I am sure I am making this harder than need be but could someone explain the Dynamic setting and how it relates to LOD in the sim. (SU4)

Well, as the name suggests, it dynamically adjusts the settings to maintain the FPS you specified. Including Terrain and Object LOD Setting. But how exactly and how the settings are balanced against each other, you have to ask Asobo. 

For me, it is too agressively reducing terrain LOD resulting in visually reduced quality pretty fast. So I rather prefer AutoFPS to reduce terrain LOD to a minimum level I have control of and only below certain altitude. But luckily, with my current settings, I rarerly use it anymore and I hope that after SU4, I do have no need at all anymore. Then I might use it for the opposite: to invest the available overhead into increased terrain LOD, e.g. when flying low and slow.

I find it quite surprising that users with powerful systems are having to dynamically adjust LOD settings. I do not do this at all, and yet I have relatively good performance in MSFS 2020 on my 2015 specification PC with TLOD and OLOD fixed at 250/200 respectively. You could argue that this is because I run MSFS 2020 in DX11 mode, but then if performance is so good in DX11 mode when compared to DX12, why are we using the latter in the first place?

If I stick with MSFS 2020 when I buy a new PC, I absolutely expect the performance level at 1080p resolution to be off the scale.

You gave your answer already: 1080p. I use 4K, which needs considerably more power, not only from the GPU. Then my heavy test scenario is e.g. EGLL from IniBuilds with their A350 and about 100 AI planes around me. If you get 36FPS in such a scenario with TLOD at 200, you are a happy camper. With my previous build (13600K and a 4080), this was impossible to achieve without lowering TLOD down to 50. With the current build, it is just so possible, usually FPS drop below my 36FPS limit (72 with Framegen).

But TLOD and OLOD are CPU-intensive settings, so 4K won't matter much here as in 1080p. I mean, in 1080p it's expected to be Main Thread limited. In 4K, GPU can limit you.

Also, I know Christopher uses no AI traffic (the moving one), which is the only setting I know to be even heavier on the CPU than TLOD.

@Christopher Low, I don't remember well: what do you use for ATC?

 

I do not even use ATC at the moment. I have a utility that places AIG models as static aircraft based on the AIG flightplans. I would love to have AI traffic operating at my airports, but the animation (approach/taxi/take off) is pathetic, and ATC directs them here, there and everywhere with respect to landings and take offs. That is one of the features that I miss from P3Dv4 (although flat airports made AI movement a bit easier in that). Nevertheless, invisible landing gear on final approach, "step up/step down" movement of AI planes on slopes, and lifting off the ground vertically before rotating is not what I consider to be next generation quality.

As for third party options, I have never really had a clear answer as to whether stuff like this is resolved with any of them.

Edited October 19, 2025Oct 19 by Christopher Low

On 10/19/2025 at 10:57 AM, AnkH said:

You gave your answer already: 1080p. I use 4K, which needs considerably more power, not only from the GPU. Then my heavy test scenario is e.g. EGLL from IniBuilds with their A350 and about 100 AI planes around me. If you get 36FPS in such a scenario with TLOD at 200, you are a happy camper. With my previous build (13600K and a 4080), this was impossible to achieve without lowering TLOD down to 50. With the current build, it is just so possible, usually FPS drop below my 36FPS limit (72 with Framegen).

I thought it was just me struggling in 2024. my 2020 runs smooth 120fps w frame gen in 4k mostly high and ultra settings. I tried out 2024 after 1 yr because it was a disaster at launch.  Its a stuttering mess honestly..... I hope the SU4 fixes some of the issues. are their any good tutorials on how to tweek to get decent perofmance??  I have 7900x3d +4080 so the system isnt THAT bad.... 

I doubt you get 120 FPS with frame gen in my scenario at EGLL in MSFS2020... And to make clear: I do NOT have a stuttery mess, it is absolutely smooth if I can maintain the framelimit (of course) and still absolutely fine with some acceptable stutters if FPS drop below (VRR on my G-Sync compatible monitor does help then). 

In my case, performance is absolutely comparable to what I got in MSFS2020, even slightly better in many occasions (like VFR flying from a small field). 

In SU3 I seem to have found that for me the smoothest experience is locking frame rate at 30fps, using Frame Gen at 2x and then having Dynamic Settings on also set to 30fps.

Without the frame lock set the textures get a bit blurrier in the distance.