Understanding which type of update was installed helps narrow the troubleshooting process.

---

3. Record a Benchmark Before Updating

The best time to prepare for an update is before installing it.

Run your permanent benchmark flight and record:

• Average FPS.
• Minimum FPS.
• Maximum FPS.
• 1% lows.
• 0.1% lows, where available.
• Frame times.
• MainThread status.
• GPU utilisation.
• VRAM usage.
• RAM usage.
• CPU temperature.
• GPU temperature.
• Loading time.
• Overall smoothness.

Also record:

• Current simulator version.
• Current graphics-driver version.
• Windows version.
• Active add-ons.
• Graphics settings.
• Traffic configuration.
• Rolling Cache status.

This becomes your final known-good pre-update baseline.

Without it, claims such as “performance is definitely worse” may rely only on memory.

---

4. Do Not Change Other Variables at the Same Time

Avoid combining a simulator update with several unrelated changes.

For example, do not simultaneously:

• Update the simulator.
• Install a new graphics driver.
• Change graphics settings.
• Install a new airport.
• Clear every cache.
• Enable a new traffic tool.

If performance changes, you will not know which action caused it.

The ideal process is:

1. Record the pre-update benchmark.
2. Install the simulator update.
3. Keep everything else unchanged.
4. Run the same benchmark again.
5. Investigate only if a repeatable difference appears.

This isolates the simulator update as the main variable.

---

5. The First Launch After an Update

The first launch after a major update may take longer than usual.

The simulator may need to:

• Process updated packages.
• Rebuild indexes.
• Verify content.
• Update configuration files.
• Prepare new scenery.
• Recompile or rebuild graphics-related data.
• Update Marketplace content.

Do not judge the entire update based solely on the first launch.

Allow the simulator to finish all required downloads and content processing before benchmarking.

---

6. Shader Rebuilding

Shaders tell the GPU how to render effects such as:

• Clouds.
• Water.
• Lighting.
• Reflections.
• Shadows.
• Glass.
• Terrain.
• Cockpit displays.

After a major simulator or graphics-driver update, some previously cached shader data may no longer be reusable.

The simulator and graphics driver may need to compile new shaders.

---

Symptoms of Shader Rebuilding

You may notice:

• Small stutters on the first flight.
• Brief pauses when viewing new effects.
• Camera-movement hitches.
• Longer initial loading.
• Performance improving on repeated flights.

These symptoms do not automatically indicate a permanent performance regression.

---

Best Practice

After an update:

1. Allow the first flight to complete.
2. Repeat the same benchmark.
3. Compare the second and third runs.
4. Judge performance only after temporary compilation behaviour has settled.

Do not repeatedly clear the shader cache. Doing so forces the system to rebuild it again and can recreate the very stutters you are trying to eliminate.

---

7. Graphics-Driver Compatibility

A simulator update may introduce new rendering behaviour or graphics features.

Your current driver may continue working perfectly, but occasionally an update performs better with a newer driver or exposes a problem in a particular driver version.

Possible symptoms include:

• Flickering.
• Black screens.
• Driver crashes.
• Lower GPU utilisation.
• Poor frame pacing.
• Visual artefacts.
• Frame Generation problems.
• DLSS behaviour changes.

---

Professional Driver Process

Before replacing the driver, ask:

• Did the problem begin only after the simulator update?
• Is the current driver listed as supported or known to be problematic?
• Do other applications remain stable?
• Is the problem graphical, or is the simulator MainThread limited?
• Did the simulator reset any graphics options?

Do not install several driver versions randomly.

If testing a new driver:

1. Record the current version.
2. Save your working NVIDIA or AMD profile.
3. Install one driver version.
4. Allow shaders to rebuild.
5. Repeat the benchmark.
6. Keep or reverse the change based on evidence.

---

8. Check Whether Graphics Settings Changed

Simulator updates can occasionally alter, reset or introduce graphics options.

Always review:

• Resolution.
• Render Scaling.
• Anti-Aliasing mode.
• DLSS or FSR mode.
• Frame Generation.
• V-Sync.
• Terrain LOD.
• Object LOD.
• Cloud Quality.
• Texture Resolution.
• Traffic settings.
• Glass Cockpit Refresh Rate.
• Online data settings.

A single reset setting can create a large performance difference.

---

Example

Before the update:

• DLSS Quality.
• Frame Generation enabled.
• Terrain LOD 200.
• Clouds High.

After the update:

• TAA selected.
• Frame Generation disabled.
• Terrain LOD 300.
• Clouds Ultra.

The user may believe the update reduced performance, but the real cause is the changed graphics configuration.

Always compare settings before drawing conclusions.

---

9. Rolling Cache After Updates

Rolling Cache stores recently streamed world data locally.

After major scenery or world changes, the cached data may no longer represent the newest version of a region.

This does not mean Rolling Cache must be deleted after every update.

Review it only when there is a reason.

---

Consider Rebuilding Rolling Cache When

• Updated scenery appears incorrect.
• Photogrammetry behaves unusually.
• Terrain repeatedly fails to load correctly.
• A World Update changed an area you frequently fly in.
• Streaming problems began immediately after the update.
• Controlled testing suggests the cache is involved.

---

Do Not Clear It Automatically

Clearing Rolling Cache means scenery must be downloaded and cached again.

The first flights may therefore show:

• Additional network activity.
• New streaming delays.
• Temporary scenery-loading stutters.

Treat cache rebuilding as a troubleshooting step, not compulsory maintenance.

---

10. Add-on Compatibility

Third-party add-ons depend on simulator systems and development interfaces.

A Sim Update may affect:

• Aircraft systems.
• Avionics.
• Toolbar utilities.
• Traffic injectors.
• Ground services.
• Weather programs.
• Scenery packages.
• Object libraries.
• Camera tools.
• Performance utilities.

An add-on that worked correctly before an update may need a compatibility patch.

---

Signs of an Add-on Compatibility Problem

• CTDs occur only with one aircraft.
• One airport no longer loads.
• A toolbar panel stops responding.
• GSX behaviour changes.
• Traffic tools create new stutters.
• Missing textures appear.
• Instruments stop updating.
• Performance drops only when one utility is active.

Do not immediately blame the simulator when the problem is isolated to one third-party product.

---

11. Check Add-on Developer Information

After a major update, review information from the add-on developers you use.

Look for:

• Compatibility confirmation.
• Required updates.
• Known issues.
• Temporary workarounds.
• Updated installers.
• New object libraries.
• Revised configuration files.

Do not assume an add-on is compatible simply because it loads.

It may still introduce:

• Reduced performance.
• Background errors.
• Incorrect systems behaviour.
• Instability.

---

12. Community Folder Testing

If performance or stability changes significantly after an update, test the simulator in a simplified state.

---

Stage 1 – Record the Original State

Before disabling content, record:

• Active add-ons.
• Airport.
• Aircraft.
• Utilities.
• Traffic tools.
• Add-on Linker profile.

---

Stage 2 – Run a Clean Test

Temporarily disable Community Folder content where practical.

Use:

• A default aircraft.
• A default airport.
• A fixed weather preset.
• The same graphics settings.

---

Stage 3 – Interpret the Result

Performance returns to normal

A third-party package or combination of packages is probably involved.

Performance remains poor

Investigate:

• Simulator settings.
• Driver compatibility.
• Shader rebuilding.
• Windows background activity.
• Official or Marketplace content.
• Hardware behaviour.

---

Stage 4 – Re-enable Content Gradually

Reintroduce content in groups:

1. Aircraft.
2. Airports.
3. Utilities.
4. Traffic.
5. Liveries.
6. Libraries.

When the problem returns, narrow the affected group further.

---

13. Marketplace and Official Content

An empty Community Folder does not remove:

• Marketplace airports.
• Marketplace aircraft.
• World Update scenery.
• Official packages.
• Optional simulator content.

If the problem remains with the Community Folder disabled, review the Content Manager or installed package list.

Check for:

• Duplicate airports.
• Old Marketplace versions.
• Optional scenery overlapping third-party products.
• Content updates that have not yet been installed.
• Partially downloaded packages.

---

14. Reading Release Notes

Release notes explain what an update intends to change.

They may contain:

• Performance improvements.
• Known issues.
• Graphics changes.
• Aircraft fixes.
• Stability changes.
• API changes.
• Traffic changes.
• Weather changes.
• Content updates.

Reading release notes helps you understand whether your experience matches an acknowledged change.

---

What to Look For

Search for sections relating to:

• Performance.
• Stability.
• Graphics.
• VR.
• Memory.
• Traffic.
• Weather.
• Aircraft systems.
• Third-party compatibility.
• Known issues.

---

Read Carefully

A release note stating “improved performance in certain scenarios” does not guarantee every system will gain FPS.

Likewise, a user reporting lower performance online does not prove the update affects every PC.

Use release notes to create hypotheses, then verify them using your own benchmark data.

---

15. Avoid Community Panic

After a major update, forums and social media often fill with conflicting reports:

• “My FPS doubled.”
• “The update destroyed performance.”
• “The simulator is completely broken.”
• “You must clear every cache.”
• “This driver fixes everything.”

Different users have different:

• Hardware.
• Add-ons.
• Airports.
• Aircraft.
• Graphics settings.
• Drivers.
• Resolutions.

Their results may all be genuine for their own systems while being irrelevant to yours.

Your permanent benchmark and Performance Profile are more reliable than general claims online.

---

16. Benchmark Comparisons

A valid before-and-after comparison must use identical conditions.

Keep the same:

• Airport.
• Aircraft.
• Parking stand.
• Weather preset.
• Time of day.
• Route.
• Graphics settings.
• Traffic settings.
• Add-ons.
• Driver version.
• Camera position.

---

Record at Least Two Post-Update Runs

The first run may be influenced by:

• Shader compilation.
• New scenery streaming.
• Package processing.
• Background update activity.

Run the benchmark more than once before deciding whether performance has changed.

---

Metrics to Compare

Record:

• Average FPS.
• 1% lows.
• 0.1% lows.
• Frame times.
• MainThread status.
• GPU utilisation.
• VRAM usage.
• RAM usage.
• CPU temperature.
• GPU temperature.
• Loading time.
• Stutter locations.
• Overall smoothness.

---

17. Understanding Normal Variation

No two benchmark runs will be perfectly identical.

Small differences can result from:

• Background processes.
• Online streaming.
• Traffic timing.
• Shader activity.
• Measurement variation.

Do not treat a one or two FPS difference as definitive evidence of a regression.

Look for repeatable patterns across several runs.

---

Example

Before Update

Run 1: 68 FPS
Run 2: 70 FPS
Run 3: 69 FPS

Average: 69 FPS

After Update

Run 1: 62 FPS
Run 2: 63 FPS
Run 3: 62 FPS

Average: 62.3 FPS

This suggests a repeatable performance difference worth investigating.

---

Another Example

Before Update

68 FPS

After Update

67 FPS

Without repeated testing, this difference may simply be normal variation.

---

18. Identify What Changed in the Data

Do not stop at saying:

“FPS is lower.”

Study how the metrics changed.

---

Lower FPS and 99% GPU Utilisation

Possible causes:

• Higher GPU workload.
• Changed graphics setting.
• Rendering change.
• Increased resolution or render scaling.
• More demanding clouds or scenery.

---

Lower FPS and Heavy MainThread Limitation

Possible causes:

• Traffic changes.
• Aircraft systems.
• Add-on incompatibility.
• Higher LOD.
• Additional airport or scenery objects.
• CPU-side simulator regression.

---

Similar Average FPS but Worse 1% Lows

Possible causes:

• Shader compilation.
• Streaming.
• Add-on conflict.
• Background activity.
• Memory pressure.

---

Increased VRAM Usage

Possible causes:

• Changed texture handling.
• New scenery.
• Higher texture settings.
• Updated aircraft or airport assets.

---

Longer Loading Times Only

Possible causes:

• Package processing.
• New World Update content.
• Larger Community Folder.
• Content indexing.
• Storage space or disk activity.

The pattern determines the next test.

---

19. Rebuilding Your Performance Profile

After the update has settled and your configuration is stable, create a new Performance Profile entry.

Do not overwrite the previous record.

Keep both versions.

---

Record

Update Information

• Previous simulator version.
• New simulator version.
• Update type.
• Installation date.

Hardware and Software

• CPU.
• GPU.
• RAM.
• Driver version.
• Windows version.

Test Conditions

• Airport.
• Aircraft.
• Weather.
• Route.
• Graphics profile.
• Add-ons active.

Results

• Average FPS.
• 1% lows.
• Frame times.
• MainThread status.
• GPU utilisation.
• VRAM.
• RAM.
• Temperatures.
• Loading times.

Notes

• Shader rebuilding observed.
• Rolling Cache changed.
• Add-ons updated.
• Settings reset.
• Known issue encountered.

This creates a permanent record of how the update affected your system.

---

20. Professional Post-Update Workflow

Use this process after every major simulator update.

Before Updating

1. Read the update information.
2. Record the current simulator version.
3. Save screenshots of graphics settings.
4. Record active add-ons.
5. Run the permanent benchmark.
6. Save the Performance Profile.

During the Update

1. Allow the download to complete fully.
2. Do not interrupt package installation.
3. Confirm sufficient storage space.
4. Avoid making unrelated system changes.

First Launch

1. Allow content processing to finish.
2. Check Content Manager for updates.
3. Review graphics and online settings.
4. Confirm the correct driver profile remains active.
5. Expect possible temporary shader stutters.

First Benchmark

1. Use identical test conditions.
2. Record all metrics.
3. Note unusual behaviour.
4. Do not draw conclusions yet.

Confirmation Runs

1. Repeat the benchmark.
2. Compare runs.
3. Identify repeatable differences.
4. Separate temporary effects from persistent changes.

Troubleshooting

1. Check changed settings.
2. Test default content.
3. Test the Community Folder.
4. Update third-party products.
5. Review Rolling Cache only if relevant.
6. Investigate driver compatibility if evidence supports it.

Final Documentation

1. Create a new Performance Profile entry.
2. Record confirmed changes.
3. Save the final stable configuration.
4. Document any workaround required.

---

Worked Example

Problem

A student reports:

“After a new Sim Update, my FPS at Heathrow dropped from around 70 to 52, and the simulator now stutters during taxi.”

---

Pre-Update Data

• Average FPS: 69
• 1% low: 57
• GPU utilisation: 95%
• MainThread: occasional limitation
• VRAM: 11.2 GB
• Driver unchanged
• FSLTL active
• Third-party Heathrow active

---

First Post-Update Run

• Average FPS: 53
• 1% low: 29
• GPU utilisation: 68%
• MainThread: heavily limited
• VRAM: 11.4 GB

---

Initial Analysis

The GPU is no longer fully utilised.

The simulator has become heavily MainThread limited.

This suggests the problem is not primarily caused by GPU rendering load.

---

Test 1 – Review Settings

Terrain LOD was reset from 200 to 400 during the update.

Return Terrain LOD to 200.

Result

• Average FPS: 61
• 1% low: 43
• MainThread limitation reduced.

Performance improves but does not return completely to baseline.

---

Test 2 – Disable FSLTL

Repeat the same benchmark with FSLTL disabled.

Result

• Average FPS: 68
• 1% low: 55
• Frame pacing returns close to the pre-update result.

---

Conclusion

Two factors contributed:

1. Terrain LOD had changed.
2. FSLTL required review or updating after the simulator update.

The update did not simply “remove 17 FPS.” The performance change resulted from a reset setting combined with add-on compatibility or traffic behaviour.

---

Common Mistakes After Updates

Clearing Every Cache Immediately

This removes useful data and may create additional temporary stutters.

Updating the Graphics Driver at the Same Time

This introduces another variable and makes comparison harder.

Blaming the Simulator Without Testing Add-ons

Third-party compatibility is one of the first areas to check.

Using the First Flight as the Final Benchmark

Shader rebuilding and content processing may distort the result.

Trusting Memory Instead of Previous Data

Without a recorded baseline, perceived performance changes are difficult to prove.

Reinstalling the Simulator Immediately

Most update-related issues can be investigated through settings, content and compatibility testing first.

Applying Online “Fixes” Without Evidence

A fix that helped another system may be irrelevant or harmful to yours.

---

Student Task

Compare Performance Before and After a Simulator Update

Use a real update where pre-update data exists, or create a simulated comparison using two controlled configurations.

---

Part 1 – Pre-Update Record

Record:

Simulator version:

Driver version:

Windows version:

Airport:

Aircraft:

Weather preset:

Graphics profile:

Add-ons active:

Rolling Cache status:

---

Pre-Update Results

Average FPS:

1% Low:

0.1% Low:

Frame-time behaviour:

MainThread status:

GPU utilisation:

VRAM usage:

RAM usage:

CPU temperature:

GPU temperature:

Startup time:

Flight loading time:

---

Part 2 – Post-Update Record

Keep the same conditions and record:

New simulator version:

Average FPS:

1% Low:

0.1% Low:

Frame-time behaviour:

MainThread status:

GPU utilisation:

VRAM usage:

RAM usage:

CPU temperature:

GPU temperature:

Startup time:

Flight loading time:

---

Part 3 – Identify Differences

Answer:

• Did average FPS change?
• Did 1% lows change?
• Did the limiting component change?
• Did VRAM or RAM use change?
• Did loading time change?
• Did new stutters appear?
• Were any settings reset?
• Were shaders still rebuilding?
• Did any add-ons require updating?

---

Part 4 – Controlled Troubleshooting

Choose one suspected cause.

Examples:

• Reset Terrain LOD.
• Outdated traffic tool.
• Shader rebuilding.
• Rolling Cache issue.
• Incompatible airport.
• Driver interaction.

Change only that variable and repeat the benchmark.

---

Part 5 – Final Conclusion

Document:

Was there a genuine regression?

Was the change temporary or persistent?

Primary cause:

Evidence:

Fix or workaround:

Final stable configuration:

---

Post-Update Comparison Table

Student Checklist

Pre-update benchmark available.

Simulator version recorded.

Release notes reviewed.

 Graphics settings checked for changes.

Driver version kept consistent initially.

First-run shader behaviour considered.

Rolling Cache reviewed only where relevant.

Community Folder tested if necessary.

Add-ons checked for compatibility.

 Multiple post-update benchmarks completed.

Performance Profile updated.

Final conclusion supported by evidence.

---

Lesson Summary

You now understand how to evaluate Microsoft Flight Simulator performance after an update professionally.

Remember:

• Simulator Updates can change the core platform, while World Updates primarily add or improve scenery.
• The first flight after an update may be affected by shader rebuilding, package processing and fresh scenery streaming.
• Graphics settings should always be checked because an update may reset or introduce options.
• Driver compatibility should be tested methodically rather than changed automatically.
• Rolling Cache should only be rebuilt when there is evidence of a scenery or streaming problem.
• Third-party add-ons are a major source of post-update instability and performance changes.
• A clean Community Folder test helps distinguish core-simulator behaviour from add-on problems.
• Release notes provide useful context but do not replace benchmarking.
• Performance claims should be based on repeated, controlled before-and-after measurements.
• Your Performance Profile provides the evidence needed to prove whether a real regression has occurred.

---

Knowledge Check

1. What is the difference between a Simulator Update and a World Update?
2. Why should a benchmark be completed before installing a major update?
3. Why should the graphics driver initially remain unchanged during post-update testing?
4. What temporary behaviour may occur while shaders rebuild?
5. When should Rolling Cache be cleared or recreated?
6. Why can add-ons stop working correctly after a simulator update?
7. What does a clean Community Folder test help determine?
8. Why should graphics settings be reviewed after an update?
9. Why is one post-update benchmark run insufficient?
10. How can 1% lows reveal a problem that average FPS may hide?
11. What information should be added to the Performance Profile after an update?
12. How can you determine whether an apparent performance regression is caused by the update itself or by another variable?