Cover-Credits:
In the world of gaming, performance is key. Every player wants their game to run smoothly, without any hiccups or frame rate drops. This is especially true for games like Helldivers 2, where smooth gameplay can make or break your experience. Players have found a new setting in Helldivers 2 called Async Compute which has some impact on the game’s performance depending on your PC’s specs. But what exactly is Async Compute, and should you turn it on or off in Helldivers 2?
What is Async Compute in Helldivers 2
Async Compute is a feature in Helldivers 2 that allows the GPU to handle certain calculations typically managed by the CPU. By offloading some computational tasks to the GPU, Async Compute aims to alleviate strain on the CPU, particularly on systems with older or weaker processors.
Case for Enabling Async Compute
For players with slower CPUs or systems experiencing CPU-bound scenarios, enabling Async Compute can offer tangible benefits. By leveraging the GPU for additional processing power, Async Compute can help maintain smoother gameplay, especially during intense moments with multiple enemies or explosions. However, it's essential to note that Async Compute isn't a one-size-fits-all solution and may not yield significant improvements for all setups.
For instance, players with older or weaker CPUs, such as an i7 7700k, have noted performance gains from leaving Async Compute enabled.
Case for Disabling Async Compute
Players with more powerful CPUs may find that disabling Async Compute leads to better performance. Since their CPUs can handle the game's computational demands efficiently, allowing the GPU to focus solely on rendering graphics can result in improved frame rates and overall stability. Disabling Async Compute can also mitigate potential conflicts or inefficiencies that may arise from the GPU attempting to handle tasks better suited for the CPU.
On the other hand, users with more powerful CPUs, like an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS or Ryzen 7 5800X, have seen better results with Async Compute disabled.
Ultimately, whether you should turn on Async Compute in Helldivers 2 depends on your specific hardware setup and performance objectives. Experimenting with different settings and monitoring performance metrics can help you find the optimal configuration for your system.
How to Enable or Disable Async Compute
Method 1
With a recent update, Async Compute was added to the game’s settings menu as a toggle-able feature, to find this option go to the settings menu in the game and find the Async Compute setting at the bottom of the ‘Graphics’ tab.
Method 2
If you don’t have the setting in your game for any reason, you can still enable and disable Async Compute
To toggle Async Compute in Helldivers 2, follow these steps:
Navigate to the user_settings.config file located in the Arrowhead\Helldivers2 directory within the AppData folder.
Open the user_settings.config file with a text editor like Notepad.
Locate the line that says "async_compute =" and change its value to "true" to enable or "false" to disable.
Save the changes and close the file.
Before making any adjustments, consider backing up the original configuration file to revert changes if needed. Additionally, ensure that the file isn't set to read-only to apply the modifications effectively.
