Microsoft Flight Simulator

AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 deliver exceptional performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with benchmark data showing every tested preset at every resolution comfortably clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. The combination ranks 80th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.2% of all configurations. This pairing of a mid-range 7000-series CPU with a flagship Blackwell GPU produces frame rates that range from 79.2 FPS at 4K Ultra to 204.7 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating headroom for high-refresh-rate displays and demanding flight scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090 paired with the Ryzen 5 7500F shows a clear scaling pattern across presets. Low settings produce an average of 137.9 FPS, which drops to 109.5 FPS on Medium, 81.7 FPS on High, and 79.2 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium represents a 28.4 FPS reduction, while the transition from High to Ultra costs only 2.5 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds minimal overhead beyond High at 4K. The data shows no min or max FPS values recorded, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges with higher baseline performance. Low settings reach 188.3 FPS, Medium hits 149.2 FPS, High delivers 115.1 FPS, and Ultra maintains 107.8 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 34.1 FPS, which is the largest single-preset drop at this resolution. Between High and Ultra, the difference narrows to 7.3 FPS, indicating diminishing returns from the most demanding preset.

At 1920x1080, the combination shows its highest raw performance. Low settings achieve 204.7 FPS, Medium produces 186.4 FPS, High records 138.9 FPS, and Ultra still manages 135.9 FPS. Interestingly, the gap between Medium and High is 47.5 FPS, the largest preset-to-preset jump across all resolutions. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 68.8 FPS, versus 58.7 FPS at 1440p and 58.7 FPS at 4K, showing that resolution scaling affects the Low preset most dramatically.

Comparing across resolutions, the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure that even 4K Ultra does not bottleneck the Ryzen 5 7500F. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, appear sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings. The data reveals that 4K Ultra at 79.2 FPS is only 26.6% slower than 1080p Ultra at 135.9 FPS, a relatively modest penalty for quadrupling the pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame places this configuration at 80 out of 3714 tested combinations, which places it in the 97.8th percentile of all systems evaluated. This rank reflects the RTX 5090's dominance in the GPU hierarchy, as the Ryzen 5 7500F itself sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus score of 92 further confirms its top-tier status, while the CPU's 77th percentile indicates it is a solid but not elite processor.

The ranking suggests that for Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, this combination outperforms 96.2% of all tested systems. The game's flight simulation genre often benefits from strong single-thread performance, and the Ryzen 5 7500F's 3dmark_single_thread score of 974 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 3218 support this. However, the RTX 5090's massive compute resources — 21760 shading units and 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 — likely contribute more to the high ranking.

Given the game's 2020 release date, this modern hardware combination naturally excels. The rank of 80 means only 79 other configurations out of 3714 performed better, and those likely include even more powerful CPUs paired with the same or similar GPUs. The data indicates that this combo sits at the upper echelon of tested systems, with the GPU being the primary driver of the excellent ranking.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 79.2 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the test, and it clears the playable threshold by 19.2 FPS. All four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at 4K, but Ultra provides the best visual fidelity while remaining well above the 60 FPS floor.

For 2560x1440, Ultra again is the best choice, delivering 107.8 FPS average. This is 47.8 FPS above the playable threshold, leaving substantial headroom for complex scenes or add-on aircraft. The 1440p Ultra result is 36.1% faster than the 4K Ultra result, showing that this resolution is the sweet spot for maximizing both quality and frame rate.

At 1920x1080, Ultra produces 135.9 FPS, which is 75.9 FPS above the playable threshold. This makes 1080p Ultra suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors, as the frame rate exceeds 120 FPS. The data shows that at no resolution does the system fall below 79.2 FPS at the highest settings, meaning users can always select Ultra without worrying about performance.

The verdictByResolution data confirms that all playable settings include every preset at every resolution. This is a rare outcome, as most systems must compromise on quality at 4K. The RTX 5090's 32 GB memory buffer and 512-bit bus width are clearly sufficient for 4K Ultra textures and geometry.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 5 7500F's nearestRivals list reveals several CPUs with nearly identical average benchmark scores. The Intel Core i7-11850H scores 24935, just 0.1% below the Ryzen's 24964 average. The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25005, 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-13620H scores 24911, 0.2% lower, and the Intel Core 5 210H scores 24872, 0.4% lower. These small deltas suggest that swapping the 7500F for any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical FPS in Microsoft Flight Simulator, as the GPU remains the performance ceiling.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090's nearestRivals are less conventional. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, 0.3% lower, while the 12 GB version scores 79396, 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, 1.1% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, 1.4% higher. These are workstation and mobile parts, indicating that no consumer gaming GPU comes close to the RTX 5090's performance in this benchmark.

For gaming purposes, the closest consumer alternative would likely be the predecessor GeForce 40 series, though specific data is not provided. The RTX 5090's 92nd percentile among all GPUs means that any replacement would likely result in lower frame rates. The Tesla P100 and Radeon Pro Vega 64X are not typical gaming purchases, so the practical alternatives are limited to other high-end Blackwell or Ada Lovelace parts.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, benchmark data shows the combination achieves 79.2 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is 19.2 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The maximum measured average is 204.7 FPS at 1920x1080 Low settings. At 1080p Ultra, it still produces 135.9 FPS.

Q: How does this system rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 80th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.2% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the high performance?

A: The RTX 5090 sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 7500F is at the 77th percentile among CPUs. The GPU's higher relative standing suggests it contributes more to the excellent results.

Q: Are all presets playable at every resolution?

A: Yes, the data shows Low, Medium, High, and Ultra all exceed 60 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. The lowest recorded average is 79.2 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Q: What would happen if the CPU were replaced with a similar-performing model?

A: Based on nearestRivals data, CPUs like the Intel Core i7-11850H or AMD Ryzen 5 8400F score within 0.2% of the Ryzen 5 7500F, so frame rates would remain effectively unchanged.

The Verdict

This system can absolutely run Microsoft Flight Simulator at maximum quality across all resolutions. The verdictByResolution data confirms that Ultra settings are playable at 4K with 79.2 FPS, at 1440p with 107.8 FPS, and at 1080p with 135.9 FPS. Every single preset tested exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold, with the lowest result being 79.2 FPS. This means users can enable the highest visual fidelity without any performance compromises.

The 4K Ultra result is particularly noteworthy, as many high-end systems struggle to maintain 60 FPS in this demanding flight simulator. The RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for texture streaming and complex scenery. At 1440p, the 107.8 FPS average allows for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1080p, the 135.9 FPS Ultra result exceeds 120 Hz displays' capabilities.

For users with 4K monitors, the 79.2 FPS Ultra average offers a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, though demanding third-party airports or weather effects might cause dips. The data does not include min or max FPS values, so transient drops cannot be assessed. Overall, this combination delivers an exceptionally smooth experience at all settings, making it one of the top 80 configurations out of 3714 tested.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Ryzen 5 7500F and RTX 5090 play distinct roles depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence is more apparent: the 204.7 FPS Low result suggests the GPU is not fully utilized, as the 6-core/12-thread CPU with a 5.00 GHz boost clock becomes the limiting factor at lower graphics loads. The 68.8 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p indicates that the GPU still matters, but the CPU's 3dmark_16_threads score of 6376 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 22799 show it can keep up with the RTX 5090's output.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The 188.3 FPS Low result drops to 149.2 FPS on Medium, a 39.1 FPS reduction that shows the GPU working harder. The Ultra result of 107.8 FPS is 28.1% lower than the Low result, confirming that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. The RTX 5090's 39650 passmark_g3d score and 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance drive these results.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates entirely. The 137.9 FPS Low result drops to 109.5 FPS on Medium and 79.2 FPS on Ultra, a 58.7 FPS total reduction. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking becomes less relevant at this resolution, as the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking and 32 GB memory buffer handle the massive rendering load. The scaling from 1080p Ultra (135.9 FPS) to 4K Ultra (79.2 FPS) shows a 41.7% performance drop, which is consistent with the GPU being the limiting factor.

The data suggests that at 1080p, users might see some CPU limitation in CPU-heavy scenes like dense cities or complex aircraft systems. At 1440p and 4K, the RTX 5090's sheer compute power ensures the GPU is the primary performance driver. The Ryzen 5 7500F's single-thread performance (cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 3218) is sufficient for the game's simulation logic, while the GPU handles the visual rendering. For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the CPU might prevent reaching the 204.7 FPS Low ceiling in all scenarios, but the 135.9 FPS Ultra result shows no practical limitation.