Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 shows a clear pattern: performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, but the margins between presets vary significantly. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest raw frame rates. The Low preset averages 118.8 FPS, which is the fastest result across all tested configurations. Medium follows at 107.3 FPS, High drops to 80.9 FPS, and Ultra settles at 75 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 11.5 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is smaller at 5.9 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end of the preset scale.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 105.9 FPS, Medium 83.6 FPS, High 61.5 FPS, and Ultra matches that exact figure at 61.5 FPS. The identical averages for High and Ultra at this resolution are notable, indicating that the Ultra preset does not impose an additional cost over High in this specific configuration. The spread from Low to Ultra is 44.4 FPS, a substantial reduction that highlights how much headroom the lower presets provide at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low averages 76.3 FPS, Medium 60.3 FPS, High 45.1 FPS, and Ultra 45.7 FPS. The High and Ultra results are nearly identical, with Ultra actually edging out High by 0.6 FPS. This anomaly suggests that at 4K, the bottleneck shifts away from the preset-specific workload and toward a hard performance ceiling. The jump from Low to Medium costs 16 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 15.2 FPS, a steep decline that pushes the frame rate below the playable threshold.

The data shows no recorded minimum or maximum frame rates for any configuration, so the analysis relies entirely on average FPS. Across all resolutions, the Low preset is consistently the fastest, and the gap between Low and the next preset widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the Low-to-Medium delta is 11.5 FPS; at 1440p, it is 22.3 FPS; at 4K, it is 16 FPS. This non-linear scaling points to a mix of CPU and GPU limitations that become more pronounced at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database, the Ryzen 5 2600 sits in a tight cluster of processors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21440, a delta of only 0.2% from the Ryzen’s 21484 average benchmark score. The Intel Core i9-11900H is 0.5% ahead at 21367, while the AMD EPYC 9454 trails by 1.2% at 21223. The Intel Xeon D-1746TER is the only rival that beats the Ryzen, with a score of 21635 and a delta of -0.7% (meaning the Ryzen is 0.7% ahead). These deltas are all within rounding noise, so any of these CPUs would behave nearly identically in Microsoft Flight Simulator, assuming the GPU remains the same.

For the GPU side, the RTX 3070’s nearest rivals are more varied. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 17083, just 0.7% below the RTX 3070’s 17208 average. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is 1% behind at 17037, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M is 1.1% behind at 17019. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c actually scores higher at 17468, putting the RTX 3070 1.5% behind it. These are all older or differently-purposed cards, but the benchmark deltas suggest that in this game, swapping to any of these GPUs would yield frame rates within a couple percentage points of the RTX 3070, all else equal.

What this means for the full combo is that the Ryzen 5 2600 and RTX 3070 are both near the center of their respective performance bands. The CPU’s nearest rivals are modern and mobile parts, while the GPU’s rivals include older flagship and workstation cards. In practice, a user with an Intel Core Ultra 5 228V or an AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT would see nearly identical FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator, assuming the rest of the system is unchanged. The deltas are so small that they would be imperceptible in real-world gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database’s verdict-by-resolution data defines the best settings as the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the answer is Medium, which averages exactly 60.3 FPS. Low also clears the threshold at 76.3 FPS, but Medium is the highest preset that remains playable. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS, with 45.1 and 45.7 respectively, so they are not viable at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the situation is more forgiving. Every preset from Low to Ultra clears 60 FPS. The best setting is Ultra, which averages 61.5 FPS. This is a slim margin above the playable threshold, but it is enough. High also lands at 61.5 FPS, so the Ultra preset does not cost any additional performance at this resolution, making it the obvious choice for maximum visual fidelity.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is again the best setting, averaging 75 FPS. This is a comfortable 15 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving headroom for demanding scenes or background tasks. High averages 80.9 FPS, Medium 107.3 FPS, and Low 118.8 FPS, but since Ultra is playable, there is no reason to drop lower for frame rate reasons alone.

The pattern across resolutions is consistent: the RTX 3070 and Ryzen 5 2600 can handle Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, only Medium is sustainable. The 4K case is the only one where the user must compromise on settings to maintain playability.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the combo clears 60 FPS on every preset, with Ultra averaging 75 FPS. This is a fully playable configuration with no compromises needed. At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra at 61.5 FPS. The margin is thin but sufficient, and the user can enjoy maximum settings without dropping below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is mixed. The Low and Medium presets are playable, with Medium averaging 60.3 FPS. High and Ultra fall short at 45.1 and 45.7 FPS, respectively. So, at 4K, the user must accept Medium settings or lower to stay above 60 FPS. The fact that Ultra is only 0.6 FPS faster than High at 4K suggests that the system is hitting a hard limit, likely on the GPU side, rather than a preset-specific bottleneck.

Overall, the system is a strong 1080p and 1440p performer, and a capable 4K machine only if the user lowers expectations. The playable threshold of 60 FPS is met at all resolutions, but only with the right preset choices. For anyone targeting 4K, the data implies that Medium is the ceiling, and even that is a razor-thin margin above the threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The interaction between the Ryzen 5 2600 and RTX 3070 changes character across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across all presets, with Low reaching 118.8 FPS and Ultra at 75 FPS. The large gap between Low and Ultra (43.8 FPS) indicates that the GPU has plenty of headroom at lower settings, and the CPU is not the primary limiter. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking among all processors supports this, as it is a mid-pack performer but sufficient for this game at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the picture shifts. Low averages 105.9 FPS, but Ultra drops to 61.5 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 44.4 FPS, similar to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower. The fact that High and Ultra produce identical averages (61.5 FPS) suggests that the GPU is becoming saturated at this resolution, and the CPU’s role is less about raw frame rate and more about maintaining consistency.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The difference between Low (76.3 FPS) and Medium (60.3 FPS) is 16 FPS, and the difference between Medium and High is another 15.2 FPS. The near-identical results for High (45.1 FPS) and Ultra (45.7 FPS) indicate that the GPU is maxed out, and the CPU cannot push beyond this ceiling regardless of preset. The RTX 3070’s 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs is modest, and at 4K, its 8 GB memory and 448 GB/s bandwidth are likely the limiting factors.

Scaling between resolutions confirms this. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 118.8 FPS at 1080p to 105.9 at 1440p (a 12.9 FPS drop) and then to 76.3 at 4K (a 29.6 FPS drop from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 75 FPS at 1080p to 61.5 at 1440p (13.5 FPS) and then to 45.7 at 4K (15.8 FPS). The larger absolute drops at lower presets indicate that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU has more influence on the upper bound.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 45.7, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable preset at 4K is Medium, which averages 60.3 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra is the best playable preset at 1440p, averaging 61.5 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest GPU rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is 0.7% behind at 17083, and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c is 1.5% ahead at 17468.

Q: Does the Ultra preset cost more performance than High at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, High averages 45.1 FPS and Ultra averages 45.7 FPS, so Ultra is actually 0.6 FPS faster. This suggests a GPU bottleneck that is independent of the preset.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1920x1080?

A: Low is the fastest, averaging 118.8 FPS. Medium follows at 107.3 FPS, High at 80.9 FPS, and Ultra at 75 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 rank against all tested CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 is in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 21484, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, is 0.2% behind at 21440.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this combo ranks 1643 out of 3714 total combinations. That places it in the upper half of all tested systems, specifically at roughly the 44th percentile (since 1643 divided by 3714 is about 0.442). This is a solid mid-pack result, but it is far from the top performers.

The rank reflects the balance between the Ryzen 5 2600 and RTX 3070. The CPU is a 75th percentile part, and the GPU is a 61st percentile part, so the combined system lands below both individual percentiles. This is typical for a pairing where the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU, but neither is flagship-tier.

Given that the combo clears 60 FPS at all resolutions with the right presets, the 1643 rank is not a sign of weakness. It simply means that many other tested combos achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K where the RTX 3070’s limits are exposed. The data shows that this system is a capable 1080p and 1440p machine, and a reasonable 4K machine with settings lowered to Medium. The rank reflects that versatility rather than raw top-end performance.