2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Everything about latency. Tips, testing methods, mouse lag, display lag, game engine lag, network lag, whole input lag chain, VSYNC OFF vs VSYNC ON, and more! Input Lag Articles on Blur Busters.
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imprecise
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2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by imprecise » 15 Mar 2023, 18:08

Here are the steps to bring a fresh Windows install up to competition-spec using Process Lasso. This guide is meant for both Windows 10 and 11. I will be updating this with more information.

Adding in HPET here at the beginning due to large performance impact:

On my Win11 build I disable the HPET device in Device Manager, and run this command as an admin in Command Prompt:

bcdedit /set disabledynamictick yes

More information on page 3:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11799&start=20
hpetsetup.png
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1. Install the latest motherboard, audio, network, and graphics drivers.
2. Turn off "Enhance Pointer Precision" in mouse settings.
3. Disable power savings in Device Properties.
4. Configure network settings.
5. Install and configure Process Lasso.
6. Enable maximum performance in Graphics settings. Disable all sync technology. Vsync/fast sync/Gsync/freesync. If GPU is getting maxed out to 100% usage, low latency mode and nvidia reflex can lower the input delay. Target 80-90% GPU usage if possible for consistent input delay.
7. Disable Steam controller options.
8. Configure device interrupt priorities.

Follow the GLHF Pledge:
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https://www.anykey.org/pledge
Last edited by imprecise on 31 May 2023, 20:49, edited 13 times in total.

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imprecise
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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by imprecise » 15 Mar 2023, 18:09

imprecise wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 18:08
2. Turn off "Enhance Pointer Precision" in mouse settings.
mouse.png
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imprecise wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 18:08
3. Disable power savings in Device Properties.
power saving 2.png
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imprecise wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 18:08
4. Configure network settings.
networksettings.png
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Last edited by imprecise on 18 Mar 2023, 15:17, edited 5 times in total.

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imprecise
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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by imprecise » 15 Mar 2023, 18:09

imprecise wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 18:08
5. Install and configure Process Lasso.
processlasso.png
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Download:
https://bitsum.com/get-lasso-pro/
2 options, free or Pro.

[Moderator: Removed affiliate advertising -- all funds must go to Blur Busters]

Configuration options:
Enable Performance Mode.
Disable ProBalance.
Install and select bitsum Highest performance mode. This will disable core parking and put Windows in high performance power profile.

Configure priorities and affinities per application:
Right-click on the game when it's running and change priority to high.
-----
Currently testing: HPET off, dwm and wininit back to default priority. Update: I can still see some small play in mouse movement with dwm set to high, probably ~5 pixels give or take, so I'm using Normal priority again. Please share any feedback on these particular settings if you test their effects.
-----
I've had success increasing wininit to real-time priority.
After changing wininit.exe to real-time my GameToRender in UE4 stayed around 5-10ms instead of constantly increasing to 15-20ms.
dwm.exe is default on high priority but I can feel a bit of mouse acceleration issues like this. I personally lower it to normal and run games in fullscreen mode to avoid any potential impacts. It feels better on the desktop too with normal priority.
viewtopic.php?t=4512
--------

Many people suggest de-selecting core 0 for the game you are optimizing, and spreading the CPU affinities across your cores based on usage. This can be a complicated process, and may not be required if the rest of the guide here is implemented.
More on this can be found in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9xu8u_0Xpk
imprecise wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 18:08
6. Enable maximum performance in Graphics settings. Turn on nvidia reflex if the game offers it. Disable all sync technology. Vsync/fast sync/Gsync/freesync.
nvidiaupdate.png
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whitebox wrote:
16 Mar 2023, 09:40
Can you explain why should we turn off Nvidia Low Latency Mode? (Currently I have it as 'Ultra').

Thank you!
witega wrote:
21 Mar 2023, 19:46
@imprecise, I'm curious...why did you edit Low Latency Mode in NVCP to "Off"? Why is "Off" better than Ultra?
I found when having a second screen connected and Low Latency Mode enabled, 2D performance could drop by 40% and sometimes even 80% or more. 2D performance is still needed in 3D games, as 2D sprites are often used for in-game effects. Most games weren't designed for LLM and I think nvidia has moved on to Reflex after finding a better method to decrease latency. If LLM works for you by all means go ahead and use it, but the advertised benefits of LLM aren't worth the 40-80% decrease in performance I have experienced.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11711
imprecise wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 18:08
7. Disable Steam controller options.
controller3.png
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This site helps when I need to troubleshoot the controller:
https://gamepad-tester.com
Last edited by imprecise on 31 May 2023, 20:13, edited 21 times in total.

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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by imprecise » 15 Mar 2023, 18:09

imprecise wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 18:08
8. Configure device interrupt priorities.
Warning: Incorrect settings could break your system.

Newer devices are designed to use MSI mode for interrupt processing instead of legacy IRQ, but it appears Windows leaves these settings unoptimized. This leads to desync between inputs/outputs and lack of system responsiveness.

I used MSI Utility v3 to look up and define these registry entries. The default registry entries appear to have undefined limits, undefined priorities, and incorrect settings. I'm currently testing all on Normal and it may be preferred, since the video card isn't running higher temps at idle, and could also lead to less desync. Testing shows GPU mode on High priority leads to more FPS, which leads to increased visual clarity. This could come at a trade-off though, where a mouse-click slowed down a few ms for more frames to be shown first.

Be careful with these settings, they could potentially cause problems. Do not enable MSI mode on devices unless they support it. On this example, the devices that don't show support already had MSI mode turned on.

Current test settings:
msiupdate.png
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The below image is a configuration I was testing previously. I think adding Normal flags simply adds a layer to be processed for no benefit, and switched to Undefined. I wanted to remove this layer even from the devices that were set to High by default, and am testing all on Undefined. If a device is assigned High by default, it may be best to leave it there. I was using limit 1 on all IRQs for testing, but received feedback that it has caused some devices to stop functioning until the driver is restored. I didn't find any advantage to using 1, I was using it to limit the number of IRQs in play at any given time.

Configuring these MSI/IRQ settings can improve performance devices that are misconfigured by default. Most of my devices are PCI-E 3-4, but the NIC is only PCI-E 1x, and setting it to legacy has improved in-game sync drastically. Some people report increasing or decreasing performance when changing these settings, so I recommend experimenting with 1 device at a time. GPU, Audio, NIC are common devices that can potentially benefit from toggling MSI/IRQ mode.


I'm sharing my testing process here in order to hopefully limit further confusion on the subject.
msimode.png
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Configure manually: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5RtosyeKQw

Configure using MSI Utility v3: https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/windo ... ol.378044/

For example, when I set network adapter to High, it causes extreme slow-downs in game when the higher priority network packets interrupt the input/output. In CSGO when full sprinting with armor, getting network aim punched causes the movement to stop completely and then start over like there was no momentum to begin with. The game is designed for that aim punch to slow down movement, not stop it completely with a delayed movement recovery.


A couple other optimizations I'm using:
https://prod.support.services.microsoft ... 6f3f474613
I'm not sure how much impact these make, but MS has identified it as a known issue.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tracking down performance issues can be difficult. I have found using PerformanceMark is a decent way to find where your computer may be underperforming.

You can download it here:
https://www.passmark.com/products/perfo ... wnload.php

On my current system, I'm constantly rerunning some of the 2D tests to make sure my computer isn't dropping into low-performance.
pt2d.png
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Last edited by imprecise on 31 Aug 2023, 04:31, edited 13 times in total.

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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 15 Mar 2023, 23:51

There are generally excellent advice here...

...However, affiliate advertising (including coupons) is a rule violation on these forums
Forum Rules wrote:- No direct affiliate links than ours. Affiliate codes are automatically removed/replaced.
I surgically edited it out of your post. In the future, please support Blur Busters by using authorized affiliate codes and coupons that are ours, and sends all income directly to Blur Busters (Rejhon Technologies Inc.). Right now we support Amazon and eBay affiliate codes, and we use a script to auto-add affiliate codes to them (so that Blur Busters earns a small commission that helps to pay for the operation of Blur Busters).

________

Other than that, very good thread!

The general optimization advice is pretty good common-sense in today's 360Hz+ era. Power management is a BIG problem in the refresh rate race to retina refresh rates; even a 1ms wake-delay from sleep can now add a visible jitter at 250-500fps strobed at fast motionspeeds (1ms at 4000pixels/sec = 4 pixel jump). When jitter is bigger than the motion blur (e.g. DyAc strobing of BenQ XL2546 can be less than 1ms MPRT), this is undesirable.

So with ultra high refresh rate displays, I'd love to see Microsoft more fully disable power management during timing-critical applications like research, science, esports, etc. I wish that "Performance Plan" automatically truly disabled all of this, maybe Microsoft should add a "Ultra Timing-Precise Performance Plan" that keeps everything locked at maximum P-state. Power hog mode useful for critical esports.

Carry on...
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imprecise
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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by imprecise » 16 Mar 2023, 01:14

Chief Blur Buster wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 23:51
There are generally excellent advice here...

...However, affiliate advertising (including coupons) is a rule violation on these forums
Forum Rules wrote:- No direct affiliate links than ours. Affiliate codes are automatically removed/replaced.
I surgically edited it out of your post. In the future, please support Blur Busters by using authorized affiliate codes and coupons that are ours, and sends all income directly to Blur Busters (Rejhon Technologies Inc.). Right now we support Amazon and eBay affiliate codes, and we use a script to auto-add affiliate codes to them (so that Blur Busters earns a small commission that helps to pay for the operation of Blur Busters).
Fair enough. How can we arrange for this?

whitebox
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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by whitebox » 16 Mar 2023, 09:40

Hi,

I am following this guide to improve the responsiveness of my system.

Can you explain why should we turn off Nvidia Low Latency Mode? (Currently I have it as 'Ultra').

Also, do I need to have Lasso opened to receive it's benefits? or Can I exit it after performing the settings you suggest in the guide?

Thank you!

Niko
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Joined: 16 Oct 2015, 02:31

Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by Niko » 16 Mar 2023, 11:27

Chief Blur Buster wrote:
15 Mar 2023, 23:51
There are generally excellent advice here...

...However, affiliate advertising (including coupons) is a rule violation on these forums
Forum Rules wrote:- No direct affiliate links than ours. Affiliate codes are automatically removed/replaced.
I surgically edited it out of your post. In the future, please support Blur Busters by using authorized affiliate codes and coupons that are ours, and sends all income directly to Blur Busters (Rejhon Technologies Inc.). Right now we support Amazon and eBay affiliate codes, and we use a script to auto-add affiliate codes to them (so that Blur Busters earns a small commission that helps to pay for the operation of Blur Busters).

________

Other than that, very good thread!

The general optimization advice is pretty good common-sense in today's 360Hz+ era. Power management is a BIG problem in the refresh rate race to retina refresh rates; even a 1ms wake-delay from sleep can now add a visible jitter at 250-500fps strobed at fast motionspeeds (1ms at 4000pixels/sec = 4 pixel jump). When jitter is bigger than the motion blur (e.g. DyAc strobing of BenQ XL2546 can be less than 1ms MPRT), this is undesirable.

So with ultra high refresh rate displays, I'd love to see Microsoft more fully disable power management during timing-critical applications like research, science, esports, etc. I wish that "Performance Plan" automatically truly disabled all of this, maybe Microsoft should add a "Ultra Timing-Precise Performance Plan" that keeps everything locked at maximum P-state. Power hog mode useful for critical esports.

Carry on...
"even a 1ms wake-delay from sleep can now add a visible jitter at 250-500fps ..."

Although nothing new there are good suggestions in the thread but that part kinda confused me. These power-saving options in Device Manager just disable the device (NIC, USB/mouse or keyboard for ex.) only after you left the computer untouched for a certain amount of time. "Allow this Device to Wake the Computer" & "Allow the Computer to turn off this device to save power" just awake the PC if you receive a message in sleep mode or to activate it when moving the mouse or pressing a button. When playing game with 250-500fps these dont do anything. There are other power-saving features that save power while working but specifically these are wasting of time.

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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by imprecise » 16 Mar 2023, 18:38

whitebox wrote:
16 Mar 2023, 09:40
Hi,

I am following this guide to improve the responsiveness of my system.

Can you explain why should we turn off Nvidia Low Latency Mode? (Currently I have it as 'Ultra').
I found a bug causing my 2D performance to drop drastically when using low latency mode. Under ideal situations it would help a small amount, you're welcome to use it if you find it helpful.
whitebox wrote:
16 Mar 2023, 09:40
Also, do I need to have Lasso opened to receive it's benefits? or Can I exit it after performing the settings you suggest in the guide?

Thank you!
Yes, keep it running. It actively manages priorities and affinities.
Last edited by imprecise on 17 Mar 2023, 08:16, edited 2 times in total.

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imprecise
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Re: 2023 Esports Optimization Guide

Post by imprecise » 16 Mar 2023, 18:47

Niko wrote:
16 Mar 2023, 11:27
Although nothing new there are good suggestions in the thread but that part kinda confused me. These power-saving options in Device Manager just disable the device (NIC, USB/mouse or keyboard for ex.) only after you left the computer untouched for a certain amount of time. "Allow this Device to Wake the Computer" & "Allow the Computer to turn off this device to save power" just awake the PC if you receive a message in sleep mode or to activate it when moving the mouse or pressing a button. When playing game with 250-500fps these dont do anything. There are other power-saving features that save power while working but specifically these are wasting of time.
I have found these settings being on cause heavy movement feeling on both m+kb and controller. I often double-check these specific settings after plugging in a controller or moving USB devices, because the setting turns back on and the heavy movement feeling returns.

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