So, was getting CTDs straight to desktop with no warnings/slowing etc. I was getting the CTDs around 40 minutes very consistently. I went through the checklist of possible issues: community folder delete, reinstall clean Nvidia driver, update all window 10 items, disable AV, update audio drivers, flash update BIOS, etc etc. I thought it was a USB issue so I disabled the USB sleep function in device manager. I assumed, wrongly, that USB power was the issue. None of the fixes helped.
I reinstalled MSFS (SU11) completely, cleaned drivers etc. Then I looked at my FAN settings (Alienware R11), I have front and back along with GPU RTX 3090 organic fans. My fan settings were set to automatic. My R11 came with a stock overclock CPU of 30% putting the i9-10900 KF at around 4.8Ghz. With fans on auto, with MSFS running, I hit a max temp at, you guessed it, 40 minutes. So, I went to manual fan settings, set a heat/fan percentage speed curve that more than accounts for ever getting close to max temps. That was it, haven’t had a CTD in over a week of VR flights lasting over 2-3 hours. The noise of the fans has increased but it all blends in when I start flying VR (Reverb G2).
Based on most of the CTD comments in the forums, CTDs can clearly occur for a variety of reasons. And, the solution(s) often depends given the infinite number of systems/combinations etc. However, if you’ve tried everything, take a look at your CPU and GPU temps while running MSFS (and the temps are not linear either–they may appear under threshold when in fact, they can spike at a higher level). You may want to increase fan speeds (can be done via most BIOSs) or overclock apps such as MSI Afterburner, or in my case, via the command center on the Alienware R11 Aurora. Good luck.
