Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a broad range of performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with measured frame rates spanning from 52.9 FPS at 4K Ultra to 166 FPS at 1080p Low. Benchmark data shows that this combination clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution tested, but the margin varies significantly depending on the preset and pixel count. At 4K, the Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS, while High settings barely miss the mark at 55.8 FPS, indicating that this resolution demands careful preset selection. At 1440p and 1080p, however, the combo maintains comfortable headroom across all tested settings, making it a versatile pairing for most display configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this system scales across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest raw performance: the Low preset averages 166 FPS, Medium drops to 130.8 FPS, High reaches 95.6 FPS, and Ultra still averages 89.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 76.5 FPS, showing that the settings menu has a substantial impact even at this resolution. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra is only 6.1 FPS, which suggests that the Ultra preset offers diminishing returns relative to its performance cost at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with reduced headroom. Low settings average 131.8 FPS, Medium 103 FPS, High 75 FPS, and Ultra 73.8 FPS. The delta between High and Ultra shrinks to just 1.2 FPS at this resolution, making the choice between these two presets nearly free in terms of performance. The step from Low to Medium at 1440p costs 28.8 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 28 FPS, indicating a fairly linear scaling curve until the top end flattens out.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low settings still produce 96 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold. Medium drops to 74 FPS, High to 55.8 FPS, and Ultra to 52.9 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 18.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra is another 2.9 FPS. Notably, both High and Ultra at 4K fall below the 60 FPS threshold, while Low and Medium stay above it. This pattern indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting either reduced visual fidelity or frame rates below the standard playability target.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down from 4K to 1440p to 1080p adds roughly 30-40% more average FPS at the same preset. For example, at High settings, the jump from 4K (55.8 FPS) to 1440p (75 FPS) is a 19.2 FPS increase, and from 1440p to 1080p (95.6 FPS) is another 20.6 FPS increase. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound flight simulator, where pixel count drives the majority of the performance cost.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, which scores 26274 against the 7600’s average benchmark score of 26324, a delta of 0.2%. The AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS scores 26402, placing it 0.3% ahead of the 7600. The Intel Core i9-11900KF scores 26212, a 0.4% deficit, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8540U scores 26187, a 0.5% deficit. These deltas are all within half a percentage point, meaning that in CPU-bound scenarios within Microsoft Flight Simulator, swapping the 7600 for any of these alternatives would produce nearly indistinguishable frame rates. The 7600 sits in the 78th percentile of all CPUs, so it is comfortably above average but not at the extreme top end.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with an average score of 37628 (0.1% below the RTX 4070’s 37648), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with 37507 (0.4% below), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile with 38135 (1.3% above), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 with 37157 (1.3% below). The RTX 4070 sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, indicating solidly above-average performance. In practice, the RTX 4080 Mobile would be the closest performance upgrade, while the Tesla P4 and RX Vega 56 would behave almost identically to the RTX 4070 in this game, given the sub-1% score differences.

Since this game is heavily GPU-bound at 4K and becomes increasingly CPU-sensitive at lower resolutions, the CPU’s rivals are relevant for 1080p and 1440p play. The Ryzen 9 6900HX and Ryzen 7 7435HS would match the 7600’s frame delivery within a rounding error. The GPU rivals matter more at 4K, where the RTX 4070’s 81st percentile ranking ensures that only a few cards offer materially better performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Microsoft Flight Simulator, driven by resolution and preset scaling. At 1920x1080, the GPU has the easiest workload, allowing the frame rate to reach 166 FPS on Low. This headroom suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the RTX 4070 is capable of much higher output than the simulation engine demands. The fact that 1080p Ultra still achieves 89.5 FPS, which is 35.5 FPS higher than 4K Medium, reinforces that the GPU is not saturated at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The drop from 1080p Low (166 FPS) to 1440p Low (131.8 FPS) is a 34.2 FPS reduction, which is proportional to the 1.78× increase in pixel count. This indicates that the GPU is now more evenly matched with the CPU, but the CPU still provides enough throughput at High and Ultra settings (75 and 73.8 FPS) to avoid bottlenecking. The near-identical frame rates between High and Ultra at 1440p (a 1.2 FPS difference) suggest that the GPU is saturating before the CPU becomes the limit.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant component. The frame rate drops from 96 FPS at Low to 55.8 FPS at High, which is a 40.2 FPS reduction for a preset change that the CPU can handle without issue. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 52.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and this is purely a GPU limitation. The CPU’s role at 4K shrinks further, as the difference between the fastest and slowest presets (43.1 FPS) is almost entirely attributable to GPU load.

The scaling between resolutions for the same preset provides another clue. At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 130.8 (1080p) to 103 (1440p) to 74 (4K). The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 21.3%, while from 1440p to 4K it is 28.2%. This nonlinear scaling suggests that at 1080p the CPU is holding the GPU back, while at 4K the GPU is the sole constraint. The data supports the interpretation that this combo is CPU-bound at 1080p, balanced at 1440p, and GPU-bound at 4K.

The Verdict

The verdict from the data is straightforward: this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, but only if the settings are chosen wisely. At 1920x1080, all four presets remain above 60 FPS, with the worst case being Ultra at 89.5 FPS. This gives a comfortable margin, allowing the user to select any preset without worrying about frame rate drops. At 2560x1440, the same holds true: Low at 131.8 FPS, Medium at 103 FPS, High at 75 FPS, and Ultra at 73.8 FPS all clear the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that 1440p Ultra is the best balance, offering a 73.8 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is more selective. The Low preset average 96 FPS, and Medium average 74 FPS, both above the 60 FPS threshold. However, High falls to 55.8 FPS and Ultra to 52.9 FPS, both below the threshold. The playable settings at 4K are Low and Medium, with Medium being the most demanding of that pair. The data indicates that the system is capable of 4K gaming, but only with reduced graphics quality to maintain smoothness.

Using the playableThresholdFps of 60 FPS, the verdict by resolution is: 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at any preset, while on 4K only Low and Medium presets meet the threshold. The best settings for each resolution are Medium at 4K (74 FPS), Ultra at 1440p (73.8 FPS), and Ultra at 1080p (89.5 FPS). This system does not require any compromises at 1080p or 1440p.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum FPS this combo can achieve in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: The highest measured average is 166 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 52.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable 4K preset is Medium at 74 FPS.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The data shows a 1.2 FPS difference (75 FPS for High vs 73.8 FPS for Ultra), which is negligible. Both remain above 60 FPS, so the Ultra preset can be used without a meaningful frame rate cost.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 7600’s benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A:** The 7600 scores 26324 in its average benchmark, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS, 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900KF, and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8540U.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 4K?

A:** The GPU is the primary bottleneck at 3840x2160. The frame rate scales almost entirely with GPU load, and the RTX 4070’s 81st percentile ranking means it is the limiting factor for the High and Ultra presets.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 outperform the RTX 4080 Mobile in this game?

A:** No. The RTX 4080 Mobile has an average score of 38135, which is 1.3% higher than the RTX 4070’s 37648, meaning the RTX 4070 would be slightly slower in GPU-bound scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 942nd out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 25.4% of all combos, which is a strong result for a mainstream desktop setup. The 942nd rank reflects the fact that many higher-end GPUs (like the RTX 4080 Mobile and beyond) and more powerful CPUs exist in the database, but the 7600/4070 pairing still outperforms the vast majority of tested systems. The rank also shows that this combo is not an edge case or a marginal performer; it sits firmly in the upper quartile, meaning that most other tested PCs will produce lower frame rates in this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data gives a clear set of recommendations for each resolution, based on the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which average 89.5 FPS. This preset is the highest visual quality available and still provides a 29.5 FPS buffer over the 60 FPS threshold. There is no reason to lower the preset at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 73.8 FPS. While this is above the threshold, the margin is 13.8 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p. Still, the frame rate is stable enough to recommend Ultra without hesitation.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Medium, which average 74 FPS. The High preset drops to 55.8 FPS and Ultra to 52.9 FPS, both below the threshold, so Medium is the only preset that balances visual quality with a playable frame rate. This yields a 14 FPS buffer over 60 FPS, which is acceptable for a flight simulator.

These recommendations are based strictly on the measured average FPS in the fact pack. The 1080p and 1440p Ultra presets are the clear picks, while 4K requires the Medium preset to stay above the playability line.