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Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) PC performance thread

GrrImAFridge

GrrImAFridge

ONE THOUSAND DOLLARYDOOS
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,686
Western Australia

(Click for general game info.)

🖥️ System requirements:
msflightsim20sysreqs7ljcp.jpg


🧰 Latest drivers: (as at 24/02/2022)
AMD: 22.2.2
Nvidia: 511.79

📊 Benchmarks:
ComputerBase (German; launch build)
GameGPU (Russian; launch build)
Guru3D (English; launch build)
Hardware Unboxed (English; launch build)
PC Games Hardware (German; launch build)
SweClockers (Swedish; launch build)
Techspot (English; launch build)

📊 Performance guides:
TheOriginalBabu (English; alpha build)

🎩 Tips and tricks:
Cap the frame rate/potentially improve frame times: Download RivaTuner Statistics Server (if you use MSI Afterburner, then you already have it installed), input your desired framerate limit in the "Framerate limit" box, and hit Enter . Alternatively, those with an Nvidia GPU can either cap the frame rate at the driver level via the Nvidia Control Panel (requires the 441.87+ drivers) or use Nvidia Inspector to force a vsync internal lower than one-half (click the small tool icon to open the game profile section).
Note: Useful if your system can't maintain, say, 60fps and you're sensitive to the wild fluctuations, or you're experiencing uneven frame times. The greater window the engine has to render a given frame, if you're imposing a lower frame rate than the game can otherwise provide, may also help in alleviating stuttering related to data streaming.
Fix in-game installation process stalling on a blue bar: Restart the game until you see a proper installation window, showing what's being downloaded/unpacked.
Enable performance metrics: Enable the developer toolbar by enabling Developer Mode in Options -> General -> Developers, then click Options -> Display FPS. (Credit to Xcell Miguel.)
Fix poor performance when using DisplayPort: Use HDMI instead. (Credit to strangerinthealps.)
Fix poor performance when using in-game vsync: Disable it and set an external frame rate cap instead (see "Cap the frame rate" above). (Credit to Maturin.)
Mitigate stuttering (1): Navigate to Options -> General -> Data and disable the live settings. (Credit to Teenage Fansub.)
Mitigate stuttering (2): Navigate to Options -> General -> Data -> Manual Cache and manually download the satellite data for the locations you intend to visit. (Credit to TLT GAMING.)
Fix Gsync not functioning: Install and run SpecialK; navigate to the Global Injection tab and click "Start Service"; either launch the game from the Steam Game Management tab (Steam version) or navigate to the Injection Config tab, enter FlightSimulator.exe, then launch the game as usual (WinStore version); press CTRL-Shift-Backspace to bring up the SpecialK overlay; navigate to Direct3D 11 Settings -> SwapChain Management and enable Use Flip Model Presentation; and finally, navigate to Direct3D 11 Settings -> Texture Management and disable Enable Texture Caching. (Credit to Darktalon.)

icon_warning.png
When posting your own tip/trick or something else you'd like to see here in the OP, be sure to tag my username (@GrrImAFridge), as this way I'll receive a notification. I may miss your suggestion otherwise.

⚙️ Graphics settings:
msflightsim20gfxsettin1k0c.jpg
Click to expand...
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Display mode: Windowed; Fullscreen
Fullscreen resolution: Self-explanatory
HDR10: Off/On(?)
Global rendering quality (presets): Low-end; Medium; High-end; Ultra
Vsync: Off/On
Frame rate limit: Varies depending on refresh rate
Render scaling: 30% -> 200% in increments of 10%
Anti-aliasing: Off; FXAA; DLAA; TAA
Terrain level of detail: 10 -> 200 in increments of 5
Terrain vector data: Off; Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Buildings: Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Trees: Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Grass and bushes: Off; Low; Medium; High; Ultra

msflightsim20gfxsettioaj16.jpg
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Objects and level of detail: 10 -> 200 in increments of 5
Volumetric clouds: Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Texture resolution: Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Anisotropic filtering: Off; 2x; 4x; 8x; 16x
Texture supersampling: Off; 2x2; 4x4; 6x6; 8x8
Texture synthesis: Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Water waves: Low; Medium; High
Shadow maps: 768x768; 1024x1024; 1536x1536; 2048x2048
Terrain shadows: Off; 128x128; 256x256; 512x512; 1024x1024; 2048x2048
Contact shadows: Off; Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Windshield effects: Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Ambient occlusion: Off; Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Reflections: Off; Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Light shafts: Off; Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Bloom: Off/On

msflightsim20gfxsettikekqk.jpg
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Depth of field: Off; Low; Medium; High; Ultra
Lens correction: Off/On
Lens flare: Off/On
Use generic plane models (AI traffic:) Off/On
Use generic plane models (multiplayer:) Off/On
 
Last edited:
BoxScar

BoxScar

Member
Jul 21, 2020
803
It's worth noting that MS released "ideal" System Requirements too, for those with high end machines, but it doesn't say what resolutions/frame rate that targets.
Looking forard to see what my old I5-4670k and GTX 1080 get me.
On a side note, does anyone know if the install via Gamepass/Xbox App is the full game and it will just unlock? All have is a "play" option after clicking a "preload now" banner weeks ago.
 
Theorry

Theorry

Member
Oct 27, 2017
61,175
BoxScar said:
It's worth noting that MS released "ideal" System Requirements too, for those with high end machines, but it doesn't say what resolutions/frame rate that targets.
Looking forard to see what my old I5-4670k and GTX 1080 get me.
On a side note, does anyone know if the install via Gamepass/Xbox App is the full game and it will just unlock? All have is a "play" option after clicking a "preload now" banner weeks ago.
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Its only the launcher. You will install arround 93 ingame.
 
ghostcrew

ghostcrew

The Shrouded Ghost
Administrator
Oct 27, 2017
30,405
I'm hitting minimum on CPU (i5 4460) but I'm also running a 980 and 16gb ram which is the recommended setup (well, 970 is recommended so I'm just north of that).

Assuming I'm gonna be CPU bottlenecked pretty hard.
 
Maturin

Maturin

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,119
Europe
BoxScar said:
It's worth noting that MS released "ideal" System Requirements too, for those with high end machines, but it doesn't say what resolutions/frame rate that targets.
Looking forard to see what my old I5-4670k and GTX 1080 get me.
On a side note, does anyone know if the install via Gamepass/Xbox App is the full game and it will just unlock? All have is a "play" option after clicking a "preload now" banner weeks ago.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Running an i5 3570K here and a GTX 1070. You'll be in for a pleasant surprise what you can achieve with Flight Sim.
 
Stacey

Stacey

Banned
Feb 8, 2020
4,610
I hope we get to play this at 2160p/ultra settings with the new line of gpus. 9fps in cockpit view is disheartening. I want the visual splendour.
 
Teenage Fansub

Teenage Fansub

Member
May 24, 2019
22,256
I've got 16GBs of ram coming in the mail so I can meet the 'recommended' specs. I think it'll be 1080P, low till then!
 
NeoBob688

NeoBob688

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,653
Anyone can let me know if SATA SSD plus 8 GB VRAM plus 16 GB system Ram is enough from data transfer standpoint, would be appreciated.
 

Strandr

Member
Oct 12, 2019
541
Playing with a I5 9400, 16gb of Ram on an GTX 1070 playing off a HDD
On high settings there's a teeny bit of lag as everything loads in but wait 10-15 seconds it runs like a dream

It was 127 GB for me to download it from the Microsoft Store (Xbox app on PC) and then on initial boot I was required to download a further 95GB. The screen explained it was because of language packs as well as building the voice for the ATC radio.

Also for live weather data probably downloaded another 200 MB or so over 2-3 hours of play when I was monitoring it
 
Adnor

Adnor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,962
i7-4770, GTX 970 and 8 gigs of ram, I'll have to play with the settings to get a good configuration.
 
Mcfrank

Mcfrank

Member
Oct 28, 2017
15,266
Can the people from the betas speak to how important the ram is? I am at 16GB. Should I be overnighting another 16GB? Rest of the rig is i7 9700k, 2080.
 
Replicant

Replicant

Attempted to circumvent a ban with an alt
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,380
MN
Still rocking a 6700k and a 980TI with16GB of RAM. I'm curious how 1080p performance will be at max settings.
 
Cloud-Strife

Cloud-Strife

Alt-Account
Banned
Sep 27, 2019
3,140
I know my GTX 1080 is better than this config but the performance here got my worried about my rig.

 
Jedi2016

Jedi2016

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,830
Theorry said:
Are the game ready drivers already out?
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Maybe? I saw people talking about it and saw a link, but didn't go there. Experience and their site don't seem to have it listed, but it's apparently out there somewhere.

Ah, here they are:

www.guru3d.com

GeForce 452.06 WHQL driver download

Download GeForce 452.06 WHQL drivers, these drivers provide optimization for Microsoft Flight Simulator. In addition, this release also provides optimal support for the World of Warcraft: Shadowlan...
www.guru3d.com www.guru3d.com
 
flyinj

flyinj

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,997
I'm running on a i7 7770 with a 1070ti.

I run at 1440p with a mix of ultra, high and medium.

Ultra clouds, textures and cockpit, high shadows, high buildings, high AS, TAA AA.

I get between 25-45 fps.

Having the entire thing installed on an SSD was by far the biggest frame rate improvement. I had the cache installed on SSD and the game installed on HDD when I first played and the frame rate was incredibly bad. As soon as I moved the game to SSD as well everything got much better.

Also, you pretty much have to accept that you're going to be running this at 30 fps. Which is fine, it looks absolutely amazing at 30fps and plays great.
 
Stacey

Stacey

Banned
Feb 8, 2020
4,610
Cloud-Strife said:
I know my GTX 1080 is better than this config but the performance here got my worried about my rig.

Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


I've been subjectively saying this since the alpha.

High and above settings will destroy most PCs in the heavily built up areas, I played at 2560x1080 on High/ultra settings and my fps in the cockpit was NINE FPS, yes, 9. above NYC.

Most people should not expect to get any sort of decent frame rate with the visuals we see in the trailers.
 

Deleted member 60185

Banned
Sep 24, 2019
1,840
I am so tempted to get this to chill out and grill my 970 in the meantime. But it needs so much storage space that my SSD is not big enough.
 
DarkVaber32

DarkVaber32

Member
Nov 15, 2018
1,202
Maple said:
This is encouraging. I have a GTX 1070 and play at 1440p, although I have a 6700k CPU. Thread utilization on his 3700x seemed pretty decent, so I'm not sure if the game would perform similarly with only 8 CPU threads to work with.
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I have a Ryzen 5 3600 + 1070 and i hope i get similar results. Keep in mind he used OBS to record, so that had a impact on his performance in the video too.
 
Stacey

Stacey

Banned
Feb 8, 2020
4,610
Game Ready Drivers are now available via GeForce Experience (not on the website just yet)
 
flyinj

flyinj

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,997
Stacey said:
I've been subjectively saying this since the alpha.

High and above settings will destroy most PCs in the heavily built up areas, I played at 2560x1080 on High/ultra settings and my fps in the cockpit was NINE FPS, yes, 9. above NYC.

Most people should not expect to get any sort of decent frame rate with the visuals we see in the trailers.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

There is also a caching/streaming issue. Flying over NYC for the first time is going to be really hitchy and stuttery. Turning back around and flying over a section you already streamed has a substantial frame rate improvement.

I can get 30fps over manhattan on a 1070ti @ 1440p with all high settings if it has already streamed.
 
exodus

exodus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,957
6700K @ 4.6GHz
2070 Super
32GB RAM
1080p 144Hz Gsync monitor

My 6700K is definitely going to be the weak link here, I think. Alpha was pretty stuttery for me. Hopefully this is better.
 
OmniStrife

OmniStrife

Member
Dec 11, 2017
1,781
Game looks stunning in ultrawide (even on medium which I'm running it at)
3440x1440 at 50 FPS btw (1080 Ti & 8700K) game is HEAVY AF.

DudoWBK.png
 

Deleted member 44371

Banned
Jun 1, 2018
4,523
OmniStrife said:
Game looks stunning in ultrawide (even on medium which I'm running it at)
3440x1440 at 50 FPS btw (1080 Ti & 8700K) game is HEAVY AF.

DudoWBK.png
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i also have ultrawide + 8700k + 2080 ti. game runs and LOOKS AMAZING. i am on high though. do you have the cpu overclocked?

also does anybody know how to activate the monitoring ingame tool for performance i saw in some reviews?
 
Violet Wren

Violet Wren

Member
Oct 25, 2017
264
Cloud-Strife said:
I know my GTX 1080 is better than this config but the performance here got my worried about my rig.

Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


This is how the game runs for me everywhere. From the menus, to the first flight tutorial. I have an i5 6600k and 1070 with 16GB of ram. Near constant 100% cpu usage and major stutters and freezes lasting up to 30-40 seconds. This happens on lowest settings, running at 640x480 or 1080p. None of the settings seem to help. I don't know what's wrong.
 
xpownz

xpownz

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Feb 13, 2020
2,182
The minimum spec confuses me... Gtx 770 vs RX 570?
Isnt rx 570 insanely better than the gtx 770?
 
Ojli

Ojli

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,652
Sweden
Gonna try this next week (going away) with my Radeon 290x. I'll try to remember to post my experience here then
 
Cloud-Strife

Cloud-Strife

Alt-Account
Banned
Sep 27, 2019
3,140
strangerinthealps said:
This is how the game runs for me everywhere. From the menus, to the first flight tutorial. I have an i5 6600k and 1070 with 16GB of ram. Near constant 100% cpu usage and major stutters and freezes lasting up to 30-40 seconds. This happens on lowest settings, running at 640x480 or 1080p. None of the settings seem to help. I don't know what's wrong.
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Seems like I won't be playing this anytime soon.

Good games like this one deserve to be experienced in good quality/framerate. Only the people with top tier Cpu's and 2080 or more seems to be the only way to get an optimal experience.

I can wait until I have a GTX 3xxx next year.
 

Deleted member 11276

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,223
strangerinthealps said:
This is how the game runs for me everywhere. From the menus, to the first flight tutorial. I have an i5 6600k and 1070 with 16GB of ram. Near constant 100% cpu usage and major stutters and freezes lasting up to 30-40 seconds. This happens on lowest settings, running at 640x480 or 1080p. None of the settings seem to help. I don't know what's wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Did you install the game on a HDD?
 
Stacey

Stacey

Banned
Feb 8, 2020
4,610
For reference:

RTX 2080 Super 2010mhz
Ryzen 9 3900x
32gb (2x16 dual channel) 3200mhz ram
MP600 nvme 4.0
X570 mobo

My frame rate is all over the place, from 70 to 9fps (drops as low as 9fps in the cockpit) on Ultra, 70-25 on high and 60+ on medium and low at 2560x1080 and 3440x1440

Cities are a HUGE hit on performance and from my experience (ultra) screen spaced reflections cause huge drops.

The stuttering is the same as Battlefield 5 in DirectX 12. Completely random and ruins the experience. (this is with internet streaming, live traffic and live weather turned on)
 
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