Best MSFS 2024 settings for a low-end PC: use our practical 1080p/30 FPS baseline, then fix CPU, GPU, VRAM and stutter bottlenecks.
For a low-end PC, run Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 at 1920×1080, cap it at 30 fps, start from the Low-End preset, then use 70–80% render scaling, Low volumetric clouds, Terrain LOD 50–75, Objects LOD 50 and minimal traffic. Keep texture resolution at Medium only when the GPU has enough VRAM.
Best low-end MSFS 2024 settings at a glance
This baseline prioritises a consistent 30 fps and readable cockpit instruments rather than chasing 60 fps. Exact results depend on the aircraft, airport, weather and streamed scenery, so treat these values as a starting point.
| Setting | Recommended baseline | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Output resolution | 1920×1080; try 1600×900 if necessary | Dropping below 1080p is one of the largest available GPU savings. |
| Frame-rate limit | 30 fps | A stable 30 normally feels better than fluctuating between 25 and 50. |
| Global quality | Low-End, then Custom | Provides a safe base without forcing every option to its least useful value. |
| Anti-aliasing and scaling | TAA at 70–80%, or supported upscaling at Quality | Reduces GPU load while retaining enough resolution for cockpit displays. |
| Dynamic Settings | Off while tuning; optionally On with a 30 fps target afterwards | Prevents automatic changes from hiding the actual bottleneck during testing. |
| Terrain Level of Detail | 50–75 | One of the main CPU and MainThread controls around dense scenery. |
| Objects Level of Detail | 50 | Reduces the distance at which detailed buildings and objects are processed. |
| Volumetric Clouds | Low | Clouds can impose a heavy GPU cost, especially in layered weather. |
| Texture Resolution | Low for tight VRAM; otherwise Medium | Exceeding VRAM causes severe pauses and texture swapping rather than a simple FPS loss. |
| Buildings, Trees, Grass and Bushes | Low | Keeps dense cities and low-altitude flying manageable. |
| Shadows, ambient occlusion and reflections | Low or Off | These effects are expensive and less noticeable from a moving cockpit. |
| Off-screen terrain pre-caching | Medium; Low only when memory is very limited | Setting this too low can create new stutters when panning the camera. |
| Glass Cockpit Refresh Rate | Low | Helps CPU-limited glass-cockpit aircraft. |
| Aircraft, road, boat and airport traffic | Off or minimal | Traffic increases CPU load and can overwhelm a weak processor at large airports. |
Leave anisotropic filtering around 8x if available; it usually improves runway and ground-texture clarity for little performance cost. Bloom, depth of field, motion blur, lens flare and contact shadows can all be disabled. Our complete graphics-setting baseline explains the less influential options without repeating them here.
How should you tune MSFS 2024 for your PC?
Change settings in a fixed order so that CPU, GPU and memory problems do not get confused with one another.
- Establish a repeatable test. Use the same aircraft, airport, runway position, time and weather. Live weather is unsuitable for comparisons because the cloud load changes between runs.
- Apply the Low-End preset. Set a 30 fps cap, then enter the custom values above. Restart the flight before judging large texture or scenery changes.
- Identify the limiting component. Use the simulator's performance display where available. A MainThread limit points towards the CPU; a GPU limit points towards resolution and visual effects. Our guide to diagnosing CPU, GPU, VRAM and streaming limits covers the tell-tale signs.
- Lower the matching settings. Reduce Terrain LOD, Objects LOD, traffic and glass-cockpit refresh rate for a CPU limit. Reduce render resolution, clouds, shadows, ambient occlusion and reflections for a GPU limit.
- Add quality back carefully. Raise texture resolution first if VRAM allows, followed by buildings or clouds. Increase only one setting at a time and repeat the same test.
A mistake we see constantly is reducing render scaling because performance collapses at a busy airport. If the simulator is MainThread-limited, rendering fewer pixels will make the picture blurrier without materially improving frame rate; traffic and LOD are the correct controls.
Which upscaler gives the clearest cockpit?
At 1080p, TAA at roughly 80% usually gives clearer instruments than an aggressive Performance upscaling mode. On supported hardware, try DLSS, FSR or XeSS at Quality first, then Balanced only if Quality cannot hold the 30 fps target.
Very low internal resolutions can make glass displays, distant taxiway markings and thin aircraft edges shimmer. Avoid combining a low output resolution with the most aggressive upscaler; our cockpit clarity and shimmering fixes explain how to balance TAA, sharpening and render scaling.
Should you use Dynamic Settings or frame generation?
Dynamic Settings can help maintain 30 fps, but frame generation should only be enabled after the simulator already runs smoothly without it. Tune manually first, then let Dynamic Settings protect the target during unusually demanding scenes.
Frame generation improves the displayed frame count but does not remove a CPU simulation bottleneck, insufficient VRAM or data-streaming pauses. It can also introduce display artefacts and latency. Use it only when the base frame rate remains near 30 fps and the GPU has memory headroom.
Why does MSFS 2024 still stutter on Low settings?
Stutters on the Low-End preset often come from memory, storage, add-ons or streamed scenery rather than raw graphics quality. Lowering every option can even make camera movement worse if off-screen terrain pre-caching becomes too restrictive.
- Install the simulator's packages and cache on an SSD rather than a mechanical hard drive.
- Leave the Windows page file enabled and close memory-heavy browsers, recording tools and overlays.
- Test with the
Communityfolder empty to rule out aircraft, scenery and utility add-ons. - Rebuild the rolling cache if pauses began after cache problems or a major simulator update.
- Temporarily disable photogrammetry to diagnose connection-related pauses. This may help streaming stutter, but it will not fix a GPU bottleneck.
- Reduce traffic first if the problem appears mainly at large airports.
If frame rate is acceptable but pauses remain, use our separate stutter and freeze checklist rather than sacrificing more image quality.
Is 60 fps realistic on a low-end PC?
A locked 30 fps is the sensible target for demanding MSFS 2024 aircraft and airports on low-end hardware. Simpler aircraft over rural scenery may run faster, but large hubs, glass cockpits, heavy clouds and traffic can expose the CPU limit quickly.
If 1080p at 70% scaling, Low clouds and minimal LOD still cannot approach 30 fps, try 1600×900 output before reducing scaling further. Hardware below the simulator's minimum requirements may remain unstable regardless of settings, particularly when VRAM, system memory or storage performance is insufficient.