AC settings for VR with Pimax 5K Super, i5-8600k and GTX1080ti

[niterida]

After years of tweaking (well copying other peoples settings actually) I have finally got AC in VR to look as good as it will get AND run at 120fps with an ancient GTX1080ti and i5-8600k

Not sure which settings actually made an impact and which didn't but this is what I ended up with :

Nvidia Inspector Settings from Youtuber PANJNO :

Nvidia Control Panel settings all standard except :
FXAA : ON
Low Latency : ON or ULTRA
Shader Cache size : as large as you can

Pimax
Refresh : 120hz (90hz is probably good enough and will reduce GPU / CPU usage)
Backlight : 100
Brightness : -2
Render Quality : 2.00 This setting actually reduced GPU usage but had no effect on visual quality once SteamVR settings adjusted to suit.

SteamVR
Resolution Per Eye : 20% 2804 x 2352 with AC MSAA set to 8x

Content Manager
AC Video

Content Manager

acstuff.ru

PP Filter OFF is a must.

CSP

Content Manager

acstuff.ru

Most of the CSP settings are standard but the biggest thing I changed was totally removing Graphics Adjustment. Costs 10-15fps and uses 15% more GPU an 5% more CPU !!
Also seemed to give a more stable image with it off.

Pure
see attachment - didn't change much but enough to stop it looking too bright / washed out

Interestingly, running SteamVR at 30% (3436 x 2884) cost no FPS but added 20% GPU usage and took it to nearly 100% and 89deg.
Drop Pimax to 90hz and 30% SteamVR costs just 5% GPU but still 85-90deg.
Drop to 90hz AND 20% and GPU drops to 65% and just 75deg (which is what I am running)
Yes 120hz refresh looks marginally better but I will take the less stressed GPU over a tiny visual improvement.

Also interestingly is that running 90fps at 90hz used 20% less GPU than running 90fps limit at 120hz.

 

[Elaphe]

I also own a Pimax 5K, but together with a 3080Ti. Try OpenXR instead or SteamVR. I have not noticed any framerate penalty and you can make the image noticeably sharper.

 

[Vintagedriver01]

As most VR jockeys do not have the budget for an super duper RTX4090 we can not open all settings to max, so we have to be very selective on that point.
Concentrate on the aspect’s that are for you important. In my VR-AC case it was the need of a strong reducing of all those visual defects like shimmer and jaggies in VR mode. That in combination with a straight 90FPS.
Stop using all those “magnifying glass” graphical improvements settings, the one you can not see directly.
Read the description in CM at the CM settings, these will give you an indication on FPS losses.
Avoid, if possible, all those extra software like SOL/PURE/PPstuff, if not needed, like me as a clear sky & dry weather driver. If still wanting, get a PPfilter that’s clearly shows the improvements with limited FPS losses and/or fluctuations. .
Get an SteamVR alternative, like OpenXR toolbox.
For me, I nearly stopped AC, the Nvidia-VRS setting in CM was THE eye opener.
For the rest keep in your mind nearly all the settings guides are based for an single monitor and mostly also on high end rigs. It’s for the average VR AC-racer more interesting to see a VR user with a modest PC .

 

[niterida]

i followed these youtube vids also :

No idea which ones actually worked though so try them at your own risk/reward !!

My CPU is overclocked to 4100mhz
My GPU is Core Clock +50 and Memory Clock +400

I find the lower resolution only affects cars in the distance and makes them a bit blurrier but this seems to reduce the screen door effect. Cars right next to you are still crystal clear.
I am also able to run in Large FOV to see those pesky divebombs coming up the inside.

 

[Vintagedriver01]

Great always watching the unavailable YT video’s.

 

[niterida]

I also own a Pimax 5K, but together with a 3080Ti. Try OpenXR instead or SteamVR. I have not noticed any framerate penalty and you can make the image noticeably sharper.

I have seen OpenXR but not investigated it yet. A lot of the time I can;t be bothered with the installation, setup and tweaking of new apps - I am a dinosaur and if it doesn't work straight up I generally give up on it. Will have a look at it though

reducing of all those visual defects like shimmer and jaggies in VR mode

Yep - I found not having CM Graphics Adjustments active stabilised the image heaps. And lower resolution helped too but that is a trade off you may not want. Not sure if it was my imagination by=ut the FXAA ON in Nvidia seemed to help a bit as well.

Avoid, if possible, all those extra software like SOL/PURE/PPstuff, if not needed

If I could turn CSP off altogether I would as the image is so much better without it, but you need it for lights and weather. Pure helps too but I had to do some changes there (just can't remember what they were). PP Filters OFF is an absolute must IMO

the Nvidia-VRS setting in CM

What are these ?

 

[Elaphe]

CSP shouldn't neccesarily kill your framerate. Apart from the addons and all he eyecandy it also features some performance improvements. You can always test it and disable some of its more power-demanding features. If you are on the limit with your framerate, always avoid racing from dusk to dawn and with rain.

 

[niterida]

Great always watching the unavailable YT video’s.

Fixed
and one more :

 

[niterida]

and whatever you do DO NOT INSTALL NEW NVIDIA CONTROL PANEL APP



I thought it was just the Control Panel in a new format but it has totally farked my setup.

without changing any settings my image is now so very very blurry
and wobbly. absolutely unplayable and fps dropped to under 80.

I have uninstalled Nvidia App, double checked all my settings back to what I had and rebooted the PC but it is still same.

That is the last straw as i have wasted far too much time (years) on this stupid game and all the settings and pc stuff so i just give up.

 

[Vintagedriver01]

That is the last straw as i have wasted far too much time (years) on this stupid game and all the settings and pc stuff so i just give up.

Thanks for a telling the truth, that your route to improve AC in VR is the wrong way. Guess the problem here is, you are focusing on using adjustments for single screen only, while VR needs a complete different approach.

Keep in your mind if running a flysim or a racesim you always are in the tweaking mode when it becomes to VR. While I think for AC specific, that’s also caused by the to complex and some of the maybe contraproductieve settings in CM.
You are thinking the new Nvidia app has caused the problems, but if using Nvidia profile inspector I’m afraid here lays the problem. Delete both, and use https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/
Start to deep clean AMD (you never know), Intel and at last Nvidia drivers.
Install Nvidia old CP back again and you are back to basic.

Further while the CM is become a chubby piece of software with lots of, unnecessary confusing adjustments, you can also install CSP without CM. You could even try the alternative launcher like https://www.overtake.gg/threads/dev-phase-assertion-new-launcher-of-assetto-corsa.260446/
I do hope one day Ilya will introduce a custom CM were you can delete all the not needed crap like G27 and Fanatec things if you have something different.

Less is more.

 

[niterida]

So I succumbed and redid all my settings (including using DDU to redo Nvidia and debloat driver) - still doesn't look as good as before I instaled Nvidia Control Panel App
I then decided to try OpenXR and initially it was fantastic but then as I played with settings in the on-screen menu It started to give OpenXR fatal error and PC had to be restarted each time so once again I have given up.
Gone back to just Steam VR and running CSP with Graphics Adjustments turned OFF.
However I have set Pimax to LARGE FOV and 90hz as the Large FOV replicates haveing a helmet on and is much more realistic than Normal FOV. This has allowed me to increase resolution in SteamVR to 4672x2880 with Pimax Render set to 0.5. I figure 2880 is exactly twice the native resolution of the headset so it should give a clearer image than anything else I can actually run with my GPU.
This has still given me pretty much stable 90fps and averaging about 75% GPU usage and looks good enough to play and lose yourself in immersion

 

[niterida]

And I have figured out what was making the game look so bad - 2 of the things that are supposed to make it look good !!
Weather FX and Graphics Adjustments in CSP just ruin the image completely. Sure Weather FX does add a lot of extra effects that are really nice but IMO the fact that it makes the whole image shimmer and shake and cars in the distance look out of focus and blurry is a major flaw. So I have both of them turned off and have the best looking graphics and just have to live with the fact that it is always a fine day

I also got OpenXR running again but seriously can't see much if any difference between it and SteamVR. OpenXR maybe just a shade (Pun intended) better. I am running it with no enhancements except Override Resolution set to 2880 and tweaking of the Post Processing menu for brightness, contrast etc.

 

[Vintagedriver01]

While Steam is eating lots of recourse’s, I did not detect any performance nor visual differences between SteamVR and openXR-toolbox, when using the same adjustments. What I do like about OpenXR-TB is that now AC/CM runs full VR mode. Using SteamVR its always removing your HS when after the race you went back to CM, or the getting confronted to that Steam theater mode so you can not have direct access to CM.

 

[Elaphe]

While Steam is eating lots of recourse’s, I did not detect any performance nor visual differences between SteamVR and openXR-toolbox, when using the same adjustments. What I do like about OpenXR-TB is that now AC/CM runs full VR mode. Using SteamVR its always removing your HS when after the race you went back to CM, or the getting confronted to that Steam theater mode so you can not have direct access to CM.

How do you get to see Content Manager with your headset in OpenXR? The only way I know is to use Virtual Desktop, which requires SteamVR. I have not found any desktop viewer that runs under OpenXR.

 

[Vintagedriver01]

I do not know, as soon as I use my WMR-HS, I can stay in VR mode. While in SteamVR you will have two options; that unnecessarily Steam theater crap or remove the HS from your face.

 

[niterida]

OpenXR for the win

Turned out the OpenXR issues were actually my overclocking settings of my GPU. So now I have turned those down OpenXR is stable and working well.

So I revisited Graphics and Weather in CSP with OpenXR and the only affect it had was to lower my FPS. The image is now stable and clear and I can certainly live with 80-90fps.