Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a clear, resolution-dependent performance profile in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Measured data shows this pairing can handle the game smoothly at 1080p with maximum settings, remains playable at 1440p with medium settings, and drops below the 60 FPS threshold at 4K except on low settings. The following analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, compares nearby hardware alternatives, and identifies which component carries the workload at each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 paired with the Ryzen 5 8400F demonstrates strong performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 119 FPS, which is nearly double the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings yield 93 FPS average, with a documented minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing. High settings maintain 70 FPS average, while Ultra settings still clear the threshold at 66 FPS average. The 1080p data shows no preset falls below 60 FPS, making this resolution fully playable at any quality level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. Low settings deliver 96 FPS average, comfortably above the threshold. Medium settings provide 75 FPS average, with the measured range spanning 64 FPS minimum to 86 FPS maximum — the minimum just barely clears 60 FPS. High settings drop to 56 FPS average, which falls below the playable threshold, and Ultra settings further decline to 54 FPS average. The 1440p results reveal that only Low and Medium presets sustain 60 FPS or higher, with Medium being the most demanding playable option.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Low settings achieve 71 FPS average, the only preset at 4K that clears the threshold. Medium settings produce 55 FPS average, with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 64 FPS, showing notable frame dips below 60. High settings average 42 FPS, and Ultra settings average 40 FPS. The 4K data indicates that this combination can only deliver a smooth experience at the lowest visual quality, with any increase in settings pushing average frame rates well below the playable threshold.

The scaling pattern across resolutions shows a consistent drop of roughly 20-25% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 20-25% from 1440p to 4K at equivalent settings. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, suggesting the GPU workload grows disproportionately with pixel count.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 60 FPS on 1080p?

A: Yes, measured data shows all four presets at 1920x1080 exceed 60 FPS average. Ultra settings deliver 66 FPS average, while Medium reaches 93 FPS and Low hits 119 FPS.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce 75 FPS average, with a 64 FPS minimum. High settings drop to 56 FPS average, so Medium is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only Low settings at 3840x2160 achieve 60 FPS, with 71 FPS average. Medium settings fall to 55 FPS average, and High and Ultra average 42 FPS and 40 FPS respectively, so 4K is only playable at minimal quality.

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

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17639, with the AMD Radeon HD 7790 scoring 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M scoring 17588 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scoring 17551 (0.5% lower). The differences are minimal, indicating similar raw GPU throughput.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F rank against other CPUs?

A: The CPU sits in the 77th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 25005. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, scores 24964, a mere 0.2% difference, showing near-identical CPU performance.

Q: What is this combo's overall ranking for this game?

A: The combination ranks 1978 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the middle of the distribution among all hardware pairings tested for this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have near-neighbor alternatives that would produce nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator. For the processor, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is the closest match, with an average score of 24964 versus the 8400F's 25005 — a delta of only 0.2%. The Intel Core i7-11850H (24935, 0.3% lower) and Intel Core i7-13620H (24911, 0.4% lower) also fall within a fraction of a percent. The AMD EPYC 9474F scores slightly higher at 25103, a 0.4% advantage. Any of these CPUs paired with the same RTX 4060 would deliver frame rates within the margin of measurement error.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 places it alongside several AMD parts. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, essentially identical with a 0.2% difference. The integrated AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588 (0.3% lower), while the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551) and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509) trail by 0.5% and 0.7% respectively. Interestingly, the Radeon 780M is an integrated graphics solution, yet its compute score is within 0.3% of the discrete RTX 4060, though real-world gaming performance would differ due to memory bandwidth and driver overhead.

Combining these rival pairs — for instance, a Ryzen 5 7500F with a Radeon HD 7790 — would produce benchmark scores nearly indistinguishable from the 8400F plus RTX 4060 configuration. The measured FPS data for this combo can therefore be generalized to any hardware within these tight performance bands. Users with an Intel Core i7-13620H or an AMD Radeon Pro 560 should expect essentially identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with differences of less than 1% in aggregate GPU or CPU throughput.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the playable experience depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset clears 60 FPS: Ultra averages 66 FPS, High averages 70 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS, and Low averages 119 FPS. This is the only resolution where maximum quality settings are viable.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is more limited. Medium settings achieve 75 FPS average and remain playable, with the 64 FPS minimum still above threshold. Low settings hit 96 FPS average. However, High and Ultra presets fall short at 56 FPS and 54 FPS respectively, failing the 60 FPS requirement.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings deliver 71 FPS average and clear the threshold. Medium settings drop to 55 FPS, High to 42 FPS, and Ultra to 40 FPS. The verdict by resolution data confirms that 4K gaming is restricted to minimal visual quality, and even then the margin above 60 FPS is slim.

CPU and GPU Roles

The workload distribution shifts across resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU has more relative influence since the GPU is not fully saturated. The Ryzen 5 8400F's 6-core, 12-thread design with a 4.70 GHz boost clock provides sufficient single-thread performance for the flight simulator's simulation logic. The 77th percentile CPU ranking suggests headroom for physics and AI calculations even at lower resolutions.

As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth starts to bottleneck at higher pixel counts. The frame rate drops from 93 FPS at 1080p Medium to 75 FPS at 1440p Medium to 55 FPS at 4K Medium — a consistent decline of roughly 20-25% per resolution step. This scaling pattern indicates GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

The settings scaling reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra reduces frame rates from 119 to 66 FPS, a 44% drop. At 1440p, the same settings change drops from 96 to 54 FPS, a 44% reduction. At 4K, Low to Ultra goes from 71 to 40 FPS, a 44% decline. The consistent percentage drop across resolutions suggests the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints once settings increase, rather than the CPU.

The 4K Medium data point includes a measured minimum of 47 FPS, which is 22% below the average of 55 FPS. This frame time variance indicates that the GPU occasionally struggles with scene complexity spikes, common in flight simulation over dense terrain or weather effects. The CPU's role at 4K is largely to feed the GPU, and the 8400F's 20851 Cinebench R23 multicore score ensures it can keep up with the RTX 4060's frame generation requests without introducing CPU-bound stutter.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which provides 66 FPS average. This is the only resolution where the highest preset remains playable. The 66 FPS figure gives a modest 6 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS threshold, so users prioritizing smoothness over visuals might prefer High at 70 FPS, but Ultra is technically viable.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Medium, achieving 75 FPS average. The minimum of 64 FPS ensures that even during demanding scenes, the frame rate does not dip below the playable threshold. Low settings would provide additional headroom at 96 FPS, but Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and performance within the 60 FPS constraint.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Low, which produces 71 FPS average. No other preset at this resolution clears 60 FPS. The 71 FPS result provides an 11 FPS buffer, but users should be aware that scene complexity in flight simulation can cause temporary drops, and the Low preset's simpler geometry and textures reduce the likelihood of severe frame time spikes.

How This Combo Ranks

In the full database of tested hardware combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing ranks 1978 out of 3714 total combos. This places it slightly above the median — approximately the 53rd percentile of tested systems. The ranking reflects that the CPU is above-average (77th percentile among all CPUs) while the GPU is closer to average (61st percentile among all GPUs), resulting in a middle-of-the-pack overall position for this specific game.

The rank of 1978 indicates that roughly 1,736 other combinations perform better in this title, while about 1,936 perform worse. Given the game's reputation as a demanding simulation title, this middle ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data: the combo can handle 1080p Ultra and 1440p Medium, but struggles at 4K beyond Low settings. Users with higher-ranked combos would achieve better 4K performance or higher settings at 1440p, while lower-ranked combinations would likely fall below 60 FPS even at 1080p Medium settings. For the intended use case of 1080p gaming, this rank confirms the system is competent, but not exceptional, within the broader landscape of tested hardware.