Is there a problem with the bottleneck?
Is there a problem with the bottleneck?
Hello, with everyone discussing bottlenecks lately, I wanted to share my ongoing VR concerns. I've created posts about this before, but often experience very low performance at around 45 fps, with some frame rate drops in games like Battlefield 2. I'm unsure if the problem lies in software or with my headset, but I'm wondering if my CPU or RAM might be the culprit. My setup includes a Ryzen 5 1600 AE, an RX 5700, and 16 GB RAM running at 2400 MHz. The instability appears when I try higher speeds, even though I have four RAM sticks installed.
Would upgrading to a 3600 or switching to two 8 GB RAM sticks help? I'm not planning to fix the RAM issue right now, but if you know how to resolve it, I'd appreciate your advice.
Edit: After further testing, in Half-Life Alyx at low settings, I noticed significant spikes in CPU frame time and high GPU frame times. My CPU usage was about 50%, while GPU usage was around 30%. I also tried Echo VR, which runs smoothly in the Oculus Store, though FPSVR doesn't work there. It felt very responsive compared to Half-Life Alyx, but I'm still curious if SteamVR is the problem.
The CPU seems to be the main limitation for your system. I prefer AMD Ryzen chips, but I waited until the third generation before upgrading. Coming from a six-core Intel processor, performance gains became noticeable only then. Having four RAM sticks works fine; two would be unnecessary and costly. The bottleneck here is your memory speed, as Ryzen performs better with faster RAM. I suggest upgrading to a third-gen Ryzen CPU, which may require a new motherboard. While I don’t plan to replace RAM anytime soon, for the future I’d recommend at least 3000MHz with under 16ms latency.
Consider upgrading with a Ryzen 5 3600 processor. For motherboards, you can locate decent and budget-friendly B450 options that support the 3rd generation Ryzen from the start. Some may need BIOS updates, which would depend on compatible CPUs, and I’m uncertain about the support for older Ryzen models on those boards.
I own a B350 and, based on ASUS' site, it works with a BIOS upgrade to the third-gen Ryzen version.
45 FPS seems like the game can't handle 90, so it's lowering to 45 and using ASW or frame interpolation to reach 90 for the HMD. If you're using SteamVR, check fpsVR to see if CPU or GPU is limiting performance in the game you're playing.
You've noticed some performance issues with Half-life alyx on the low preset. CPU frame times are spiking and GPU usage is also elevated, though your CPU isn't fully overwhelmed. I saw Echo Vr run smoothly in the Oculus store, which suggests it might be the cause. SteamVR doesn't support games from that platform, so I can't provide precise metrics, but it definitely felt okay. I'm planning to log this as an edit.
Checking various steamVR titles to compare performance. Are all drivers and bios current, and are there no extra background apps using CPU? Be mindful of unusual SteamVR settings like supersampling. I don’t have much experience with the latest Oculus software since I switched from CV1.
I don't have anything demanding, and although I don't have exact numbers, beat saber and superhot vr showed similar problems. I'm using 100% resolution, so I assume no extra upscaling is happening. Steam VR reports 100%, which likely means full headset resolution. I'll check my background apps and disable anything, since it might not be too heavy but could cause some issues. Edit: I also question if interpolation isn't functioning properly on Steam VR, possibly forcing it to stick at 45 fps instead.
The game shouldn't be overly demanding on that system, but something seems off. It might help to check for known problems or see if the Oculus software causes issues with SteamVR. A fresh install of Windows, Oculus, and Steam could also resolve the issue.