DCS World 2.9 Multiplayer 19GB VRAM usage - Poor performance

[phillipcarroll]

Fresh Windows 11 install today

Latest drivers, ARC 32.0.101.6913

asus z890 proart

265k

96GB DDR5 6800

Gen 4 4TB nvme

ARC B580 Limited Edition

DCS version: 2.9.17.12034

I had another post open that I thought was resolved. In single player missions, or mission editor I will easily get 100+fps with the current settings. In MP I get 5-30fps and 15-30GB VRAM usage. If I run single player the VRAM is fine for however long Im playing. Once you enter a MP server the VRAM spikes way over into system RAM, then you need to close the game and reopen. Simply exiting a MP server and running single player the VRAM will still show that its spilled over into system RAM. 

I have included the SSU and CapFrameX data

This occurs in every MP server that I tested. All of the "4YA" public servers this will occur. Example "[4YA] TRAINING 24/7 CAUCASUS PVE SENAKI US"

[phillipcarroll]

Image from large single player mission with hundreds of ai assets flying, moving etc... 100+fps and only 8GB-ish vram usage. I have also included single player caps for comparison. This Multiplayer failure mode will not change if I reduce all the settings down, I will still see very high VRAM in multiplayer only. If I reduce settings I will see a corresponding reduction in VRAM footprint and an increase in FPS in single player.

[jbruceyu]

...given that performance remains stable in single-player mode while VRAM consumption disproportionately increases and fails to normalize post-session, the root cause likely resides within the game engine’s memory management or the graphics driver’s response under multiplayer workloads—rather than any hardware limitation on your end. As a provisional measure, you may consider experimenting with earlier driver versions such as 32.0.101.4885 or 6553, both of which have demonstrated greater stability in similar environments.

Additionally, implementing the following optimizations may help mitigate the issue:

To help reduce VRAM overload in DCS multiplayer, consider lowering texture and terrain quality, disabling preload radius, adjusting key graphics settings like shadows and anisotropic filtering, clearing VRAM between sessions by restarting Arc Control or your system, and disabling hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling via Windows graphics settings

[phillipcarroll]

Where can I download those older driver versions, I looked on the arc driver page and the revisions only go back a limited amount. I checked the driver download site and it just links to that same driver page. 

I retested at 1080p, I set my 2nd B580 (dual gpu) dedicated as the render gpu for DCS World to buy it just a little bit more VRAM availability. Set both textures and regular textures to low. 

In single player I only see 5GB VRAM usage, in MP its attempting to use 15.2 with the same map/location:

I agree there are problems in DCS but if I toss in my RTX 5070, A770, or Titan V, or even my older vega cards they do not have this behavior. 

[phillipcarroll]

Retested on the lowest of every setting, still trying to pull 15GB vram in MP. FSR set to .85 @ 1080p.

[phillipcarroll]

I pulled my B580's out, installed my Titan V 12GB (albeit a powerful GPU, still a 2017 card). Reran everything back the same, in MP, runs 150fps and 6GB VRAM. Its not the game, there is something broken with the ARC driver for this Dx11 title. 

[TheExpertGuy]

VRAM behavior like that, especially under identical conditions where other GPUs perform normally, does point to a deeper driver-level issue with how ARC handles DX11 titles like DCS World, particularly in multiplayer scenarios. As for older drivers you’re not imagining it Intel’s ARC driver archive on the main site does have limited rollback options. For broader access to legacy or intermediate versions, you can download previous versions here that said, this kind of VRAM over-allocation definitely warrants further visibility

-TheExpertGuy

[KoN]

Going into MP will be different every time. Players with low or high pings And what is going on around you ECT at the time of recording. 

Also, the maps use up ram. 

dx11........ I would say is buggy with B580.

DX11 games seem to drop with the Arc. 

Experiment with settings and drivers. But you're maybe bagging your head with this one.