Hi,
I hope this is the right place to ask a question like this. I use Process Lasso on my gaming/media server rig, and what I have essentially done is limit Plex and Handbrake to using 8 of the 16 cores on my Ryzen 1700 so that my gaming isn't too adversely affected when either programs are in use. What I was wondering is, is it possible to allow both programs to use all cores when I'm not gaming, and then automatically have the CPU affinities lowered when a game is started and performance mode is activated? Even in performance mode, gaming performance tanks for a bit when the Plex transcoder spikes if all cores are activated, but when I'm not gaming there's no need for any such limits. I know that you can set ProBalance to limit CPU affinity once a certain threshold on -that- program is met; what I'm wondering is if you can do this for a program when ANOTHER program hits that threshold, e.g. "limit CPU affinity of this particular program if another program is activating performance mode"?
Thanks in advance.
It is possible to automate this behavior in Process Lasso, but not with a direct rule like "change Plex affinity when a game starts." Instead, the most reliable method is to use Game Mode or Performance Mode as the trigger and then apply different affinity profiles depending on whether a game is running.
You can start by creating two CPU affinity profiles for Plex and HandBrake. One profile should allow both programs to use all cores, and the second should limit them to the 8 cores you prefer while gaming. Process Lasso lets you save and switch between these affinity presets for each application.
Next, enable Game Mode or Performance Mode for your games so they automatically activate when you launch them. Once that mode is triggered, you can assign the restricted affinity profile (8 cores) to Plex and HandBrake. This ensures they back off when you start gaming, preventing performance drops.
When Game Mode ends, Process Lasso will revert Plex and HandBrake back to their full-core profile, so they can use all CPU resources when you're not gaming. It's not a direct program-to-program trigger, but using Game Mode as the mediator gives you exactly the outcome you want with Process Lasso's existing automation tools.
Unfortunately, Process Lasso doesn't offer a direct built-in feature to trigger a CPU affinity change for one program based on the state of another. However, we can still get pretty close to what you want with a bit of setup.