Hello!  I've just completed a brand new PC build specifically for running Flight Simulator with a decent level of stability but one issue has carried over to this new computer from the last one and it is proving to be quite difficult.  Here are the specs of the two computers, to start:

Old:
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
16gb RAM
Radeon 5600XT (6gb of memory)
Windows 10 and MSFS were on SATA SSD

New:
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
32gb RAM
Radeon 6800XT (16gb of memory)
Windows 11 and MSFS are now on an M.2 SSD

The problem is fairly simple:  When I fly close to the ground for landing, MSFS begins stuttering and can sometimes hang for a second or two.  There are also micro-stutters when the camera is moved quickly while on the ground.

None of the graphics quality settings have an effect, terrain pre-caching has no effect.  I found a post on this forum (https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/616552-why-studders-on-landing/?tab=comments#comment-4740694) that seems to have gotten me pointed in the right direction with changing the TLOD and OLOD settings, however I'm unable to run these two settings at any reasonable value.  The old computer had them set to 65 TLOD and 95 OLOD, this new computer needs both under 50 to eliminate the "look around" stutters.

I posted on the MSFS forum after finding a topic that described the issue (https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/stutter-during-takeoff-and-landing/539709/22?u=mholden020) and tried a few other things to no avail.  Noel's post here on the Avsim forum mentions "Using the process of comparing environs you will find on less complex area in and out of, you can easily do LOD 400/200, or 300/200, etc." but this is simply a pipe dream in my situation.  I've all but eliminated every possibility other than a CPU bottleneck due to the MainThread timing in the MSFS Dev FPS Display, but I find it extremely hard to understand why a current-gen processor cannot hang with this program.  The older processor, I can understand, but not this new one.

If anybody has solved this issue or has any information I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks!!

Back to basics then. Which plane in particular (or any of them), which airport/scenery (or any of them), clean = empty community folder?

DX11 or 12, DLSS or TAA, …?

I assume this is a clean install, otherwise clear/delete the rolling scenery cache. 
 

Disable photogrammetry for a test and check if that cures the issues. At least the micro stutter while panning around is 99% due to photogrammetry.

1 minute ago, DAD said:

Back to basics then. Which plane in particular (or any of them), which airport/scenery (or any of them), clean = empty community folder?

DX11 or 12, DLSS or TAA, …?

I assume this is a clean install, otherwise clear/delete the rolling scenery cache. 
 

So far every plane that I've tried does it, but it's far worse at the Custom airports (Asobo's KDFW is currently the benchmark as it's always been bad).  Community folder was empty on the first run with a clean install and it happened then too.

@mholden020 there is no way anybody can assist you (IMHO) if you don't share all your SIM settings with us (also traffic things and so on)

Just now, GEKtheReaper said:

@mholden020 there is no way anybody can assist you (IMHO) if you don't share all your SIM settings with us (also traffic things and so on)

Sure, that's not a problem at all!  It could take me a bit but I will definitely post them later today.  Thanks!

6 minutes ago, mholden020 said:

So far every plane that I've tried does it, but it's far worse at the Custom airports (Asobo's KDFW is currently the benchmark as it's always been bad).  Community folder was empty on the first run with a clean install and it happened then too.

ok, and no other addons installed, possibly outside the community folder? then it may be some settings/driver issue. all drivers like USB, graphics etc. installed and Win11 up to date? which MSFS settings do you use, e.g. resolution and vanilla settings or did you change everything to ultra? else try with lower graphic settings, especially LOD. and again, DX12 or 11?

30 minutes ago, mholden020 said:

If anybody has solved this issue or has any information I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks!!

I feel your pain ... 
Having stable 60fps (FG on) till closing in on airport. Sim stops for a second or two and then continues. Frames down into their 20s and microstutters.

Turning off live traffic gets rid of all problems, smooth as butter, keeping 60 frames 98% of the time, even in PMDG 737 and larger airports.
So you might try that as well in case you got LT switched on.

(Not on the beta at the moment, maybe that helps as well)
 

9 minutes ago, teletom said:

Turning off live traffic gets rid of all problems, smooth as butter, keeping 60 frames 98% of the time

Seems like a good test... also the OP mentions testing at the worst airport... there may be no hardware that totally eliminates that situation..  😉

Edited January 9, 20233 yr by Bert Pieke

Months back there were quite a few horror stories about DFW if I am not mistaken. I would try elsewhere with no traffic.

39 minutes ago, DAD said:

ok, and no other addons installed, possibly outside the community folder? then it may be some settings/driver issue. all drivers like USB, graphics etc. installed and Win11 up to date? which MSFS settings do you use, e.g. resolution and vanilla settings or did you change everything to ultra? else try with lower graphic settings, especially LOD. and again, DX12 or 11?

No, the first time I loaded MSFS was specifically with only the bare minimum installed (base game, Deluxe package, no world updates) and it did it.  I've tried both DX11 and DX12 and saw no noticeable change in performance so I've left it on DX12 for the time.  Here's as much as I could think of providing based on what you guys have mentioned so far:

Traffic Settings
- Traffic Type:  AI Offline
- AI Aircraft Density:  0
- Vehicle Density:  44
- Gnd Aircraft Density:  60
- Worker Density:  50
- Boats/Road Vehicles/Ships:  50
- Fauna: 100 (will definitely turn this down to zero after posting this)
- Generic Models:  On for AI, Off for Multi
- Traffic Variety:  Ultra

NOTE:  I haven't loaded anything with multiplayer yet.  Currently Multiplayer is Off, Air Traffic is Off, and Weather has been set to "Clear".

Graphics Settings (See note at end of post)
- Windowed, 1920x1080
- Anti-Aliasing:  TAA (Have experimented with AMD FSR settings and these did not have any effect)
- Render Scaling:  100
- AMD Fidelity Sharpening:  100
- V-sync:  On (Have tried on and off, no effect)
- FPS Limit:  100% of monitor
- Directx12

- Terrain LOD: 45 (this is what produces "smooth")
- Off Screen Pre-cache: Ultra (various settings have no effect)
- Vector Data:  High
- Buildings:  Ultra (reducing has no effect)
- Trees:  Ultra
- Grass & Bushes:  High (reduced to try and prevent stutter on landing, no significant effect)
- Object LOD:  60 (this is what produces "smooth")
- Volumetric Clouds:  Ultra
- Texture Res:  Ultra
- Anisotropic Filter:  16x
- Supersampling:  6x6
- Synthesis:  Ultra
- Water Waves:  Medium
- Shadow Maps: 2048
- Terrain Shadows:  1024
- Contact Shadow: Ultra
- Windshield Effects:  Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion:  Ultra
- Cubemap Reflections:  256
- Raymarched Reflections:  Ultra
- Light Shafts:  High
- Bloom:  On
- Depth of Field:  Ultra
- Motion Blur:  Off
- Lens Correction:  Off
- Lens Flare:  On
- Glass Refresh Rate:  High

In regards to the Graphics settings, none have produced any results, possibly because FPS is not a problem.  When stuttering starts there is no change in the FPS counter and this stays within a reasonable range (KDFW is 40-60 on the ground, in the air it can go up to 120+ when FPS limit is disabled).  I have made changes to greatly reduce GPU load and increase framerate but this has yet to reduce stuttering at all.

19 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

Months back there were quite a few horror stories about DFW if I am not mistaken. I would try elsewhere with no traffic.

DFW is pretty bad.  On the old computer I basically could never land there at all, so I've used this as a load test.  Other airports (even airports that are procedurally generated) have resulted in the stuttering effect.  The only difference is DFW produces a higher GPU load than the simpler airports.

1 hour ago, mholden020 said:

No, the first time I loaded MSFS was specifically with only the bare minimum installed (base game, Deluxe package, no world updates) and it did it.  I've tried both DX11 and DX12 and saw no noticeable change in performance so I've left it on DX12 for the time.  Here's as much as I could think of providing based on what you guys have mentioned so far:

Traffic Settings
- Traffic Type:  AI Offline
- AI Aircraft Density:  0
- Vehicle Density:  44
- Gnd Aircraft Density:  60
- Worker Density:  50
- Boats/Road Vehicles/Ships:  50
- Fauna: 100 (will definitely turn this down to zero after posting this)
- Generic Models:  On for AI, Off for Multi
- Traffic Variety:  Ultra

NOTE:  I haven't loaded anything with multiplayer yet.  Currently Multiplayer is Off, Air Traffic is Off, and Weather has been set to "Clear".

Graphics Settings (See note at end of post)
- Windowed, 1920x1080
- Anti-Aliasing:  TAA (Have experimented with AMD FSR settings and these did not have any effect)
- Render Scaling:  100
- AMD Fidelity Sharpening:  100
- V-sync:  On (Have tried on and off, no effect)
- FPS Limit:  100% of monitor
- Directx12

- Terrain LOD: 45 (this is what produces "smooth")
- Off Screen Pre-cache: Ultra (various settings have no effect)
- Vector Data:  High
- Buildings:  Ultra (reducing has no effect)
- Trees:  Ultra
- Grass & Bushes:  High (reduced to try and prevent stutter on landing, no significant effect)
- Object LOD:  60 (this is what produces "smooth")
- Volumetric Clouds:  Ultra
- Texture Res:  Ultra
- Anisotropic Filter:  16x
- Supersampling:  6x6
- Synthesis:  Ultra
- Water Waves:  Medium
- Shadow Maps: 2048
- Terrain Shadows:  1024
- Contact Shadow: Ultra
- Windshield Effects:  Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion:  Ultra
- Cubemap Reflections:  256
- Raymarched Reflections:  Ultra
- Light Shafts:  High
- Bloom:  On
- Depth of Field:  Ultra
- Motion Blur:  Off
- Lens Correction:  Off
- Lens Flare:  On
- Glass Refresh Rate:  High

In regards to the Graphics settings, none have produced any results, possibly because FPS is not a problem.  When stuttering starts there is no change in the FPS counter and this stays within a reasonable range (KDFW is 40-60 on the ground, in the air it can go up to 120+ when FPS limit is disabled).  I have made changes to greatly reduce GPU load and increase framerate but this has yet to reduce stuttering at all.

DFW is pretty bad.  On the old computer I basically could never land there at all, so I've used this as a load test.  Other airports (even airports that are procedurally generated) have resulted in the stuttering effect.  The only difference is DFW produces a higher GPU load than the simpler airports.

Try direct x11. And turn off photogrammetry if that doesn't help.

@mholden020 I'm not an expert but I do  think you are pushing some settings (mostly traffic). My settings (in BOLD) compared to yours.

Traffic Settings
- Traffic Type:  AI Offline   ----> OFF when using FSLTL or REAL-TIME ONLINE
- AI Aircraft Density:  0
- Vehicle Density:  44     ----> 5
- Gnd Aircraft Density:  60 ----> 0
- Worker Density:  50 -----> 15
- Boats/Road Vehicles/Ships:  50 -----> 0 / 10 / 30
- Fauna: 100 (will definitely turn this down to zero after posting this) ----> 30
- Generic Models:  On for AI, Off for Multi
- Traffic Variety:  Ultra

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

Try direct x11. And turn off photogrammetry if that doesn't help.

 

1 minute ago, GEKtheReaper said:

@mholden020 I'm not an expert but I do  think you are pushing some settings (mostly traffic). My settings (in BOLD) compared to yours.

Traffic Settings
- Traffic Type:  AI Offline   ----> OFF when using FSLTL or REAL-TIME ONLINE
- AI Aircraft Density:  0
- Vehicle Density:  44     ----> 5
- Gnd Aircraft Density:  60 ----> 0
- Worker Density:  50 -----> 15
- Boats/Road Vehicles/Ships:  50 -----> 0 / 10 / 30
- Fauna: 100 (will definitely turn this down to zero after posting this) ----> 30
- Generic Models:  On for AI, Off for Multi
- Traffic Variety:  Ultra

 

 

 

Definitely worth a shot, thank you both!  Will report back...

14 minutes ago, GEKtheReaper said:

@mholden020 I'm not an expert but I do  think you are pushing some settings (mostly traffic). My settings (in BOLD) compared to yours.

Traffic Settings
- Traffic Type:  AI Offline   ----> OFF when using FSLTL or REAL-TIME ONLINE
- AI Aircraft Density:  0
- Vehicle Density:  44     ----> 5
- Gnd Aircraft Density:  60 ----> 0
- Worker Density:  50 -----> 15
- Boats/Road Vehicles/Ships:  50 -----> 0 / 10 / 30
- Fauna: 100 (will definitely turn this down to zero after posting this) ----> 30
- Generic Models:  On for AI, Off for Multi
- Traffic Variety:  Ultra

 

 

 

Just thought the same. I have dialed the airport AI worker vehicle etc density down to similar levels as you and still see enough workers around. To the OP try 0 here and see whether stutters are still there