I have a problem in MSFS 2020 DX11. When I alt-tab quickly or multiple times, the FPS drops to 2–5 and the game almost freezes. The GPU power drops from about 320W to 190W even though temperatures and VRAM are fine. The mainthread spikes to 500ms.
Temporary fix: Resizing the window slightly or switching to windowed and back to fullscreen always wakes the GPU and restores FPS. This works every time, but it’s annoying to do repeatedly.
This only happens in DX11. DX12 does not have this bug, but VRAM usage is much higher (around 9–10GB), and there is more stuttering and occasional freezes, which makes DX12 less practical for long flights on my system.
What I tried:
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Resetting NVIDIA settings to default
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Trying drivers 566.36, 572.42, 572.44, 577.00
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Verifying and repairing game files
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Checking GPU and CPU temperatures (GPU 54°C, CPU 65°C)
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Checking VRAM usage
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Setting Windows power plan to Ultimate Performance
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Reinstalling MSFS 2020 completely using Revo Uninstaller
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Testing all graphics presets, including the lowest
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Turning VSync on and off, using FPS caps and Fast VSync
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Uninstalling all Realtek and NVIDIA audio drivers
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Trying DX12 (bug disappears but causes high VRAM usage and stutters)
System:
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GPU: RTX 3080 10GB
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CPU: Ryzen 7 5700X
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RAM: 64GB DDR4 3600MHz
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Monitor: 144Hz
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Windows 11 24H2
Other notes:
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Happens only in MSFS 2020 DX11
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Happens even with all other apps closed
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Happens regardless of graphics settings
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Happens almost every time I alt-tab fast
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Minor slowdowns in Chrome or Discord sometimes right before it happens
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The bug makes it difficult to work with other apps while flying because the GPU stops rendering properly until the window is resized
Questions:
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Has anyone seen this bug in DX11?
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Is it a known bug?
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Is there a way to prevent the GPU from going idle after alt-tab without switching to DX12?
Thanks.