Sim Update 5 is out and for most people it is an improvement. Sharper visuals, smoother performance, better overall feel. But getting the most out of it requires some housekeeping first. Skip these steps and you will likely hit glitches, stutters, or leftover issues from the old build. Do them in order and you should be running clean from the start.
This guide is based on Pilot Pete’s SU5 walkthrough, simplified into a checklist you can follow without pausing a YouTube video every thirty seconds. For a more in-depth treatment of the same topics, Island Sim Pilot has a thorough 25-minute guide that covers everything in considerably more detail. The information here has not been independently cross-checked — treat it as a starting point and verify anything critical against your own setup.
Step 1: Update Your GPU Drivers With a Fresh Install
This is the most important step and the one most people skip. Get the NVIDIA App if you do not have it, go to Drivers, and install the latest version. Always choose Fresh Install, not Express. A fresh install clears out old driver data that can cause conflicts with the new sim build. Reboot when done.
Step 2: NVIDIA App Settings for MSFS 2024
Open the NVIDIA App, go to Graphics, find Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and apply the following.
Frame Generation: Set to Dynamic. If the Dynamic option is greyed out, keep restarting your PC. Pete spent three hours on this and found it eventually came back on its own after repeated restarts. There is no guaranteed fix — it just seems to need a nudge.
Multiplier: Set to 4x. Lock the sim internally at 30 FPS and the 4x multiplier outputs 120 FPS. It sounds counterintuitive but the result is smooth motion with far lower system load than rendering 120 natively.
Max Frame Rate: Cap at 120. Without the external cap frame generation can become unstable.
Latency Mode: Ultra Low. The actual impact is unclear but it does not hurt to enable it.
Power Management Mode: Max Performance. Set this in the NVIDIA App under the same profile. It ensures the GPU is not throttling itself during demanding sim sessions.
Monitor Refresh Rate: If you are running a high refresh rate monitor — 240Hz or 300Hz — consider capping it at 144Hz via NVIDIA. Pete runs a 300Hz screen but keeps it at 144 for smoother sim performance. Higher refresh rates can work against frame generation stability in MSFS.
One note on the in-sim DLSS settings: MSFS 2024 has its own frame generation multiplier options inside the graphics menu. You can largely ignore these because the NVIDIA App settings override them. Set things correctly in the NVIDIA App and the in-sim values become irrelevant.
Step 3: Update DLSS With DLSS Swapper
DLSS Swapper is a free utility that lets you update the DLSS version the sim uses independently of official updates. Set MSFS 2024 to use DLSS version 3106 for both Super Resolution and Frame Generation. The improvement in sharpness and visual coherence is noticeable. If you are not familiar with it, Island Sim Pilot has a thorough guide on setup.
Step 4: Clear All the Caches
This step fixes most post-update glitches. Do all of them, not just one or two.
Rolling Cache: Go to your MSFS 2024 main directory and delete the rollingcache.ccc file. The sim rebuilds it on next launch.
Windows Temp: AppData\Local\Temp — delete the folders inside.
NVIDIA DX Cache: AppData\Local\NVIDIA\DXCache
NVIDIA Roaming Compute Cache: AppData\Roaming\NVIDIA\ComputeCache
D3D Cache: AppData\Local\D3DSCache
Steam Shader Cache: Steam\userdata\[your ID]\ugc\shadercache
The free Cash Removal Tool automates most of this and is worth keeping for regular maintenance, but it does not catch everything. The manual steps above cover the rest.
Step 5: Empty Your Community Folder Before First Launch
Before launching MSFS 2024 for the first time after SU5, move everything out of your Community folder into a backup location. Run the sim clean at least two or three times and check that controls are working before adding anything back.
This single step resolves the majority of post-update crashes and performance problems that get blamed on the sim itself.
MSFS 2024 In-Sim Settings After SU5
Render Scaling: 2K TAA
Sharpening: 190. Sounds high but delivers a sharp image without any noticeable performance cost.
Max Frame Rate (in-sim): 30. Combined with the 4x NVIDIA multiplier this outputs 120 FPS.
Terrain LOD and Objects LOD: Both at 105. Higher values cost more than the visual gain is worth on most hardware.
Live Traffic: Off for now. Re-enable once everything else is confirmed stable.
Global Rendering: Default.
What to Expect After SU5
Follow these steps in order and you should be on a clean, stable SU5 install with smooth performance. The NVIDIA frame generation setup makes the biggest difference. 120 FPS at ultra settings over dense scenery like San Diego is achievable on high-end hardware, which gives you a reasonable benchmark for what this configuration can do.
If you are still having issues after all of this, the Community folder is almost certainly the cause. Add items back one at a time and the culprit will show up.
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