Microsoft Flight Simulator

Can the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F paired with the Intel Arc B580 run Microsoft Flight Simulator? The measured data indicates a capable but resolution-dependent pairing. This combination ranks 2788 out of 3714 tested combos for this title, placing it in the lower-middle tier of systems. The benchmark results show that the system hits the 60 FPS playable threshold at 1080p and 1440p, but falls short at 4K, with the playable settings ceiling varying significantly by resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 97 FPS, providing a very smooth experience. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 76 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS, ensuring consistent playability above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings yield an average of 57 FPS, which is just below the playable mark. The most demanding Ultra preset produces an average of 54 FPS, making it unsuitable for a locked 60 FPS experience but still technically playable for those who tolerate slight stutters.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. Low settings maintain a strong 78 FPS average. The Medium preset averages 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold on average but with dips below it. High settings drop to 46 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS, both well below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings produce an average of 58 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High settings average 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. No preset at 4K consistently maintains 60 FPS, making this resolution unplayable by the strict playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the Intel Arc B580 becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. This is evident from the scaling between presets. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 43 FPS (97 to 54), indicating that the GPU has headroom at lower settings but gets saturated as graphical load increases. At 1440p, the same gap shrinks to 34 FPS (78 to 44), and at 4K it narrows further to 26 FPS (58 to 32). This compression of the FPS range at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, where the graphics card's raw throughput limits frame rates regardless of preset.

The Ryzen 5 7400F's role is more prominent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 97 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The CPU's single-thread performance, reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3072, is sufficient for the simulation's heavy physics and scenery processing at these settings. However, as resolution climbs, the GPU's limitations become the dominant factor, and the CPU's influence on final frame rates diminishes.

The scaling between resolutions at the same preset reinforces this. At Medium settings, moving from 1080p (76 FPS) to 1440p (61 FPS) is a 20% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K (45 FPS) is a further 26% reduction. This non-linear drop indicates the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are increasingly strained at higher pixel counts, outpacing any CPU-side gains from reduced CPU load.

FAQ

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 76 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS. Low settings are also playable at 97 FPS average, but Medium offers better visual fidelity while still clearing the threshold.

Q: Can this system run the game at 1440p smoothly?

A: Yes, but only on Low and Medium presets. Medium averages 61 FPS with dips to 52 FPS, which barely meets the playable threshold on average. Low settings provide a more comfortable 78 FPS average for consistent smoothness.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: No preset meets the 60 FPS playable threshold at 3840x2160. The closest is Low settings at 58 FPS average, which is below the target. Medium, High, and Ultra all average below 45 FPS, making 4K unsuitable for this pairing.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: According to the average benchmark scores, the Arc B580 (avg 23021) is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (avg 23061, delta -0.2%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (avg 23172, delta -0.7%). It performs slightly ahead of the RTX 2080 (avg 22895, delta 0.6%).

Q: What does the CPU's benchmark performance indicate for this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores 32707 (delta 0.1%), showing essentially identical overall CPU performance, which is sufficient for this flight simulator.

Q: What is the system's overall ranking for this specific game?

A: The combination ranks 2788 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, meaning it performs better than roughly 25% of tested systems but is outclassed by the majority of hardware configurations in the database.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but only at specific resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with Low (97 FPS) and Medium (76 FPS) presets easily clearing the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, it remains playable on Medium (61 FPS average) and Low (78 FPS), though the Medium preset's minimum of 52 FPS means occasional frame dips below 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system fails to reach playable status on any preset, with the best average being 58 FPS on Low, just under the target. The verdict-by-resolution data confirms this: 1080p and 1440p have playable settings, while 4K has none. For users targeting smooth gameplay, sticking to 1080p Medium or 1440p Low/Medium is the recommended path.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data for both components, several hardware alternatives would behave similarly. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-14600T (avg score 32707, delta 0.1%) offers virtually identical performance to the Ryzen 5 7400F. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (avg 32697, delta 0.2%) and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (avg 32662, delta 0.3%) are also within a fraction of a percent in average benchmarks. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (avg 32812, delta -0.2%) is marginally faster. These CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game, as the simulation is not heavily multi-threaded.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (avg 23061, delta -0.2%) is the closest match to the Arc B580's average score of 23021. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (avg 22895, delta 0.6%) is slightly slower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (avg 23172, delta -0.7%) is marginally faster. The NVIDIA P106-100 (avg 23249, delta -1%) is also in the same performance ballpark. Users with any of these GPUs paired with a similarly performing CPU should expect FPS figures within a few frames of those measured here, meaning the same resolution and settings limitations apply.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Medium, which delivers an average of 76 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while staying comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, averaging 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. While this clears the average threshold, users sensitive to frame dips may prefer Low at 78 FPS average for a more consistent experience. At 3840x2160, no settings are playable, as even Low averages 58 FPS, below the target. The system cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K on any preset, so users should either lower their resolution to 1440p or accept sub-60 FPS performance.