Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows a consistent pattern: this combination delivers playable frame rates across all tested resolutions and presets, though the gap between settings narrows as resolution rises.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 118 FPS, the highest figure recorded for this combo. Medium drops to 108 FPS, High to 97 FPS, and Ultra to 96 FPS. The Medium preset includes a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS, giving a 32 FPS spread between the lowest and highest recorded frames. The other presets at this resolution do not have min/max values recorded, so the Medium data provides the only frame-time variability snapshot at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages compress slightly. Low leads with 110 FPS, Medium follows at 100 FPS, High at 90 FPS, and Ultra at 89 FPS. The Medium preset again carries the only min/max pair: 85 FPS minimum and 115 FPS maximum. The 21 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is smaller than the 22 FPS gap at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is beginning to assert more influence over the frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the ordering shifts. Low still leads with 99 FPS, but Medium comes in at 91 FPS, High at 73 FPS, and Ultra at 70 FPS. The Medium preset records a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra grows to 29 FPS at 4K, and the step from Medium to High is a steep 18 FPS drop. This suggests that the High preset at 4K introduces a significant rendering load compared to Medium.

The data shows that every preset at every resolution clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. Even the most demanding configuration, Ultra at 3840x2160, averages 70 FPS, which leaves a 10 FPS margin above the threshold. The minimum recorded frame rate across all data points is 77 FPS, which occurs at 4K Medium, so no tested configuration dips below 60 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The recorded average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 70 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. No minimum FPS is recorded for this preset, but the average alone indicates playable performance.

Q: Which resolution gives the highest frame rate?

A: 1920x1080 with Low settings produces the highest recorded average at 118 FPS. The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 110 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it averages 99 FPS.

Q: Is the frame rate consistent enough for smooth play?

A: The only min/max data available comes from the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, frames range from 92 to 124 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 85 to 115 FPS. At 4K, the range is 77 to 104 FPS. The narrowest spread is 27 FPS at 4K, and the widest is 32 FPS at 1080p, indicating moderate variability.

Q: How much performance is lost going from Low to Ultra at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 118 FPS and Ultra averages 96 FPS, a 22 FPS difference. At 1440p, the difference is 21 FPS (110 vs 89). At 4K, the difference grows to 29 FPS (99 vs 70).

Q: Does the 4K High preset perform worse than 4K Medium by a large margin?

A: Yes. Medium at 4K averages 91 FPS, while High drops to 73 FPS, an 18 FPS reduction. This is the largest single-preset step in the entire dataset, larger than the jump from High to Ultra at 4K (3 FPS).

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p if the target is 60 FPS?

A: All four presets at 2560x1440 exceed 60 FPS. Ultra averages 89 FPS, so there is no need to compromise on settings at this resolution. The same applies to 1080p and 4K, where every preset clears the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this combination at rank 957 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This puts it in the top percentile of all tested configurations, roughly the 74th percentile. The high rank is notable because the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 2600, is a 2018 processor with a 75th percentile standing among all CPUs, while the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The combination of an older mid-range CPU with a top-tier GPU still lands well above the median tested combo for this specific game.

The rank indicates that the RTX 4080 carries the combination to a strong position. The Ryzen 5 2600 is no longer a flagship part, but the game's frame rates suggest it is not holding the GPU back enough to drop this combo out of the top quartile. The 957th rank out of 3714 means roughly 2577 tested combos perform worse, while 956 perform better. Given the CPU's age, this is a surprisingly strong showing.

Comparing the two components individually, the CPU's average benchmark score of 21484 places it within 0.2% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, 0.5% of the Intel Core i9-11900H, and 0.7% of the Intel Xeon D-1746TER. The GPU's average score of 54247 places it within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER, 1.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, and 2.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. The GPU is effectively tied with its nearest rival, while the CPU has a small but measurable gap to the next part.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: every resolution and every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the playable settings list includes High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 70 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 89 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 96 FPS.

The data does not record any configuration that falls below 60 FPS. The lowest average is 70 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest recorded minimum is 77 FPS at 4K Medium. For a flight simulator, which often involves dense scenery and complex weather rendering, the margin above the threshold is comfortable. Users who want the absolute best visual quality can run Ultra at any resolution, though the 4K Ultra average of 70 FPS leaves less headroom for demanding scenes than the 1080p Ultra average of 96 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals how the workload shifts between the Ryzen 5 2600 and the RTX 4080. At 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 22 FPS (118 vs 96), and the frame rates are high across the board, suggesting the GPU has ample headroom and the CPU is setting the ceiling. The 118 FPS Low result at 1080p is the highest in the entire dataset, which is consistent with a CPU-bound scenario where lowering graphics settings does not unlock substantially higher frame rates.

At 1440p, the pattern remains similar. Low drops to 110 FPS, a modest 8 FPS reduction from 1080p Low. Ultra drops to 89 FPS, a 7 FPS reduction from 1080p Ultra. The consistency of these drops indicates that the CPU is still playing a significant role, as the GPU should theoretically produce a larger frame rate difference when resolution increases.

At 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes. Low averages 99 FPS, which is 11 FPS lower than 1440p Low. Medium averages 91 FPS, High drops to 73 FPS, and Ultra to 70 FPS. The 18 FPS drop from Medium to High at 4K is the largest single-step change in the dataset, and it points to the GPU becoming the dominant factor. At 4K, the rendering workload scales with resolution and settings, and the RTX 4080's limits become visible. The CPU, while still relevant, is no longer the primary bottleneck.

The data implies that the Ryzen 5 2600 is sufficient for this game at 1080p and 1440p, but the RTX 4080 is not being fully utilized at those resolutions. At 4K, the GPU workload increases enough to make the High and Ultra presets the most demanding scenarios, and the frame rates reflect that shift. The 73 FPS High result and 70 FPS Ultra result at 4K are the two lowest averages recorded, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor in those cases.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 70 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the dataset, so no compromise is needed at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset is also Ultra, averaging 89 FPS. The margin above 60 FPS is substantial, leaving room for demanding flight scenarios.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 96 FPS. The frame rate is high enough that users could even consider additional rendering options, though the dataset does not include any settings beyond Ultra.

The recommendation across all resolutions is the same: use Ultra. The lowest average in this configuration is 70 FPS at 4K, which still exceeds the threshold by 10 FPS. The only consideration is that the 4K Ultra average has no recorded minimum, so users in dense scenery might see dips, but the average suggests the experience remains playable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly. The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21484. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21440, a 0.2% difference, meaning it would perform nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i9-11900H scores 21367, a 0.5% difference, also effectively equivalent. The Intel Xeon D-1746TER scores 21635, a 0.7% difference in the opposite direction. The AMD EPYC 9454 scores 21223, a 1.2% difference. All four rivals fall within a 1.2% band of the Ryzen 5 2600, so any of them would produce similar CPU performance in this game.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average score of 54247. The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a 0.1% difference, making it the closest match. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, a 1.1% difference. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, a 2.6% difference. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, a 2.7% difference. The RTX 4080 SUPER is essentially the same GPU, so swapping to it would change almost nothing. The Radeon Pro W5700X is a workstation part, but its score suggests similar gaming performance. The RX 6750 GRE and Radeon 8060S score slightly higher, which could translate to a few extra frames per second in GPU-bound scenarios at 4K.

The data indicates that a system with any of these CPU rivals paired with the RTX 4080 would produce nearly identical results in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Likewise, the RTX 4080 SUPER would be a drop-in replacement for the RTX 4080 with negligible performance change. The RX 6750 GRE and Radeon 8060S might offer a marginal improvement in 4K High and Ultra settings, based on their higher average scores, but the difference is small enough that it would not change the playability verdict.