Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a highly capable Microsoft Flight Simulator experience across all tested resolutions, though the demands of 4K Ultra settings push the combo just below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The recorded data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution and preset levels, with the GPU acting as the primary performance driver at higher resolutions while the CPU maintains a solid foundation at lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong frame rates across every preset. The Low preset records an average of 115.4 FPS, Medium reaches 110.4 FPS, High achieves 97.9 FPS, and Ultra remains comfortably playable at 92.1 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 23.3 FPS, indicating that even the most demanding settings at this resolution leave substantial headroom. The minimum and maximum FPS values are not recorded in the database for any resolution or setting, so the analysis relies on average frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains robust. Low averages 110.7 FPS, Medium hits 98.1 FPS, High drops to 79.7 FPS, and Ultra still clears the playability bar at 71 FPS. The step from High to Ultra at this resolution costs 8.7 FPS, a modest penalty for the visual upgrade. Interestingly, the Low preset at 1440p (110.7 FPS) nearly matches the Low preset at 1080p (115.4 FPS), suggesting that resolution scaling is not heavily penalizing the system at lower settings.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes. Low averages 97.8 FPS, Medium drops to 74.6 FPS, High falls to 55.2 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 54.7 FPS. The High and Ultra presets both dip below the 60 FPS threshold, meaning they are not classified as playable in the database. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is significant at 19.4 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is only 0.5 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the extreme end of the settings scale.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset shows the smallest performance delta between 1080p and 4K (17.6 FPS), while Ultra shows the largest delta (37.4 FPS). This pattern reflects the increasing GPU workload as both resolution and settings scale upward.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU-GPU combination at position 1222 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 33rd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly two-thirds of recorded combos perform better in this title. However, the percentile ranking should be interpreted with caution: the database includes high-end enthusiast builds with top-tier processors and graphics cards, so a mid-range 2000-series AMD CPU paired with a 40-series GPU still lands comfortably within the upper half of all tested systems.

The CPU itself holds a 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs tested in the database, while the GPU sits at an 81st percentile among all GPUs. The combo ranking is lower than either component's individual percentile, which indicates that Microsoft Flight Simulator's performance is sensitive to the interaction between CPU and GPU rather than being dominated by a single component. The game's complex flight simulation logic, terrain streaming, and weather systems create workloads that tax both processors and graphics hardware.

Within the context of this game, the combo's 1222nd place ranking out of 3714 means it outperforms 2492 other tested combinations. This is a solid result for a CPU released in 2018 paired with a GPU released in 2023, showing that the graphics card can substantially lift the overall experience even with an older processor.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Microsoft Flight Simulator. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence because the GPU can render frames quickly, but the gap between presets remains moderate: Low (115.4 FPS) to Ultra (92.1 FPS) shows a 23.3 FPS difference. At 1440p, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility, as evidenced by the larger gap between Low (110.7 FPS) and Ultra (71 FPS), a 39.7 FPS difference. At 4K, the GPU dominates the performance picture: Low hits 97.8 FPS but Ultra falls to 54.7 FPS, a 43.1 FPS spread.

Scaling between resolutions at the same preset further illustrates this split. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs only 4.7 FPS (115.4 to 110.7), and moving to 4K costs another 12.9 FPS (110.7 to 97.8). This mild penalty suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at Low settings; the GPU has spare capacity, so raising resolution only modestly increases render time. At Ultra settings, the resolution penalties are far steeper: 1080p to 1440p drops 21.1 FPS (92.1 to 71), and 1440p to 4K drops another 16.3 FPS (71 to 54.7). This indicates the GPU is fully utilized at Ultra, and each resolution increase directly reduces frame rate.

The Ryzen 5 2600's 6 cores and 12 threads provide enough processing power for the game's simulation logic, but its 2018 architecture and 12 nm process node limit how much headroom it offers at high frame rates. The RTX 4070, with its 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, has ample bandwidth and compute capability, but at 4K Ultra it simply runs out of performance. The data suggests that for this game, the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K and at higher presets, while the CPU becomes more relevant at lower resolutions and settings where frame rates exceed 100 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

According to the database's nearest rival comparisons, the Ryzen 5 2600's average benchmark score of 21484 places it within 1.2% of several other processors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21440, a 0.2% difference. 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. Any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical CPU-side performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, though the EPYC and Xeon are server parts with different feature sets.

For the GPU, the RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37648 is closely matched by several alternatives. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 37628, just 0.1% lower. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507, 0.4% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, 1.3% higher. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157, 1.3% lower. A system builder swapping the RTX 4070 for any of these GPUs would see nearly identical frame rates in this game, assuming the rest of the system remains unchanged.

It is importantly the nearest rivals for the CPU are a mix of mobile and server processors, which means they may have different power characteristics or thermal profiles even if their compute scores align. Similarly, the GPU rivals include a professional Tesla card and a workstation W6400, both of which target different markets than the consumer RTX 4070.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the database classifies all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) as playable, meaning they all exceed the 60 FPS threshold. The best setting is Ultra, which averages 92.1 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining a comfortable margin above the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, all four presets also qualify as playable. The best setting is Ultra at 71 FPS. While this is the lowest average among the 1440p presets, it still clears the 60 FPS bar by 11 FPS, making it the recommended choice for users who prioritize visual fidelity at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are classified as playable. Low averages 97.8 FPS, and Medium averages 74.6 FPS. High (55.2 FPS) and Ultra (54.7 FPS) both fall below the threshold. The best playable setting is Medium at 74.6 FPS, which offers a substantial improvement over Low while still maintaining playable frame rates. Users who insist on High or Ultra at 4K will need to accept frame rates in the mid-50s, which may be acceptable for a flight simulator but does not meet the database's playability standard.

The verdict data confirms these findings: the best setting at 1080p is Ultra (92.1 FPS), at 1440p it is Ultra (71 FPS), and at 4K it is Medium (74.6 FPS). The playable settings lists show that 1440p and 1080p support every preset, while 4K only supports Low and Medium.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 54.7, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The database classifies only Low (97.8 FPS) and Medium (74.6 FPS) as playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p?

A: Ultra is the best setting at 2560x1440, averaging 71 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution, so users can select the highest quality without compromising playability.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same preset?

A: At Low settings, the drop is 17.6 FPS (115.4 to 97.8). At Medium settings, the drop is 35.8 FPS (110.4 to 74.6). At High settings, the drop is 42.7 FPS (97.9 to 55.2). At Ultra settings, the drop is 37.4 FPS (92.1 to 54.7).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and presets. At 1080p Low, the CPU limits performance, but by 4K Ultra, the GPU is the clear constraint. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking and the GPU's 81st percentile ranking suggest both components are above average, but the game's scaling behavior shows GPU dominance at demanding settings.

Q: What other GPUs would perform similarly to the RTX 4070 in this system?

A: The database lists the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% lower score), AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% lower), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (1.3% higher), and AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (1.3% lower) as the closest rivals. Any of these would produce nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: Is this combo ranked higher than average in the database?

A: The combo ranks 1222nd out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the upper third of all tested systems. It outperforms 2492 other combos, and both the CPU and GPU individually rank in the 75th and 81st percentiles respectively.