After a long hiatus from Flight Simulator, I have found that as much things have changed, they also stay the same.  And MSFS 2020 has proven once again it's ability to treat your prized gaming rig like a red headed stepchild.

I am running an Intel i5 7400 with 32GB RAM and Radeon RX580 GPU with 4GB VRAM, I am also not running on an SSD, so as you can see, barely above minimums. 

With my low CPU, I find myself bottlenecked with the CPU, and because it's a Katy Lake, I can't upgrade it without upgrading the MB as well.  So I have to make due for the time being.  These Tips are primarily written for those of us who may also find ourselves CPU choked, although others might find them useful.

That being said.  Here's some tips that might just make that stutter fest that you get into a bit more tolerable.

1.  Be Patient - I have found that when an area actually loads (on my machine), it's not fully loaded.  My poor CPU is still trying to render the surrounding terrain and objects even after I've been "cleared for takeoff".  So while all those things are happening, my simulator becomes quite stuttery.  The secret is, simply....wait....  I use the pan function of the cockpit camera to pan in all directions before I proceed.  Initially this can be painful and chunky.  But I continue to Pan around with my POV hat or mouse control until panning becomes quick, responsive and smooth.  This tells me that the CPU has finished working and it's ready.  Then I begin my taxi, roll out and takeoff and for the most part it is very acceptable.

2.  LOD Sliders matter.  These sliders are going to be the thing that makes or breaks us CPU crushed simmers.  The Terrain and Object Level of Detail sliders set the distance at which the sim will transition from Lower Level of Detail to Higher Levels of detail.  I have no idea the "units of measure" but it really doesn't matter.  The max setting for this is 200.  If you think about a "circle" around your plane.  The amount of scenery that the CPU has to bring in at the outer edge of that circle is tremendous.  And THIS is what is going to cause those pauses in flight after 5 minutes or so of previously smooth flight.  All that Level of Detail is being brought in and your CPU has to calculate it prior to sending to your GPU to render.  Lowering the radius means that the loads will occur closer to your plane, but because the circle is smaller, less data has to be calculated, and your CPU can handle it better.  Setting them to both 10 will give you the best performance, but you will be brought out of the illusion with increased object pop up and mesh tearing as this refresh occurs close to your plane.  There is always a happy medium, and you have to find it.  You may have to adjust these based on the plane being used, altitude you are flying and speed you are flying at.  

The Bottom Line is:  There is no "One Size Fit's All"  setting...yet..  For individuals like me, everything is a compromise.  Settings I use for Big Iron are not acceptable when I'm bush flying.  They are different activities.  So be prepared to create several different "performance profiles" that you can easily swap to when you switch planes or weather conditions.  Consider your upcoming flight and what is most important.   Weather? Out the window view? Cockpit Performance.  A bit of forethought prior to taking off can create a much smoother experience and one that doesn't take you out of the flow as much.  

 

Hope this helps.

Edited August 25, 20205 yr by wthomas33065
Brevity

@wthomas33065, that is a long post for tips and tricks. Please edit it to a short, snappy one.

I will leave this topic unlocked giving you a chance to edit it.

Any posts from others will be deleted. Please leave this to the originator to amend.