Instant compatibility check with FPS benchmarks and optimization tips
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Performance
1080p (Full HD)
1440p (2K / QHD)
4K (Ultra HD)
Requirements Check
Recommendations
Your hardware doesn't meet minimum requirements for this game.
Your GPU supports ray tracing.
Average FPS: resolution vs quality settings
| Ultra | High | Medium | Low | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4K Ultra HD | 70 | 73 | 97 | 114 |
| 1440p QHD | 95 | 99 | 115 | 126 |
| 1080p Full HD | 109 | 111 | 124 | 135 |
Cell color: green is 120+ FPS, teal is 60+, amber is 30+, red is below 30. Cards marked Estimated above have no measured row and are scaled from your GPU benchmark percentile.
Performance Analysis: Microsoft Flight Simulator on Your System
Measured FPS Breakdown
The recorded data for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Microsoft Flight Simulator shows strong performance across all tested resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160 (4K), the combination delivers an average of 73 FPS on High settings, 114 FPS on Low, 97 FPS on Medium, and 70 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K includes the only complete frame range in the dataset for that resolution: minimum 83 FPS and maximum 112 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K dips to an average of 70 FPS, which still clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.
Stepping down to 2560x1440, the averages rise noticeably. High settings produce 99 FPS, Low reaches 126 FPS, Medium averages 115 FPS with a recorded minimum of 98 FPS and maximum of 132 FPS, and Ultra maintains 95 FPS. At 1920x1080, the results are the highest in the database: High averages 111 FPS, Low 135 FPS, Medium 124 FPS with a frame range of 105 to 142, and Ultra 109 FPS. In every resolution, the gap between Low and Ultra is relatively modest, suggesting the hardware combination handles the game's scaling without severe drops.
The frame data reveals a consistent pattern: the RTX 4080 keeps averages well above the playable threshold even at the most demanding preset, and the Ryzen 5 3600 does not bottleneck the GPU to a degree that would cause sub-60 FPS outcomes. The minimum recorded frames, available only for Medium settings, show 83 FPS at 4K, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 105 FPS at 1080p, all comfortably above 60 FPS.
CPU and GPU Roles
The scaling between resolutions indicates that the GPU is the dominant component for this title, but the CPU still contributes meaningfully at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra averages is 26 FPS (135 versus 109), while at 3840x2160 the difference is 44 FPS (114 versus 70). This widening gap at higher resolutions points to the RTX 4080's workload increasing with pixel count, while the Ryzen 5 3600's role remains relatively constant.
The CPU, a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 2 part with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, shows adequate single-thread performance for flight simulation workloads. Its benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 single-core result of 2124 and a multi-core result of 15045. The GPU, with 9728 shading units and 76 RT cores, carries the bulk of rendering duties. At 4K Ultra, the average of 70 FPS suggests the GPU is still capable, but the CPU's limits may surface in densely populated scenes, as flight simulators often stress single-thread performance.
The data shows that moving from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 12% to 14% of average FPS across presets, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs an additional 26% to 30%. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU's contribution is more visible: the difference between Low and Ultra is smaller than at 4K, indicating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower pixel counts but becomes less of a limiting factor as resolution increases.
Similar Performance Alternatives
The nearest rivals for the Ryzen 5 3600, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1260P with a score of 17007 and a delta of 0.2%, and the Intel Core i5-11400 with a score of 17067 and a delta of -0.2%. Also close are the AMD EPYC 7573X at 17070 (-0.2%) and the AMD EPYC 7742 at 16998 (0.2%). These CPUs would behave similarly in this game, meaning the RTX 4080 would likely produce nearly identical FPS numbers when paired with any of them.
For the GPU, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, with an average score of 54209 and a delta of 0.1%, effectively a match. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (-1.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (-2.6%), and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (-2.7%). These alternatives would deliver similar frame rates, with the RTX 4080 SUPER being the closest in performance.
The database indicates that this CPU-GPU pairing is well balanced. The Ryzen 5 3600's average benchmark score of 17035 places it in the 71st percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4080's average score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The delta percentages for both components' nearest rivals are all within 3%, so swapping to any of these alternatives would not meaningfully alter the FPS results in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
How This Combo Ranks
This specific combination ranks 636th out of 3714 tested combos in the database for Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the upper portion of tested configurations, roughly the 83rd percentile. The rank reflects the strong GPU performance paired with a mid-range CPU that does not severely limit frame rates.
The ranking is notable because the RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU, and the Ryzen 5 3600 is a 2019-era 6-core processor. The data shows that the CPU's percentile of 71 is lower than the GPU's percentile of 86, which suggests the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing. However, the measured FPS results show that this weakness does not push any preset below 60 FPS at any resolution. The combo rank of 636 out of 3714 indicates that many other combinations perform better, but for this specific game, the pairing remains highly playable.
The Verdict
This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all tested resolutions and settings. The verdict by resolution confirms that every preset at every resolution clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 70 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 95 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra averages 109 FPS.
The data shows that even the most demanding configuration, 4K Ultra, maintains an average of 70 FPS, which is 10 FPS above the playable threshold. The lowest recorded average in the entire dataset is 70 FPS at 4K Ultra, so there is no scenario where this combo dips below playable performance. For users who prefer higher frame rates, dropping to High settings at 4K yields 73 FPS, while Medium at 4K provides 97 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS. At 1440p and 1080p, all settings deliver averages above 95 FPS, making this a strong choice for high-refresh-rate displays.
FAQ
Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K resolution with this combo?
A: The Ultra preset is the best settings choice at 3840x2160, delivering an average of 70 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.
Q: Does this pairing maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?
A: Yes, all presets at 2560x1440 exceed 60 FPS. The lowest average is 95 FPS on Ultra, and the highest is 126 FPS on Low.
Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?
A: On Ultra settings, the average drops from 109 FPS at 1920x1080 to 70 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 39 FPS (approximately 36%).
Q: Which component is more important for this game, CPU or GPU?
A: The GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU contributes more, but at 4K, the GPU workload scales significantly, as shown by the 44 FPS difference between Low and Ultra presets at 4K versus a 26 FPS difference at 1080p.
Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS?
A: No. The lowest average recorded in the dataset is 70 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest minimum frame recorded is 83 FPS at 4K Medium.
Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?
A: It ranks 636th out of 3714 combos, placing it in the upper tier of tested systems for this game, with the RTX 4080's high percentile (86) offsetting the CPU's lower percentile (71).