Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a broad range of performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with results that shift dramatically based on resolution and quality preset. The measured data shows this combo is capable of smooth frame rates across most configurations, but 4K Ultra pushes the hardware to its limit, falling just short of the 60 FPS threshold. This analysis breaks down the exact performance figures, provides answers to common questions, and contextualizes how this specific pairing ranks against other tested combinations.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 4K (3840x2160), the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Medium, which achieves an average of 70.2 FPS. The High preset drops to 55.5 FPS, and Ultra falls further to 52.9 FPS, both missing the 60 FPS target. Low runs at 94.1 FPS, but Medium offers the best visual quality while staying comfortably above the playable threshold.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the situation improves significantly. The Ultra preset runs at an average of 68.5 FPS, making it the most demanding setting that clears the 60 FPS bar. High averages 71.9 FPS, Medium hits 98.6 FPS, and Low reaches 128.7 FPS. This means the full visual experience is accessible at this resolution.

For 1080p (1920x1080), every preset exceeds 60 FPS. Ultra is the recommended pick with an average of 89.2 FPS, while High runs at 93.1 FPS, Medium at 124.5 FPS, and Low at 159.7 FPS. The data indicates that at 1080p, the RTX 3080 has enough headroom to run the game at maximum detail with a margin of nearly 30 FPS above the target.

FAQ

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

A: No, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 52.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K preset is Medium, averaging 70.2 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 68.5 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: Which resolution provides the largest performance headroom?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 89.2 FPS, which is 29.2 FPS above the target. The Low preset at the same resolution reaches 159.7 FPS, the highest average recorded for this combo.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its multicore performance in this context?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600X scores 1965 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 15236 in multicore. The single-core score is relevant for flight simulator physics, but the data shows the GPU is more often the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 3080 and its nearest GPU rival?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA P106-100, scores 23249, a delta of -0.3%. Other close rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 and AMD Radeon RX 6600M show similar differences of -0.3% and -0.4%, respectively.

Q: Does the CPU’s ranking suggest it could bottleneck the GPU?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600X is in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27636. This is strong, but the performance gap between 1080p Ultra (89.2 FPS) and 4K Ultra (52.9 FPS) suggests the GPU becomes the primary limitation as resolution scales.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1035 out of 3714 tested combos. That places it in the top 27.9% of all configurations, indicating solid but not top-tier performance. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s strong single-thread capability and the GPU’s high memory bandwidth, but the 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and the game’s demands at 4K keep it from climbing higher. Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K both have an average score of 27578, just 0.2% above the 7600X’s 27636. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800 is 0.4% lower at 27535. This shows the CPU is well matched for the RTX 3080, but the overall rank is constrained by the system’s performance at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

If you were considering other hardware that delivers similar results in this game, the CPU and GPU have several near matches in terms of average benchmark scores. On the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K both score 27578, which is 0.2% less than the Ryzen 5 7600X’s 27636. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE is marginally faster at 27712, a 0.3% delta, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 lags at 0.4% behind. These differences are small enough that they would produce nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, meaning the choice between them would not change the overall FPS results.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080’s average score of 23172 is closely matched by the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, -0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, -0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, -0.4%). These deltas are all under half a percent, suggesting that swapping the RTX 3080 for any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical FPS in this game, though the RTX 3080’s superior feature set may not be captured by the raw score alone.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern: Low settings average 159.7 FPS, Medium at 124.5 FPS, High at 93.1 FPS, and Ultra at 89.2 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is only 3.9 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 31.4 FPS, indicating a steep cost in this range. The minimum and maximum FPS are not recorded, but the average values suggest that the game is never near the playable threshold at this resolution, even with the most demanding preset.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 128.7 FPS for Low, 98.6 FPS for Medium, 71.9 FPS for High, and 68.5 FPS for Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra is just 3.4 FPS, similar to 1080p, but the overall numbers are lower due to the increased pixel count. The Ultra preset still maintains a comfortable 8.5 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops sharply. Low averages 94.1 FPS, Medium 70.2 FPS, High 55.5 FPS, and Ultra 52.9 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 14.7 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 2.6 FPS. This data shows that the RTX 3080 can handle 4K at Medium settings with a 10.2 FPS buffer, but the transition to High and Ultra pushes the system below the 60 FPS playable line. The lack of min/max data means we cannot see frame time spikes, but the averages suggest a playable experience at Medium.

The Verdict

The benchmark results clearly indicate that this computer can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS or higher on the right settings. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the threshold, with Ultra providing a high margin of safety at 89.2 FPS. The verdict at 1440p is equally positive, as all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 68.5 FPS, which is 8.5 FPS above the target. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for experiencing the game with maximum visual fidelity.

At 4K, the verdict changes. The system can play at Low (94.1 FPS) and Medium (70.2 FPS), but High (55.5 FPS) and Ultra (52.9 FPS) fall short of the 60 FPS threshold. The data suggests that a user with a 4K display would need to compromise on visual quality to maintain a playable frame rate, accepting Medium settings or lowering the resolution. The overall verdict is that this combo is highly capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K requires a reduction in settings to achieve smooth performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals which component dominates the workload. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 23-30% across presets (e.g., Ultra from 89.2 to 68.5 FPS, a 23.2% drop). This is a moderate decline, indicating that the GPU is handling additional pixel load, but the CPU is still able to feed it adequately. In contrast, from 1440p to 4K, the drop is more severe: Ultra goes from 68.5 to 52.9 FPS, a 22.8% decline, while High drops from 71.9 to 55.5 FPS, a 22.8% decline. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading capabilities are the primary constraint.

The scaling between settings tells a similar story. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra costs 70.5 FPS (from 159.7 to 89.2), which is a 44.1% reduction. At 4K, the same change costs 41.2 FPS (94.1 to 52.9), a 43.8% reduction. The percentage is consistent, indicating that the settings’ impact is uniform across resolutions, but the absolute numbers show the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The CPU’s role is more visible at lower resolutions where the frame rates are highest. At 1080p Low, the 159.7 FPS requires the CPU to deliver a high number of draw calls, and the Ryzen 5 7600X’s strong single-thread score of 1965 in Cinebench R23 is sufficient to keep up. However, the data shows that at 4K, the GPU’s 10 GB of VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are the bottlenecks, as the FPS drops below 60 even with a capable CPU.

The verdict by resolution confirms this: at 1440p, the GPU can handle Ultra, but at 4K, it cannot, while the CPU remains constant. This indicates that for this particular game, the RTX 3080 is the stronger factor determining playability at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 5 7600X provides a solid foundation that does not choke the GPU at 1080p and 1440p.