GPU Performance

Copper Contributor

Hi,

 

I have provisioned an NV6 VM and have been testing the GPU performance when using WVD.

Initially I didn't install the NVIDIA drives and graphics performance was OK, I could play a video from youtube etc, and noted that it was using the CPU rather than the GPU, which is expected.

 

I then followed the instructions for installing the NVIDIA extension and made the documented changes to the local Group Policy to enable the GPU functions, I can see the GPU being used in Task Manager. With this enabled, I RDP to the desktop and note that even simple things like moving a window around the desktop is very laggy and goes pixelated. Youtube videos play but not very sharp. When accessing the desktop from the Remote Desktop, the performance is even worse.

 

Has there any other feedback like we're experiencing? Any tips for improving the experience?

 

thanks

 

 

5 Replies

@rosscopetrie What is the resolution of your monitor? could you try to RDP with a lower resolution and see if it makes any difference?

 

Hi @rosscopetrie ,

 

It could be the GPO with the Frame Encoding.

 

Could you do this test:

disable (or set to not configured) the 2 policies under the topic Configure GPU-accelerated frame encoding instead of enabling the GPO (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/configure-vm-gpu#configure-gpu-accelerated-fr...)

Prioritize H.264/AVC 444 Graphics mode for Remote Desktop connections

Configure H.264/AVC hardware encoding for Remote Desktop connections

 

 

@michawetsthanks for that tip, that has improved things.

 

So implementing the settings that are recommended in the article make things worse?

Using RDP seemed to be better than whichever protocol is used from within the Remote Desktop application.

Hi @rosscopetrie ,

 

I would not say that it makes things worse. It depends on the requirements of the deployment and the use-case :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:

We've found the same with WVD on NVv4-series machines, setting the 2 policies :-

Prioritize H.264/AVC 444 Graphics mode for Remote Desktop connections

Configure H.264/AVC hardware encoding for Remote Desktop connections

worsens the visual experience for end users (blurry text and icons etc.). Best not configure these at all.

 

GPU acceleration works well for DirectX and OpenGL/WebGL acceleration. The AMD MI25 however does not accelerate H.264/AVC or VP09, so something like You Tube video drops a lot of frames on GPU vs. non-GPU WVD machines. It's noticeable so if anyone has a workaround for this it would definitely be appreciated :-).