Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a generational split in Microsoft Flight Simulator, offering smooth performance at mainstream resolutions but struggling to maintain playability at 4K. The data shows a system that is entirely resolution-bound, with the GPU becoming the dominant constraint as pixel count increases. At 1080p, this combo is fully capable of maxing out the game, while at 4K, users must drop to Low settings to stay above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 118.8 FPS, providing a massive headroom cushion. Medium settings still produce a highly playable 94.6 FPS average. High settings yield 71.2 FPS, which remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Even at the demanding Ultra preset, the average sits at 63.6 FPS, indicating that the system has enough performance headroom to run the game at its highest visual quality without dipping below playability. The scaling from Low to Ultra is roughly a 46% reduction in average frame rate, showing that the settings menu has a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance picture tightens considerably. Low settings produce an average of 94.1 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings drop to 76.4 FPS, remaining well within playable territory. High settings fall to 54.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Ultra settings are the most demanding, yielding only 51.5 FPS. The transition from Medium to High represents a significant 22 FPS drop, indicating that the High preset introduces a substantial rendering load that this hardware cannot fully sustain at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playability across most presets. Low settings produce an average of 69 FPS, which is the only configuration above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 52.5 FPS, High settings fall to 38.6 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 39.8 FPS. Interestingly, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is minimal, with only a 1.2 FPS gap. This suggests that at this resolution, the GPU is heavily saturated and the additional visual features in the Ultra preset do not meaningfully change the frame rate because the rendering pipeline is already maxed out. The 4K results are nearly 45% lower than the 1080p results at equivalent settings, underscoring the extreme resolution scaling in this flight simulator.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 2051 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the 55th percentile of all systems tested. This mid-pack positioning reflects a system that is neither a top-tier performer nor a weak contender. The ranking is heavily influenced by the fact that the RTX 4060 is a 60th-percentile GPU, while the Ryzen 5 5600 is a 74th-percentile CPU. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor for this pairing in this specific game, as the CPU has more relative headroom compared to other tested processors.

The percentile ranking of the CPU and GPU individually suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately, but the GPU's raw rendering throughput caps the overall performance. With 3714 total combos, a rank of 2051 means that roughly 44% of tested systems perform worse, while 55% perform better. This places the combo in the lower-middle tier of the performance distribution, which aligns with the measured FPS results that show strong 1080p performance but weak 4K performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 scores an average benchmark of 20468, which is within 0.5% of several alternatives. The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V scores 20454, a negligible 0.1% difference. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G scores 20425, also a 0.2% difference. The AMD EPYC 9454P scores 20422, and the AMD EPYC 7713 scores 20363. These processors would behave nearly identically in Microsoft Flight Simulator, meaning that swapping the Ryzen 5 5600 for any of these would result in virtually unchanged frame rates, as long as the GPU remains the same.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, just 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509. These GPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, meaning a system with any of these graphics cards paired with the Ryzen 5 5600 would produce similar FPS numbers to what is measured here. The tight clustering of these scores, all within a 0.9% range, indicates that the RTX 4060 sits in a performance band where minor silicon variance could push it ahead or behind these close competitors.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice at 1920x1080, as it maintains an average of 63.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but only with the Low settings preset, which produces an average of 69 FPS. Medium settings drop to 52.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold, and High and Ultra settings fall to 38.6 FPS and 39.8 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 17639 on average benchmarks. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, just 0.3% lower. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rate drops significantly across all presets compared to 1080p, indicating that the RTX 4060's rendering capacity is the primary constraint. The CPU has a higher percentile ranking (74th) compared to the GPU (61st).

Q: What is the playable settings configuration at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best playable option, delivering an average of 76.4 FPS. Low settings also work at 94.1 FPS, but High and Ultra settings fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2051 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, with 55% of tested systems performing better.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear shift in component importance depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system has enough GPU headroom to run all presets above 60 FPS, meaning the CPU is likely providing sufficient instruction throughput to keep the GPU fed. However, the gap between Low (118.8 FPS) and Ultra (63.6 FPS) at 1080p is 55.2 FPS, indicating that the GPU is still the primary driver of performance differences between settings.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limitations. The drop from Medium (76.4 FPS) to High (54.4 FPS) is a 22 FPS decrease, while the drop from High to Ultra is only 2.9 FPS. This pattern suggests that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck at the High preset, as the additional load from Ultra settings cannot be fully processed, resulting in a diminished performance impact. The CPU is not the limiting factor here, as the Ryzen 5 5600 has a higher benchmark percentile than the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the dominant constraint. The performance difference between High (38.6 FPS) and Ultra (39.8 FPS) is negligible, confirming that the GPU is saturated and cannot render additional frames regardless of the settings preset. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the frame rate is entirely determined by the GPU's pixel and texture throughput. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 42% reduction in average FPS, while the scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 37% reduction, demonstrating that the GPU's workload scaling is the primary factor in performance degradation across resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding configuration that remains playable, delivering an average of 63.6 FPS. This provides a small but sufficient margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Users who prefer higher frame rates can opt for the High preset at 71.2 FPS, but the Ultra preset is the best visual quality option that stays playable.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the most demanding playable option, with an average of 76.4 FPS. The High preset falls to 54.4 FPS, which is below the playability threshold. The Medium preset offers a comfortable 16.4 FPS margin above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for balanced visual quality and performance at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only playable configuration, producing an average of 69 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 52.5 FPS, which is below the threshold. The Low preset provides a 9 FPS margin above 60 FPS, which is sufficient for a playable experience, though the visual quality is significantly reduced compared to the higher presets available at lower resolutions.