Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 in Microsoft Flight Simulator shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its widest range of frame rates. The Low preset averages 135.8 FPS, Medium drops to 105.1 FPS, High averages 76.5 FPS, and Ultra lands at 76 FPS. Notably, the step from High to Ultra costs only 0.5 FPS on average, making Ultra essentially free at this resolution over High.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages scale down as expected. Low produces 108.3 FPS, Medium 86.3 FPS, High 65.2 FPS, and Ultra 59.1 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra widens here, with a 6.1 FPS difference, placing Ultra just below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 begins to show its limits. Low averages 78.4 FPS, Medium 62.9 FPS, High 48.7 FPS, and Ultra 46.7 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is a substantial 14.2 FPS, indicating a steep cost for the higher preset at 4K.

Min and max FPS values were not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies on average frame rates. The data consistently shows that each preset step at each resolution follows a predictable pattern: Low always provides the highest average, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra either matching or trailing High. At 1080p, the Ultra and High results are nearly identical, whereas at 1440p and 4K, the difference grows to roughly 6 and 2 FPS respectively. For 4K, the gap between Low and Medium is 15.5 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 14.2 FPS, showing that the GPU's headroom diminishes quickly as settings increase.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that this game at these settings is predominantly GPU-bound, but the CPU still matters at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS spans from 76 to 135.8 depending on preset, which suggests the RTX 3070 is the limiting factor even at the highest setting. The Ryzen 5 3600, with 6 cores and 12 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU at this resolution; the fact that Ultra and High both land near 76 FPS points to a ceiling imposed by the graphics card, not the processor.

At 2560x1440, the scaling from Low to Ultra (108.3 to 59.1 FPS) shows the GPU working harder, and the CPU's role diminishes further. The Ryzen 5 3600's single-thread score of 696 in 3dmark and 892 in cinebench r20 single-core suggest sufficient headroom for flight simulation logic, but the data does not show any CPU bottleneck at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. The 4K results, with Ultra at 46.7 FPS and High at 48.7 FPS, are close together, indicating that the RTX 3070's rendering capacity is exhausted before the CPU becomes relevant.

Comparing resolutions, the average FPS at Low settings drops from 135.8 at 1080p to 108.3 at 1440p (a 27.5 FPS reduction) and then to 78.4 at 4K (a 29.9 FPS reduction from 1440p). This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound workload. For Ultra settings, the progression is 76 at 1080p, 59.1 at 1440p, and 46.7 at 4K, again showing the GPU as the primary factor. The CPU's role is secondary; its 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs and multi-thread score of 17700 in passmark indicate it is not a weak link for this title. In summary, the RTX 3070 dictates performance at all resolutions, with the Ryzen 5 3600 providing adequate support without becoming a bottleneck in the measured scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1920x1080 on Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 76 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting at 2560x1440 for staying above 60 FPS?

A: High is the best preset, with an average of 65.2 FPS. Ultra at 59.1 FPS falls just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only on Low and Medium presets. Low averages 78.4 FPS and Medium 62.9 FPS. High and Ultra drop to 48.7 FPS and 46.7 FPS respectively, which are below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, in general benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600 XT's score of 17083. The performance difference is minimal.

Q: What is the CPU's general performance level relative to other processors?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 falls in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17035. It sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1260P and the Intel Core i5-11400.

Q: What is the playable settings list for each resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, Low and Medium are playable. At 2560x1440, High, Low, and Medium are playable. At 1920x1080, all four presets (High, Low, Medium, Ultra) are playable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. For the AMD Ryzen 5 3600, the closest matches in average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007, 0.2% slower), the Intel Core i5-11400 (17067, 0.2% faster), the AMD EPYC 7573X (17070, 0.2% faster), and the AMD EPYC 7742 (16998, 0.2% slower). These processors are within a narrow band of performance, so swapping to any of them would likely yield nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, assuming the GPU remains the same. The i5-11400 and i7-1260P are particularly relevant for desktop and mobile comparisons respectively, while the EPYC parts are server-class but benchmark similarly in synthetic tests.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083, 0.7% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, 1% slower), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019, 1.1% slower), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468, 1.5% faster). The RX 7600 XT is the most modern comparison, and its near-identical average score suggests it would produce almost the same FPS in this game. The GTX 690 and HD 7970M are older architectures, but their benchmark scores place them in the same performance tier, so they would likely deliver similar playability profiles, though driver support and feature sets may differ. The Tesla K40c is a compute-focused card, but its score indicates comparable raw throughput.

In practical terms, a system with any of these CPUs paired with the RTX 3070 would show the same resolution and preset patterns: 1080p Ultra playable, 1440p High playable, and 4K limited to Medium. Conversely, pairing the Ryzen 5 3600 with a GPU matching the RX 7600 XT's performance would also mirror these results. The data shows that this combo sits in a well-populated performance tier, with no extreme outliers among its nearest rivals.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering 76 FPS on average. This is the highest quality setting available, and it comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best option, averaging 65.2 FPS. Ultra at this resolution drops to 59.1 FPS, just below the playable threshold, so High is the optimal balance of visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the best playable option, with an average of 62.9 FPS. Low also works at 78.4 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual fidelity while still meeting the 60 FPS requirement. High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended, as they fall to 48.7 FPS and 46.7 FPS respectively. The verdict data confirms these choices: for 1080p, the best settings is Ultra at 76 FPS; for 1440p, High at 65.2 FPS; and for 4K, Medium at 62.9 FPS. These are the highest presets that keep the average frame rate above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on all four presets, including Ultra at 76 FPS. This is the resolution where the hardware is most comfortable, offering full visual fidelity without compromise. At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on High, Low, and Medium, with High at 65.2 FPS being the best visual option. Ultra at 59.1 FPS is just below the threshold, so it is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is playable only on Low and Medium, with Medium at 62.9 FPS being the best choice. High and Ultra are not playable, as they average 48.7 FPS and 46.7 FPS. The overall rank of this combo in the database is 1572 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of configurations for this game. The GPU is the primary performance driver, and its 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with the CPU's 71st percentile, indicates a balanced pairing that delivers a solid experience at 1080p and 1440p, with acceptable performance at 4K only on reduced settings. For users targeting 60 FPS as the baseline, the recommended configurations are Ultra at 1080p, High at 1440p, and Medium at 4K.