P3D v5 runs fine, but slows down rest of computer

[Eseem]

Anything with any graphics utilization at all (Youtube, Discord streams, GIFs, smooth scrollng on websites even) will be severely laggy and slow if P3D is running. This is not the case for MSFS nor XP11, or any other heavy game (e.g. RDR2, F12020, and more), while using things outside those titles might slow the sim/game down while the secondary acton is happening, the rest of the computer isn't throttled hard like it is when P3D is running. The GPU is also ramping up and down as required during all this, not pegged at max, so it feels more like a software/driver issue than hardware limitation.

Any experience with this, and are there any solutions? I've a GTX 1070, nVidia drivers 446.27, i5 8600K at ~4.7GHz.

[JorgenSA]

The solution is straightforward - don't run other stuff while you run P3D.

P3D is a really heavy user of all computer resources, but especially of CPU and GPU clock cycles. That explains the behavior you see.

Jorgen

[Eseem]

That's a solution for those with dedicated systems. P3D v5 does not use 100% of resources available, but it does stop everything else from running smoothly regardles. Again, MSFS and other software requires just as much and sometimes more of the computer, but does not make my navigraph chart app spaz out when I pan around in it, or stutter to death running a short youtube film in 480p. While my system is aging, it should definitely be up to the task to run P3D at my moderate settings with a few light apps doing work on the side.

[Martyson]

@ Eseem ,

You mentioned as one example:
“navigraph chart app spaz out when I pan around in it”

Have you asked Navigraph Support about that?


How many monitors / tablets in use on your setup?

No other flight sim Apps / Add-on products running with your P3D v5 flight like Active Sky , AI Traffic, Moving maps, payware scenery / airports etc?


Note:
Other than when testing I do not “Youtube, Discord streams, GIFs, smooth scrollng on websites even” or record a video.
I just set up the flight (which could take a good bit of time) and fly the flight.

I have tested Navigraph charts on PMDG flights using the EBF (electronic flight bag) without a problem.

[Eseem]

Appreciate the efforts gents, but the issue is that P3D brings the computer to a grinding halt (but runs fine itself) in a strange way which very much feels like a weird driver quirk or similar. I can dump all the settings to minimum or push them all to max, the GPU and CPU can run far below 100%, but still no other software are given any resources at all.

[Martyson]

Appreciate the efforts gents, but the issue is that P3D brings the computer to a grinding halt (but runs fine itself) in a strange way which very much feels like a weird driver quirk or similar. I can dump all the settings to minimum or push them all to max, the GPU and CPU can run far below 100%, but still no other software are given any resources at all.

@ Eseem ,

When you are on a p3D flight and are also doing "Youtube, Discord streams, GIFs, smooth scrollng on websites" etc, you are no longer flying a flight.

When pilots are reporting problems in the forums a typical question is .. what were you doing when the problem happened?

Note:
Not many other pilots are in this topic with you.

[Eseem]

@ Eseem ,

When you are on a p3D flight and are also doing "Youtube, Discord streams, GIFs, smooth scrollng on websites" etc, you are no longer flying a flight.

When pilots are reporting problems in the forums a typical question is .. what were you doing when the problem happened?

Note:
Not many other pilots are in this topic with you.

Thanks, but I'm not interested in your opinion on how I should approach using flightsims. I'm looking for an answer to a particular problem, not input on whether I should or should not do other things while the autopilot churns away. I don't wear a hat, a shirt, epaulettes, dress shoes, or even trousers all of the time when partaking in this hobby, I'm sure your uniform looks nice, though. Stop gatekeeping, it has no place here.

Note: There's absolutely zero reason for pilots to be "with me" in this topic, this topic is not about opinion on side activities, only experiences or solutions with the reported problem. It obviously cannot be intended behaviour to do a hostile takeover of the entire system no matter the performance needed. If no "pilots" reply, it is because they either do not have the issue or do not have a solution to the issue, this is not about rallying to my cause as you seem to indicate.

If you want to start a debate on how people should be allowed use their sims and computers, start a new thread, stop hijacking mine.

[Martyson]

@ Eseem ,

You previously mentioned:
"I'm looking for an answer to a particular problem"
"“navigraph chart app spaz out when I pan around in it”"

I previously asked:

Have you asked Navigraph Support about that?

How many monitors / tablets in use on your setup?

No other flight sim Apps / Add-on products running with your P3D v5 flight like Active Sky , AI Traffic, Moving maps, payware scenery / airports etc?

[Eseem]

True, you did offer some quesitions, however I didn't think them too relevant and got more occupied with your opinions about my doings, which seriously ticked me off.

Have you asked Navigraph Support about that?: No, because it is not a Navigraph issue. The desktop applications does simply not have the resources available while P3D is running to smoothly pan around the map and on charts, everything is laggy and stuttering just like every other part of my computer when P3D is running.

How many monitors / tablets in use on your setup?: Three, but the sim only runs on one. The two others are for charts, discord, and other lightweight programs (including, shockingly, the odd youtube film).

No other flight sim Apps / Add-on products running with your P3D v5 flight like Active Sky , AI Traffic, Moving maps, payware scenery / airports etc?: Definitely, but none should be the culprit. If I leave them all running in the background, close P3D and open MSFS (or any other heavy duty app), the machine becomes balanced again. To use the example of MSFS, I can set those settings to well beyond what I'm able to run and watch MSFS run as a slideshow if I want, it still does not make the rest of the computer lag up like P3D does (and it doesn't matter if it's PMDG on some mega airport, or a default piston in the middle of the Pacific Ocean)

[Sabre57]

The solution is straightforward - don't run other stuff while you run P3D.

P3D is a really heavy user of all computer resources, but especially of CPU and GPU clock cycles. That explains the behavior you see.

Jorgen

What Jorgen states is correct. However, If you could provide more information about your setup we may be able to offer some suggestions of things to try. The more information the better. Such items as the following, and probably others:

Amount of VRAM
Amount of system Ram
Type of Harddrive, SSD vs HDD and amount of space
Configuration changes to the SIM, If any
Addons installed

And anything else that you can think of that may impact your performance. If anyone can help they usually do.

[Martyson]

Actually I thought the first reply (by Jorgen) was excellent and that would end the topic.

But, the reply was not 100% accepted by the OP.

So, I followed up by asking a few questions to get more information on what had been done, hardware and what the OP was running with P3D.

But I agree, full system specs would be helpful now.

[Eseem]

1070 8GB GDDR5
32GB RAM
M2 NVMe 1TB 3500MB/S
Clean Win10 ~10 days ago, no tweaking of P3D or any enhancement tools of any sort, just some addon planes and scenery all with specified v5 compatability.

[Sabre57]

1070 8GB GDDR5
32GB RAM
M2 NVMe 1TB 3500MB/S
Clean Win10 ~10 days ago, no tweaking of P3D or any enhancement tools of any sort, just some addon planes and scenery all with specified v5 compatability.

This is definitely a head scratcher.

Based on your specs I assume that you have at least an I-7 CPU or equivalent.

When you did a clean install of windows did you delete the P3D files that would re-build once you started the sim? It's grasping at straws because most of the time it fixes P3D issues and not anything else.

Another grasping at straws possibility and the only other thing I can think of at the moment is. Is the priority of sim set at a much higher level than everything else? That would be something that you would have set so I doubt that's the case.

[Eseem]

i5 8600K clocked to ~4.7GHz, the C disk (where P3D is installed) is brand new so no old files to retrieve. I used to have v4 on the old disk, not v5, and of course there were no such issues there.

[Eseem]

I think I've found a solution. My P3D profile in Nvidia control panel had the FPS limiter for background processes set to global setting (off) as I wanted, however after having set an arbitrary FPS limit instead, run and close P3D, then set it back to off in control panel, the rest of my computer is now usable.

For anyone with the same issue, the steps above is just what I happened to do, you probably wouldn't have to follow them point by point.