Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a wide performance envelope in Microsoft Flight Simulator, ranging from a marginal 36.5 FPS at 4K Ultra to a smooth 119.8 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data shows that this pairing is highly resolution-sensitive, with the playable settings ceiling dropping from Ultra at 1080p to Medium at 1440p and finally to Low at 4K, where the 60 FPS threshold is only barely crossed. The RTX 4060, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, and the six-core Zen 3 CPU present a balanced baseline, but the flight simulator's demanding rendering workload means users must carefully select presets to maintain fluidity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution offers the most headroom, with all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) achieving playable frame rates above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 63.9 FPS, which is marginally above the playable threshold, while Low reaches 119.8 FPS.

Q: Can this system run the game at 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings is 56 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at this resolution is Medium, which averages 77 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, scores 19617, a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i5-12500 is -0.4% behind, while the Intel Core i7-10700F is +0.5% ahead of the Ryzen 5 5500.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4060 holds the 61st percentile among all GPUs, indicating it outperforms a majority of tested cards. Its average benchmark score is 17639, placing it slightly above the AMD Radeon 780M, which scores 17588.

Q: Is the 4K resolution playable at any setting?

A: Yes, but only with Low settings. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Low settings is 71.1 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS, High to 42.2 FPS, and Ultra to 36.5 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. Low settings average 119.8 FPS, while Ultra averages 63.9 FPS, a reduction of 55.9 FPS. This represents a 46.7% performance drop when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data for Microsoft Flight Simulator reveals a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU's role remains significant but more constant. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (119.8 FPS) and Ultra (63.9 FPS) shows a 55.9 FPS swing, indicating that the RTX 4060's shading units and texture units are heavily taxed by the higher preset’s visual effects. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scaling becomes steeper. Low settings average 95.9 FPS, but High drops to 56.5 FPS and Ultra to 56 FPS. The near-identical scores at High and Ultra suggest that the GPU’s 8 GB memory buffer and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are saturated, and the pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s becomes a limiting factor. The CPU's influence diminishes here; the data shows that the frame rate is constrained by the GPU's ability to process the increased pixel count, not by the Ryzen 5 5500's computational throughput.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's dominance is absolute. The frame rates range from 71.1 FPS at Low to 36.5 FPS at Ultra, a 34.6 FPS spread. The RTX 4060’s 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 128-bit memory interface are clearly overwhelmed by the 4K pixel workload. The CPU’s role at this resolution is largely relegated to maintaining a minimum frame floor; the data shows that even at Low settings, the combo achieves 71.1 FPS, which is higher than the 1080p Ultra result, indicating the CPU is not the primary constraint. The verdict data confirms this: at 4K, only Low is playable, while at 1080p, all presets are playable, underscoring that the GPU scaling dictates the experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. The Low preset averages 119.8 FPS, providing a highly fluid experience. Medium settings reduce the average to 91.8 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 72.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 63.9 FPS, which just clears the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The data shows a consistent degradation as visual fidelity increases, but all presets remain playable.

The 2560x1440 results show a marked drop in headroom. Low settings average 95.9 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings average 77 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay. However, High settings fall to 56.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra settings average 56 FPS, nearly identical to High. This indicates a hard performance wall at this resolution, where the GPU cannot sustain higher frame rates regardless of the preset beyond Medium.

At 3840x2160, the performance declines sharply. Low settings average 71.1 FPS, which is the only playable preset at this resolution. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS, High to 42.2 FPS, and Ultra to 36.5 FPS. The data shows a 34.6 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the pixel throughput required for higher presets. The absence of min and max FPS values in the dataset means the analysis relies solely on average FPS, but the averages alone are sufficient to classify playability.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 5 5500’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, which scores 19617, a 0.1% delta from the 5500's 19593. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, a -0.4% delta, meaning it is slightly less performant. The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499, a +0.5% delta, indicating it is marginally faster. The Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723, a -0.7% delta, making it the weakest of the four compared to the Ryzen 5 5500. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, as the differences are within 1% of each other.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060’s nearest rivals are all AMD products. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, a -0.2% delta from the 4060's 17639. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, a +0.3% delta, meaning it is slightly slower. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, a +0.5% delta, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, a +0.7% delta. These deltas are all under 1%, so a user with any of these GPUs would experience essentially the same performance profile in this game, with the RTX 4060 holding a marginal edge. The data suggests that the RTX 4060 and its rivals form a tight cluster, and the measured FPS at each resolution would be within a frame or two of the figures reported here.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1977 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the pairing in the 53rd percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the configurations in the database. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all resolutions and presets, and the data shows that this combo is neither at the top nor the bottom of the performance spectrum. The 1977th position reflects the system's ability to handle the game at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings, but its struggles at 4K Ultra pull the overall ranking down. The CPU's 73rd percentile among all CPUs and the GPU's 61st percentile among all GPUs indicate that both components are above average, yet the combination does not reach the upper echelon due to the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the playable experience is heavily dependent on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on all presets, with Ultra averaging 63.9 FPS. This is the only resolution where the full visual fidelity is available without compromise. At 2560x1440, the combo achieves playable frame rates on Low (95.9 FPS) and Medium (77 FPS), but High (56.5 FPS) and Ultra (56 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, averaging 71.1 FPS; Medium, High, and Ultra all fail to reach 60 FPS. The verdict data confirms that the system is a capable 1080p performer, a solid 1440p mid-range option, and a limited 4K solution that requires significant graphical concessions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 71.1 FPS. This is the only playable setting at 4K, and it provides a comfortable margin above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, which averages 77 FPS. This setting offers a balance between visual quality and performance, staying well above the 60 FPS floor. Low settings are also playable at 95.9 FPS, but Medium provides a superior visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding playable option, averaging 63.9 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold, allowing users to experience the game at maximum visual settings. High (72.5 FPS), Medium (91.8 FPS), and Low (119.8 FPS) are also playable, but Ultra is the recommended choice for the best visual experience at this resolution.