Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting with 1080p, the recorded data shows a clear progression across presets. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers an average of 97 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 76 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS. High settings produce 57 FPS on average, while Ultra trails at 54 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 21 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 19 FPS, and from High to Ultra is only 3 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns in cost as settings climb beyond Medium.

At 2560x1440, the numbers shift noticeably. Low settings yield 78 FPS on average. Medium comes in at 61 FPS, with a reported minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. High settings drop to 46 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium here is 17 FPS, while Medium to High is 15 FPS, and High to Ultra is just 2 FPS. The pattern mirrors 1080p but with lower absolute values, indicating that resolution scaling takes a consistent toll.

At 3840x2160, the story becomes more constrained. Low settings average 58 FPS, just shy of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High drops to 34 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 32 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 13 FPS, while Medium to High costs 11 FPS, and High to Ultra only 2 FPS. Notably, the minimum and maximum values are only recorded for Medium across all resolutions, leaving other presets without frame time variance data.

The min/max data for Medium settings reveals interesting behavior. At 1080p, the spread between min and max is 23 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 18 FPS. At 4K, the spread tightens further to 14 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes the limiting factor, reducing frame time volatility even as average performance declines.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions points to a balanced workload, but with distinct shifts. At 1080p, the CPU likely holds more influence, as the average FPS at Low (97) is far above the 60 FPS target, and even Medium (76) maintains headroom. The jump from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is a 19 FPS drop (97 to 78), while 1440p Low to 4K Low is a 20 FPS drop (78 to 58). This consistent ~20 FPS loss per resolution step at Low settings suggests that neither component is fully saturated, but both are contributing to the scaling penalty.

At Medium settings, the resolution scaling is steeper. 1080p Medium averages 76 FPS, 1440p Medium drops to 61 FPS (a 15 FPS loss), and 4K Medium falls to 45 FPS (a 16 FPS loss from 1440p). The fact that 4K Medium at 45 FPS is well below the 60 FPS threshold while 1440p Medium sits just above it indicates that the GPU is nearing its limit at 4K, with the CPU still able to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The High and Ultra presets tell a similar tale. At High, the drops are 11 FPS from 1080p to 1440p (57 to 46) and 12 FPS from 1440p to 4K (46 to 34). At Ultra, the drops are 10 FPS (54 to 44) and 12 FPS (44 to 32). The near-constant deltas across High and Ultra suggest that the rendering load scales predictably with pixel count, and the GPU is the primary driver of these reductions. The CPU's role is more evident at Low and Medium, where the higher FPS values allow the processor to keep up without bottlenecking, but the frame rates still fall by roughly 20% per resolution step.

Overall, the data implies that the Ryzen 5 2600 is sufficient for this game at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the Arc B580 becomes the ceiling. The GPU's 12 GB memory and 192-bit bus are likely factors, though the recorded FPS values are the direct evidence. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, paired with a 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicate it is not a weak link at these settings, but the 4K results show the GPU struggling to maintain playable rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2788 out of 3714 tested combos in this game. This places it in the bottom quartile, around the 25th percentile. The rank reflects the overall performance across all measured presets and resolutions, not just the best case. Given that the combo achieves 60 FPS or higher only at 1080p Medium and 1440p Medium, the low ranking makes sense. Many other systems in the database likely clear 60 FPS at higher settings or resolutions.

The percentile data for the individual components provides context. The CPU sits at the 75th percentile versus all CPUs, which is respectable for a 2018 release. The GPU, however, sits at the 68th percentile versus all GPUs, which is also decent but not outstanding. The combo rank being lower than either component's individual percentile suggests that the pairing is not synergistic for this specific title, or that the game's demands are such that both parts must work harder than their standalone scores imply.

The rank also indicates that this is not a top-tier gaming rig. Out of 3714 combos, only 926 are worse. This means the system is capable, but for a flight simulator that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily, it falls behind many newer or higher-end configurations. The data shows that the 60 FPS threshold is met only at Medium or lower, which is a significant limitation for a game where Ultra settings are often desired for visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest recorded average is 97 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 78 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K with any settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 58 on Low, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall further behind, with averages of 45, 34, and 32 FPS respectively.

Q: Which resolution and preset combination provides the smoothest experience above 60 FPS?

A: The highest preset that maintains 60 FPS or better is Medium at 1920x1080, with an average of 76 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium achieves 61 FPS on average, but the minimum drops to 52 FPS, which may cause occasional stutter.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2788 out of 3714 combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This is below the median, indicating that most tested systems perform better in this game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the high average of 97 FPS suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the GPU can render frames quickly. The drop to 76 FPS at Medium and 57 FPS at High indicates the GPU becomes more influential as settings increase, but the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid limiting performance at these levels.

Q: What does the min FPS data reveal about frame consistency?

A: The only min/max data recorded is for Medium settings. At 1080p, the minimum is 64 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, the minimum is 52 FPS, which dips below the threshold. At 4K, the minimum is 38 FPS. This shows that at higher resolutions, frame drops become more pronounced, even if the average remains playable at 1440p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21484. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21440, just 0.2% lower. The Intel Core i9-11900H scores 21367, 0.5% lower. The Intel Xeon D-1746TER scores 21635, 0.7% higher. The AMD EPYC 9454 scores 21223, 1.2% lower. These CPUs would likely produce similar frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, though the exact in-game results depend on other system components. The Core Ultra 5 228V and i9-11900H are mobile or lower-power parts, while the Xeon and EPYC are server-grade, so the practical experience may differ in thermals or sustained load, but the raw scores are close.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, 0.2% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, 0.6% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, 0.7% higher. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, 1.0% higher. These GPUs are within a narrow band of the Arc B580's performance. The RTX 3080 is a higher-tier card in terms of reputation, but its score here is only slightly above the Arc. The RX 580 2048SP is an older part, yet its score is comparable. Users with any of these GPUs paired with a similar CPU would likely see FPS values in the same range as the measured results, though driver optimizations and VRAM size could introduce minor differences.

The nearest rivals show that the Arc B580's performance is not unique. A system with an RTX 3080 would rank similarly, and the RX 580 2048SP, despite being older, offers nearly identical raw scores. This suggests that the game's performance is more dependent on the CPU-GPU balance than on specific GPU architecture, and that swapping to any of these rivals would not dramatically change the playability verdict.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 76 FPS. This preset also has a minimum of 64 FPS, so it remains above the threshold even in dips. Low settings yield 97 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual balance while still clearing 60 FPS comfortably. High and Ultra fall short at 57 and 54 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, Medium is again the best playable preset, with an average of 61 FPS. However, the minimum of 52 FPS means that some frames will drop below 60. The average is just barely above the threshold, so users may experience occasional stutter. Low settings at 78 FPS are also playable, but Medium provides higher visual quality. High and Ultra at 46 and 44 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 58 FPS, which is technically below the threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra average 45, 34, and 32 FPS respectively. For users who must play at 4K, Low is the only option that approaches playability, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS target. The database records no playable settings for this resolution, meaning the system cannot meet the threshold at any preset.

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B580 can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS at Low (97 FPS) and Medium (76 FPS) settings. High and Ultra fall below the threshold at 57 and 54 FPS, so those presets are not recommended if smoothness is the priority. At 2560x1440, Low (78 FPS) and Medium (61 FPS) are playable, but Medium's minimum of 52 FPS introduces some risk of frame drops. High and Ultra are not viable at 46 and 44 FPS. At 3840x2160, no settings reach 60 FPS. The best case is Low at 58 FPS, which is close but still short.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p offer playable options at Medium, while 4K does not meet the playable threshold at any preset. The system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can handle Medium settings with a comfortable margin, or 1440p with a tighter margin. For users who want to play at 4K, this combo will require lowering expectations or accepting sub-60 FPS performance. The data shows a capable mid-range system, but not one that can max out this demanding flight simulator. The rank of 2788 out of 3714 combos reinforces this, placing the system in the lower half of tested hardware, though still ahead of roughly a quarter of all combinations.