Looking for People to Test a Possible Fix or atleast find a starting point — Controlled Experiment

[Ven]

Looking for People to Test a Controlled Experiment — Maybe this Could be starting point to investigate what's actually happening?

I've been trying to find a fix for these issues for around 6 years, doing all kinds of troubleshooting and controlled experiments.

I recently came across something unusual that seems to reduce desync in my experience. I'm not claiming this is a fix, and I don't know why it might work. I want to see if other people can reproduce it and whether it could lead to further investigation.

What I'm doing

Before launching the game, I open OCCT → Stability test → Combined, enable VRAM and 3D Adaptive, set both intensities to around custom→40%, and start the test (continuously running it in the bg). I also run Intel PresentMon in the background with its overlay enabled. Make sure Intel PresentMon is set to the 'GPU Focus' preset. PresenMon make a bigger impact than simply running OCCT alone imo.

I've tried this in Valorant and Overwatch. The effect isn't 100% consistent, and the required intensity varies depending on the game and its settings. Valorant sometimes needs 50–60%. In Overwatch, low graphics settings might require around 60%, while high settings might need only 40% : Depends on the hardware load ig.

The idea is to find a load level where the FPS starts taking a noticeable hit and then check whether the desync-related symptoms change.

Things I've noticed (What needs to be met for this to work)

- GPU utilisation: Needs to stay around 99% consistently.
- PresentMon graph: GPU Busy and frame-time/presentation traces appear to line up closely, almost like a single line.
- FPS metrics: The 1% low FPS under the Presents metric is significantly lower than the average Presents FPS.
- Trade-off: FPS takes a hit, and frame pacing can become uneven, with occasional spikes.

The symptoms I'm referring to are things like dying behind walls, taking damage after reaching cover, inconsistent hit registration, and similar desync-related behaviour. I'm not claiming this improves input lag, smoothness, or frame pacing.

This might sound somewhat similar to the iron box experiment people have discussed. I'm wondering whether introducing a particular system load changes something related to power behaviour, CPU/GPU scheduling, or frame delivery. This is just speculation, though.

Would anyone be willing to test this with me?

I'd like to compare the game running normally against the game running with OCCT and PresentMon, keeping other settings as consistent as possible.

If you participate, please share your CPU, GPU, OCCT settings, GPU utilisation, PresentMon graphs, and whether you notice any difference in the desync-related symptoms.

I know this isn't an ideal solution, especially with the FPS loss. The goal isn't to claim we've found a fix, but to establish whether this behaviour is reproducible across different systems and whether it gives us a starting point to investigate the underlying cause.

My PC :
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK (MS-7C91)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
RAM: 32 GB (2 × 16 GB) BIWIN Predator Pallas DDR4
SSD: Acer Predator GM7000 1 TB NVMe
PSU: DeepCool PN850M 850 W 80 PLUS Gold
CPU Cooler: DeepCool GAMMAXX L240 240 mm AIO
Cabinet: ANT ESPORTS 690MT AIR
Monitor: BenQ MOBIUZ EX2510S — 1080p, 165 Hz
Operating System: Windows 11 (Build 26100)

[Ven]

What I have done :

• Replaced hardware components one by one, including motherboard, RAM, PSU, and SSD.

• Tested different GPUs.

• Reinstalled and tested multiple operating systems (Windows,Linux).

• Tested multiple BIOS versions and configurations.

• Tested multiple GPU drivers and system settings.

• Moved houses and tested different network environments.

• Tested multiple ISPs and internet connections.

• Fixed electrical grounding and wiring issues.

• Checked for EMI and electrical interference issues.

• Replaced problematic wall sockets and tested different power outlets.

• Added a UPS and investigated power quality.

• Replaced and reconfigured routers and equipments.

• Performed multiple clean OS installations and complete PC rebuilds.

• Ran extensive hardware, memory, GPU, network, and latency diagnostics.

• Tested numerous BIOS, RAM timing, voltage, GPU tuning, and Windows latency configurations.

Important observations:

• The issue sometimes disappears temporarily after CMOS resets, RAM reseating, hardware rebuilds, or certain BIOS configurations.

• Performance often starts smooth after a reset or rebuild, then progressively deteriorates.

• Some GPU-load and frame-timing workarounds temporarily helped but eventually stopped working.

• The problem has persisted across multiple hardware, OS, ISP, and house configurations.

I've listed everything I've tried so far so people have a clear picture of the troubleshooting I've already done. I don't want anyone to assume I haven't tested different possibilities or experimented with potential solutions. I've spent a lot of time investigating this issue across hardware, software, networking, and electrical systems. I'm sharing the list to avoid confusion, prevent repeated suggestions, and help focus on possibilities that haven't been explored yet.

[Fishie]

I might give it a go, I mainly only play Overwatch. How long have you been testing this?

Edit: my main issue is the floaty feeling

[Ven]

I might give it a go, I mainly only play Overwatch. How long have you been testing this?

Edit: my main issue is the floaty feeling

I've been investigating these issues for a few years, but I've only recently started experimenting with this particular method, maybe around 3–4 months ago.

I've tested it in Overwatch as well as Valorant. In my experience, it seems to reduce desync-related issues to some extent, but I haven't established whether it helps with the floaty feeling specifically.

If you try it, let me know what you notice. I'm interested in seeing whether the results are reproducible on other systems, even if the effect varies.

[MontyTheAverage]

What settings are you exactly doing? My game won't even start and the PC freezes several times doing what you said.

[Ven]

What settings are you exactly doing? My game won't even start and the PC freezes several times doing what you said.

I'm using OCCT's Combined test with both CPU (Corrected to VRAM) and 3D Adaptive enabled, initially at around 40% intensity each, with Intel PresentMon running in the background.

The intensity may need to vary depending on your hardware and in-game settings. Valorant sometimes needs 50–60% for me, while Overwatch varies depending on the graphics settings.

If your PC freezes or the game won't start, try running OCCT by itself for a couple of minutes first, then close OCCT completely and launch the game with only the Intel PresentMon overlay running. See if the game launches and runs normally that way.

If the PC freezes during the OCCT test itself, stop the test and don't push it further. What are your PC specs, and what intensity settings are you using?

Also, make sure Intel PresentMon is set to the 'GPU Focus' preset.

[Fishie]

I might give it a go, I mainly only play Overwatch. How long have you been testing this?

Edit: my main issue is the floaty feeling

I've been investigating these issues for a few years, but I've only recently started experimenting with this particular method, maybe around 3–4 months ago.

I've tested it in Overwatch as well as Valorant. In my experience, it seems to reduce desync-related issues to some extent, but I haven't established whether it helps with the floaty feeling specifically.

If you try it, let me know what you notice. I'm interested in seeing whether the results are reproducible on other systems, even if the effect varies.

I see, how do you set the intensity for both? I only see the intensity for "3D Adaptive" and not for "CPU"

[Ven]

I might be thinking of an older version of OCCT, in that case, try running it with 3D Adaptive and VRAM both set to 40% (We simply need to induce load), I will mention that in the main thread. ty for noticing!

[MontyTheAverage]

What settings are you exactly doing? My game won't even start and the PC freezes several times doing what you said.

I'm using OCCT's Combined test with both CPU and 3D Adaptive enabled, initially at around 40% intensity each, with Intel PresentMon running in the background.

The intensity may need to vary depending on your hardware and in-game settings. Valorant sometimes needs 50–60% for me, while Overwatch varies depending on the graphics settings.

If your PC freezes or the game won't start, try running OCCT by itself for a couple of minutes first, then close OCCT completely and launch the game with only the Intel PresentMon overlay running. See if the game launches and runs normally that way.

If the PC freezes during the OCCT test itself, stop the test and don't push it further. What are your PC specs, and what intensity settings are you using?

Also, make sure Intel PresentMon is set to the 'GPU Focus' preset.

Ok you mean VRAM and not CPU? You might want to edit it with the correct configuration

[Ven]

There was a CPU intensity setting in older OCCT builds. I've switched to using VRAM and 3D adaptive after that.. Muscle memory, mb. I made changes in the main thread.