Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B390 spans three resolutions and four quality presets. The results show a consistent pattern: this combination struggles to maintain fluid frame rates, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the best result comes from the Low preset, which delivers an average of 33 FPS. Medium drops to 26 FPS on average, with a recorded minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. Both High and Ultra settle at 19 FPS on average, meaning the two highest presets produce identical mean performance at 4K. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 14 FPS, which is modest in absolute terms but represents a 42% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 45 FPS. Medium averages 35 FPS with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 20 FPS, a larger absolute gap than at 4K, which suggests the system is somewhat less constrained at this resolution and the settings have more room to influence performance.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset reaches 56 FPS on average, the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. Medium averages 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. High averages 33 FPS, and Ultra averages 31 FPS. The Low to Ultra gap at 1080p is 25 FPS, the largest relative spread across all resolutions, indicating that at the lowest resolution the quality settings have the greatest proportional impact on frame rate.

Notably, the data includes min and max values only for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 4K Medium, the frame rate fluctuates between 22 and 30 FPS, a range of 8 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 10 FPS (30 to 40). At 1080p Medium, the range is 13 FPS (37 to 50). This suggests that frame pacing becomes more variable as resolution decreases, or at least that the recorded variance is most pronounced at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

Interpreting the scaling behavior across resolutions and presets requires separating the workload distribution between the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and the Intel Arc B390. The CPU is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 part with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, and it sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs in the database. The GPU, by contrast, ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482.

The performance pattern indicates that the GPU is the dominant constraint in nearly every scenario. At 4K, raising the preset from Low to Medium reduces the average from 33 to 26 FPS, a 21% drop. From Medium to High, the average falls to 19 FPS, a further 27% reduction. The GPU's compute resources, 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, are simply not sufficient to feed a 4K output at higher quality levels.

The resolution scaling reinforces this conclusion. At Low settings, the average frame rate moves from 33 FPS at 4K to 45 FPS at 1440p to 56 FPS at 1080p. That is a 70% improvement when dropping from 4K to 1080p. At Medium settings, the progression is 26, 35, and 43 FPS, a 65% improvement from 4K to 1080p. These are large gains that track closely with pixel count reductions, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound workload.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p Low, where the average of 56 FPS approaches the playable threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 25 FPS, the largest in the dataset. This widening suggests that as pixel throughput demands decrease, the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU, and the settings-based scaling becomes more pronounced. However, even at 1080p Low, the system does not cross the 60 FPS threshold, which indicates that neither component alone can carry this title to a fully smooth experience.

The Ryzen 5 5500X3D's L3 cache is 96 MB shared, which is substantial for a 5000-series part, and its PassMark multithread score of 20363 places it well above average. But Microsoft Flight Simulator at these settings appears to demand more graphics throughput than this Intel Arc B390 can deliver, regardless of CPU capability. The verdict data confirms this: no resolution and preset combination in the measured set reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset in the dataset achieves an average of 60 FPS or higher. The best available option is Low at 33 FPS, but that falls far short of the playable threshold. Medium at 26 FPS, High at 19 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS are all progressively worse. The database records no playable settings for 4K with this combination.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar. Low averages 45 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS. None of these reach 60 FPS. The best preset by raw frame rate is Low, but it still misses the threshold by 15 FPS. The database lists no playable settings at 1440p.

At 1920x1080, Low is the top performer at 56 FPS. Medium averages 43 FPS, High averages 33 FPS, and Ultra averages 31 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration in the entire measured set that comes within striking distance of 60 FPS, falling short by just 4 FPS. Even so, the playable settings list is empty for this resolution as well, because the threshold is a hard 60 FPS and no average reaches it.

The overarching finding is that this hardware combination cannot maintain 60 FPS at any resolution or preset in the recorded data. Users seeking the smoothest experience would select 1080p Low, which delivers 56 FPS, but the database does not classify any configuration as playable.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator. That places it in the bottom 11% of all recorded configurations, a position that aligns with the GPU's low benchmark standing. The GPU ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, so the combination's poor overall ranking is driven almost entirely by the graphics side.

The rank of 3302 means that 412 tested combos perform worse, while 3301 perform better. For a flight simulator that is known to be demanding on both CPU and GPU, this placement reflects a fundamental mismatch: a strong mid-range CPU paired with a very weak integrated-class GPU. The Intel Arc B390 uses system-shared memory, has a TDP of 80 W, and is classified as an IGP in the database, which explains its limited throughput.

The data shows that even the CPU's high percentile standing cannot compensate for the GPU's low position. The combo's rank in this specific game is consistent with the GPU's overall percentile, suggesting that Microsoft Flight Simulator's performance here scales primarily with graphics capability rather than processor strength.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D are all very close in average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945, which is 0.2% higher than the 5500X3D's average of 37018. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093, 0.2% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938, 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112, 0.3% lower. Any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in this game when paired with the same GPU, since the differences are within a fraction of a percent.

For the Intel Arc B390, the nearest rivals are dramatically weaker in name but statistically close in score. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These are all older, low-end parts, and the B390's score of 1482 places it just slightly above them. In practical terms, swapping the Arc B390 for any of these GPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, all of them falling well short of playable frame rates.

The Verdict

The recorded data answers the core question directly: this PC cannot run Microsoft Flight Simulator at a playable level under the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, and the best average is 33 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, the best average is 45 FPS on Low, still 15 FPS below the threshold. At 1920x1080, the best average is 56 FPS on Low, a 4 FPS shortfall.

The verdict by resolution is consistent: the playable settings list is empty for all three resolutions. The database does not classify any combination of resolution and preset as playable for this hardware. The closest configuration, 1080p Low at 56 FPS, would be marginally smoother than the others but still fails the stated threshold.

The bottleneck analysis points squarely at the GPU. The Intel Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy low-end parts. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, by contrast, ranks at the 85th percentile among CPUs. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU's limitations cap performance at every resolution and preset. Users considering this combination for this game should expect sub-60 FPS performance across the board, with 1080p Low being the only configuration that approaches a fluid experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest recorded average is 56 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. No other configuration in the dataset exceeds this value.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: No. At 1440p, the best average is 45 FPS on Low, and the database records no playable settings at this resolution.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710.

Q: Which component limits performance more in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, and the frame rates scale with resolution in a pattern consistent with GPU-bound rendering.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the bottom 11% of all recorded configurations.

Q: Are there any resolution and preset combinations that reach the 60 FPS threshold?

A: No. The playable settings list is empty for all three resolutions: 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. The closest is 1080p Low at 56 FPS, which is 4 FPS below the threshold.