Just sharing one performance tweak that improved my MSFS 2024 experience to the point it feels like a completely new sim. The key idea: switch OFF G-Sync for MSFS 2024. I believe this can help others struggling with all kinds of stutters or main thread bottlenecks — especially those using RTX 5000 series GPUs, Frame Generation, and G-Sync monitors.
My system: Ryzen 9800X3D + RTX 5090 + 64GB RAM + LG 55" 120Hz OLED TV — and I can finally enjoy the benefits of this investment.
Three important Nvidia App - MSFS24 Settings
Disable G-Sync (crucial!) – It seems to be broken for MSFS 2024, hammers main thread and causes stutters
Use Frame Generation to consistently exceed your monitor’s refresh rate (aim for 3x or even 4x FG override for RTX 5000 series)
Perfectly flat frame-pacing bar (on top of frame counter) = zero stutters
MainThread: 15 ms (~67 FPS) — well below the 25 ms threshold (40 FPS), which is the minimum base for 3x FG to output 120 FPS. This difference gives the main thread much-needed breathing room.
G-Sync would ruin this by stalling the main thread at or just under 25 ms, making it unnecessarily vulnerable to dips below the 120 FPS output target. At the same time, the frame-pacing bar would turn into a jittery rollercoaster instead of staying flat. In this way, G-Sync ends up killing performance even on top-tier hardware.
Running MSFS 2024 without G-Sync completely transformed my experience — I’m enjoying flying again. Due to performance issues, I had started to feel skeptical about the sim’s direction, but now I see that MSFS 2024 is capable of incredible smoothness — something I never expected to say. There are still other issues, but the most important one — performance — is currently solved for me.
I think I am missing something here, 2024 will not allow me to have both frame gen and v-sync on at the same time, it is either one or the other. Am I missing a step? G-Sync is off in both the app and control panel from nvidia. Cheers.
You can (and should) enable V-Sync in the NVIDIA App — just look for the option named “Vertical Sync” (see my screenshot).
There’s no G-Sync toggle in MSFS itself, but in the NVIDIA App it’s labeled “Monitor Technology”, and you should set it to “Fixed Refresh” to fully disable G-Sync for MSFS.
Are you sure your fps readings are not showing the desktop instead game? They are two low and steady to reflect any GPU and CPU activity. Game needs a relevant effort at gates. In case you minimized game or clicked outside it before taking the screnshots, did you click back anywhere inside game afterwards? Game is borderless window so this is typical thing that can happen and leads to confusion.
On the other hand there´s an issue with game I have noticed after SU1 and persisting in SU2: rendering focus is randomly lost. I share this because I have also seen steady 120fps readings with G-sync enabled while playing and that´s because game processing went to background while it´s window was still in the foreground and Windows mouse pointer appeared on top of game. To detect this behaviour I changed my Windows mouse pointer to orange (game´s pointer is white), so that I can quickly notice when game or Windows desktop are taking the rendering priority.
G-sync has nothing to do with game nor performance, meaning that it´s not managed by game and it has the same impact in fps readings as V-sync. Enabling or disabling it afects in the same way: frames are wasted or are synchronized with monitor refresh and tearing can happen or not.
I have tested the solution shown in video (disabling G-sync and enabling V-sync). Indeed, opposite to the expected results you would imagine, this combination effectively results in a complete disabling of V-sync and tearing starts to appear. However it´s barely noticeable because the fps figures are still high. That´s why the fps and latency readings appear to improve dramatically but this is just placebo.
To completely disable G-sync you need to do it at monitor configuration via its OSD. This is another Windows 11 bug, like the one that requires both G-sync and V-sync enabled globally to have G-sync working under Windows 11. In Windows 10 for instance you just need to enable G-sync alone to make it work.
On the other hand, as soon as you have any synchronization activated (V-sync or G-sync) your fps can´t go above selected monitor refresh rate because one of the purposes of that synchronization is indeed to match the frames with the refresh, either in a fixed step (V-sync) or continuously (G-sync). On the other hand frame generation can´t result in fps above your monitor refresh unless that synchronization is disabled. When synchronization is enabled the extra frames above your refresh are simply wasted. So basically, for an example of 120Hz refresh, you will never get more than 120 fps, no matter the frame generation factor you used. Frames resulting in more than 120 fps are just discarded.
So basically, no matter the tweaks people can share or discover. Whenever you see game producing fps above your selected monitor refresh that´s because the synchronization is effectively disabled. So, in plain words, game will be running under unlimitted frames conditions and that will result in better latency but also in tearing.
As a long term G-sync user I can share that there´s nothing wrong with that technology. It simply works and it helps. I never saw it producing adverse results and definitely it does not impact performance because it´s not managed by games directly. Applications can only request to activate synchronization (the typical “enable V-sync” settings we see in all graphical options) but that´s all. The performance impacts you see in applications are just caused by the nature of synchronization itself not by the synchronization method that is used.
The problem in FS2024 is FS2024 itself. The main thread latency is high because it´s under heavy load everytime. On the other hand, as I commented in my previous post, the game is not a true fullscreen but a borderless window one. It´s also losing rendering focus randomly and this can happen indeed under stress conditions. If you don´t detect it (the orange mouse pointer trick) you will be running game but giving rendering priority to desktop, with horrible performance results in game therefore.
Gsync has also a minimum operating frequency.
Check your monitor’s documentation on the manufacturer’s website: the gsync operating range of your monitor should be indicated.
For example, for my monitor, it is 48hz to 144hz. This means that the monitor will activate Gsync if it receives between 48 fps minimum and 144 fps maximum. If the graphics card sends less than 48 fps or more than 144 fps, the monitor will not activate Gsync and there will probably be tearing and/or stutters.
So if you want to activate Gsync, make sure that the graphics card sends at least the minimum number of fps required. With Msfs 2024 this is not always the case, especially in complex or poorly optimized areas.
Yes! This is very important and it usually leads to frequent confusion
However this is only applicable for the so called “G-sync compatible” monitors. The true G-sync monitors are full range, so G-sync works on the 1Hz - 144Hz range (or whatever your monitor max refresh value), so even at 1 fps your monitor will still match its refresh.
There´s yet one more classification, the G-sync Ultimate monitors, that in addition support advanced HDR. So, from lowest to highest capabilities (and price) we have:
G-sync compatible (have a lower limit working frequency: typically 30Hz, 48Hz or 60Hz)
G-sync (full range working frequency, from 1Hz to max monitor frequency and can also include standard HDR)
G-sync ultimate (full range with advanced HDR as well)
I did it and WOW!!! Simulator is smooth as silk and also scenery loads faster! Thank you
By the way I think if one does need rtx 5000 gpu with MFG and flip metering (hardware frame timing system exclusive to new Blackwell cards) for this to work.
I’ve been suggesting this type of solution for ages, but everyone seems to insist on v-sync off and striving for higher sporadic FPS which is not always the solution to jitter.
v-sync is our best friend, and gives us Interframe Timing Consistency which is more important than raw FPS.
v-sync with framegen is giving the GPU lots of frames to more closely match the refresh timing of the display.
Incredible smoothness is the result.
With this approach in mind, I am still getting excellent performance out of my 5 year old triple screen 2080ti albeit at a rock solid, jitter free 30fps with Ultra presets.
One thing that I do in addition to your approach (which probably applies to older systems like mine), is to set the desktop hz to 60hz. Enabling v-sync then locks the output to an even division of 60 fps which gives the CPU the time it needs to load textures etc between frame updates.
I enable v-sync (in my case, 1/2 refreshrate) externally from the sim so v-sync is applied after the GPU produces the extra frames.
This image illustrates why raw FPS can introduce jitter.
Just a quick note—this thread is specifically about switching off G-Sync and using NVIDIA Frame Generation. Please try not to derail the topic with different performance tweaks. Let’s keep the focus so others looking for info on this exact issue can benefit too. Thanks!
Do you have GSX Pro installed? I used to have the exact same issue with MSFS2024 randomly losing focus, and after a lot of hair pulling traced it to GSX Pro. It seems whenever couatl crashes and restarts itself it steals focus from the game, eliminating any frame gen and requiring to click back on the game window. Disabling GSX fixed the issue, but now it means I can’t use GSX for 2024… hopefully SU3 will fix this.
I’ve not had change yet to try turning off GSync, but one thing that ‘fixed’ the micro-stutters was setting an in-game FPS limit rather than letting GSync or a third party frame rate limiter (RTSS) take control.
For instance, in MSFS 2020 I set FG to 3x through the Nvidia app, and then use RTSS to limit my FPS to 135. The result is an incredibly smooth sim pegged at 135fps (sim is rendering at 45fps and frame gen is bumping up to 135fps), and if it dips below this G-Sync kicks in and the image remains very smooth.
If you apply the same settings to MSFS 2024, there are constant micro-stutters even though the frame rate is sitting at 135fps. I found the solution:
Set an in-game FPS cap to 45fps (this currently needs to be done through the user.cfg file, but SU3 will add an in-game slider to set this)
Force 3x FG through the Nvidia app
Disable any other frame limiting app such as RTSS
This solution results in a very smooth 2024 on par with 2020, but still allows the use of GSync for the times when fps dip slightly.
