~12gb vram limit immediately on loading into the sim even at DLSS performance (using the 'ultra' graphics preset.)

also, using the dx12 option is sort of a catch 22 in that it can perform better and with less stuttering than dx11, BUT it brings with it a much higher vram utilization. in other words, dx12 can run smoother than dx11, but you have to be even more cognizant of vram.

tl;dr is to use a tool like GPU-Z to monitor vram usage and if it's within ~0.5gb of your gpu's total vram, it's time to take steps to reduce your vram footprint - the main methods being render resolution (or DLSS/FSR2 setting,) texture quality setting, GSX, and any AI traffic.

sorry, i know you didn't ask "how do i make msfs run smoother?" per se, but judging by the trouble you are going through will all those steps, i extrapolated a bit. 😉

Edited September 1, 20241 yr by molleh

5 hours ago, BWBriscoe said:

Am I going mad?

It seems “a bit much”. So I think you’re not not going mad 😅 I go through something similar before updating nvidia drivers. 

Yes, it's way over the top.   "Delete MSFS rolling cache" is a good one to do once in a while, because it was found MSFS seems to be storing stuff in there even when it is turned off.

However, I only do the others if I have problems (not a lot this year) - smooth as silk. 

I personally think the shader cache thing is a bit of a myth unless you are seeing graphic artefacts. MSFS has to generate them all again the next time you fly, and that in itself takes time.

5 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

I personally think the shader cache thing is a bit of a myth unless you are seeing graphic artefacts.

Voodoo magic, you say? lol

 

It is good to do once in a while, regardless. Helps with the GPU graphical error CTDs, helps with performance over a sustained flight, or flight switching, helps when using ReShade or any other filtering program, helps when using LSFG, helps when switching between DX11&12, helps after a CTD. I delete them once per month (on average), and I’ve noticed a definite improvement in stability. 

18 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

Yes, it's way over the top.   "Delete MSFS rolling cache" is a good one to do once in a while, because it was found MSFS seems to be storing stuff in there even when it is turned off.

 

 

I did that the other day and it helped a ton. Now I delete it every day or so.

5 hours ago, BWBriscoe said:

Are there any steps I could stop doing? Do I need to restart my PC after setting the NVIDIA shader cache back to 10GB? 

I disable shader cache in NCP, reboot in safe mode, delete then reboot and turn shader cache back on.

I use DDU when I update my GPU driver, then all cache files will be deleted together with all the rest Nvidia folders, and I have never had to delete cache files between driver changes to get better performance.

1 hour ago, Ixoye said:

I use DDU when I update my GPU driver, then all cache files will be deleted together with all the rest Nvidia folders

I didn't know that (though I use DDU a lot) ... many thanks - it saves me a step!