For a balanced combination of smooth performance and strong visual quality, our MSFS 2024 Graphics Settings Guide explains the most important optimisation steps that support the tuning described in this MSFS 2024 Performance Settings Guide.
It’s important to balance graphics and performance in MSFS 2024. In so doing, it can completely transform your flying experience. This guide explains the most important settings, optimisation tips, and practical adjustments that help reduce stutters, improve frame rates, and keep Microsoft Flight Simulator running smoothly.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, performance is the foundation on which everything else sits. You can have the best aircraft and scenery in the world, but if the sim stutters, pauses, or feels inconsistent, the experience quickly becomes frustrating.
For beginners, especially, performance issues are the number one reason enjoyment drops off. This guide explains smooth flying essentials for beginners in plain language and shows you how to get a smooth, stable simulator without endless tweaking.
The goal is not maximum FPS. The goal is consistency.
The most important concept: smoothness beats FPS
Many beginners chase a high FPS number because it feels like the obvious goal. In MSFS, that’s often the wrong target.
A steady 30–40 FPS with consistent frame timing feels far smoother than 60 FPS that constantly jumps, pauses, or stutters. MSFS streams scenery, simulates weather, AI traffic, and a full world in real time. Stability matters more than peak numbers.
Once you accept this, performance tuning becomes far less stressful.
What actually causes stutters in MSFS
Stutters are usually not caused by “weak hardware” alone. They’re almost always caused by a bottleneck.
Common causes include:
- CPU overload, especially at airports
- GPU overload from clouds, shadows, or high resolution
- scenery loading while flying
- photogrammetry streaming
- AI traffic and ground vehicles
- running out of system memory or VRAM
- conflicting or poorly balanced settings
Most performance problems are about balance, not raw power.
CPU-limited vs GPU-limited (this explains almost everything)
MSFS constantly splits work between your CPU and GPU.
If the CPU can’t prepare frames fast enough, the GPU waits.
If the GPU can’t render frames fast enough, the CPU waits.
This is why you might see:
- low GPU usage but poor performance
- high-end hardware that still stutters
- One small setting change that fixes everything
Understanding which side is limiting you is the key to fixing performance properly.
Use the built-in FPS display
Developer Mode and turn on the FPS display. This shows:
- Your current FPS
- Whether you are CPU-limited or GPU-limited
- frame-time behaviour
You don’t need to understand every number. You only need to know which side is the bottleneck. This removes guesswork and prevents random setting changes.
The settings that matter most
Not all graphics settings affect performance equally. Some are minor. Others are critical.
Terrain Level of Detail
This controls how far out detailed terrain is rendered.
This is one of the biggest performance hits in the sim. Lowering Terrain LOD often produces immediate improvements with minimal visual loss, especially at altitude.
Object Level of Detail
This controls how far out buildings, trees, and objects are rendered.
This heavily affects performance around cities and airports. If ground performance is poor, this is one of the first settings to reduce.
Clouds
Cloud quality affects both GPU load and smoothness.
Ultra clouds look great, but are expensive. High clouds often look almost as good and perform significantly better.
Traffic (AI, ground vehicles, airport traffic)
Traffic is CPU-heavy.
Reducing AI aircraft, airport vehicles, and road traffic can instantly fix stutters at busy airports.
Shadows and reflections
These primarily affect the GPU and often go unnoticed during normal flying.
Medium settings usually look very similar to Ultra once airborne.
Settings, beginners often overestimate
Some settings sound important, but are rarely the main performance issue:
- texture resolution (unless VRAM-limited)
- anisotropic filtering
- ambient occlusion (within reason)
- texture supersampling
If your GPU has enough memory, these can often stay relatively high.
Airports and cities: why performance drops on the ground
Many beginners notice that the sim runs smoothly in cruise, but struggles badly on the ground.
This is normal.
On the ground, MSFS is rendering:
- dense scenery objects
- terminal interiors and lighting
- AI aircraft and vehicles
- complex airport geometry
- high-detail textures
Once airborne, much of that load disappears. Always tune performance at a demanding airport, not at cruise altitude.
Photogrammetry: beautiful but demanding
Photogrammetry cities can look incredible, but they place heavy demands on:
- CPU
- memory
- internet bandwidth
- consistency
If you experience micro-stutters over large cities, photogrammetry is often the cause. Turning it off or using it selectively is a perfectly valid choice, especially early on.
Streaming and internet-related stutters
MSFS streams terrain and scenery continuously.
If your connection struggles, the SIM may pause briefly while waiting for data.
Helpful steps include:
- using a wired internet connection
- avoiding downloads while flying
- clearing the rolling cache if problems persist
- not oversizing the rolling cache unnecessarily
These issues often look like performance problems but are actually data-streaming delays.
FPS limiting and why it helps
Running unlimited FPS often creates instability.
Locking your FPS:
- smooths frame timing
- reduces CPU and GPU spikes
- improves overall consistency
Many systems feel far better locked at 30 or 40 FPS than running unlocked.
Addon-ons
Most addons will affect performance, from noticeable to minimal. In fact, many addons won’t hurt performance or subtract from your flying experience.
Weather and performance
Weather is not just visual.
Cloud density, wind, turbulence, and visibility all increase simulation load. Bad weather combined with a large airport and heavy traffic creates a worst-case scenario.
If performance drops during storms, that is expected. Tune for realistic conditions, not perfect conditions.
VRAM: the hidden limiter
Running out of GPU memory causes:
- sudden stutters
- texture pop-in
- pauses when changing views
If this happens, reducing texture resolution or render scaling can dramatically improve stability.
A simple, beginner-friendly tuning order
For a reliable approach, tune in this order:
- Test at a demanding airport
- Enable the FPS display and note the CPU or GPU limitation
- Lower Terrain LOD
- Lower Object LOD
- Reduce traffic
- Adjust cloud quality
- Lock FPS
- Fine-tune shadows and reflections
Stop when the sim feels smooth. Do not chase perfection.
Why perfect performance doesn’t exist
MSFS simulates the entire planet in real time. There will always be situations where performance dips.
The goal is not to eliminate every stutter. The goal is a simulator that feels consistently enjoyable across most situations.
Once you accept that, performance tuning becomes straightforward instead of frustrating.
Final thought
Smoothness creates immersion. Consistency builds confidence.
well-tuned simulator makes every aircraft, every airport, and every flight more enjoyable.
With the right aircraft and scenery in place, the final step is turning simple flights into meaningful experiences.
Read How to Plan Better Flights to learn how to create routes with purpose, memorable arrivals, and flights you’ll genuinely enjoy.
Next article: How to Plan Your Flights