Microsoft Flight Simulator

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Microsoft Flight Simulator with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B570 shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 28 FPS on Ultra to 51 FPS on Low. The High preset averages 30 FPS, while Medium averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 28 FPS average, and the Low preset reaches 51 FPS average. None of these figures approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, so 4K remains a demanding target for this combination.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results improve substantially. Low settings deliver an average of 69 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, so the average sits below the playable mark even though the maximum exceeds it. High settings average 41 FPS, and Ultra drops to 39 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 15 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 2 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the upper end of the preset scale.

At 1920x1080, the combination performs noticeably better. Low settings average 86 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS, High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS on average, though its minimum of 57 FPS shows that brief dips below the threshold can occur during heavy scenes. The spread from Low to Ultra is 38 FPS, which indicates that the preset selection has a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

The data shows that min and max frame rates were only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 57 to 77 FPS, a 20 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 46 to 62 FPS, a 16 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 34 to 46 FPS, a 12 FPS spread. The narrower spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded as resolution increases, reducing the variance caused by CPU-driven scene complexity.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that both the CPU and GPU play significant roles, but their relative importance shifts with resolution and preset. The CPU, an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 2 part with a 3.60 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock, provides strong multi-threaded performance. Its benchmark data shows a Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 2092 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 8899, placing it in the 84th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU, an Intel Arc B570 with 2304 shading units and 10 GB of GDDR6 memory, delivers a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 and sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs.

The scaling between resolutions reveals the GPU's growing influence as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the combination achieves 86 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 69 FPS, a 19.8% reduction. Moving to 4K Low, the average falls to 51 FPS, a 26.1% reduction from 1440p. This consistent degradation with resolution points to the GPU becoming the primary limiter at higher pixel counts. The CPU's role is more evident at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher and the CPU must feed the GPU with enough draw calls and simulation data.

The preset scaling at each resolution further clarifies the division of labor. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS (86 to 67), and the jump from Medium to High costs 17 FPS (67 to 50), while High to Ultra costs only 2 FPS (50 to 48). This pattern suggests that the Medium to High transition taxes the GPU heavily, while the High to Ultra transition has a smaller incremental cost, possibly due to settings that are less GPU-intensive. At 1440p, the same transitions cost 15 FPS (69 to 54), 13 FPS (54 to 41), and 2 FPS (41 to 39). At 4K, the transitions cost 11 FPS (51 to 40), 10 FPS (40 to 30), and 2 FPS (30 to 28). The consistent 2 FPS gap between High and Ultra across all resolutions indicates that the Ultra preset adds settings that are not heavily resolution-dependent, while the gap between Low and Medium scales with resolution, suggesting a GPU-bound workload.

The CPU's passmark multi-thread score of 22458 and its 84th percentile ranking show that it is not a weak link in most scenarios. However, Microsoft Flight Simulator is known for heavy single-thread simulation workloads, and the CPU's passmark single-thread score of 2656 may become relevant at higher frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the average of 86 FPS is the highest recorded across all configurations, and this is likely where the CPU's simulation overhead is most exposed. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint, as even Low settings only reach 51 FPS average, far below the CPU's capability to produce frames.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data in the database identifies the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at each resolution. At 3840x2160, the playable settings list is empty, meaning no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The closest is Low at 51 FPS average, which falls short by 9 FPS. Therefore, the best settings for 4K are none, as the combination cannot sustain playable frame rates at any preset.

At 2560x1440, the playable settings list contains only Low, which averages 69 FPS. This is the best settings choice for 1440p, as Medium averages 54 FPS and falls below the threshold. The Low preset at 1440p delivers 69 FPS average, which is 15% above the 60 FPS target, providing a comfortable margin. The minimum frame rate for this configuration was not recorded, but the average indicates consistent playability.

At 1920x1080, the playable settings list includes Low and Medium. The best settings choice is Medium, which averages 67 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable, and it offers a 7 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum of 57 FPS shows that some scenes will dip below 60 FPS, but the average stays above. Low settings at 1080p average 86 FPS, which is the highest recorded performance in the entire dataset, but Medium provides a better visual experience while still meeting the playable threshold.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1920x1080?

A: Yes. The database shows playable settings of Low and Medium at 1080p. The best settings are Medium, which averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS.

Q: What is the highest resolution this combination can handle at 60 FPS?

A: The highest resolution with a playable preset is 2560x1440. The Low preset averages 69 FPS there, which is the only playable setting at that resolution. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480). It trails the Intel Arc A750 by 0.1% (20582) and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X by 0.5% (20662).

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222) and 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4244P (34220). It is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333) and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (34083).

Q: What frame rates does the combination achieve at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. This is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The best preset at 2560x1440 is Low, which averages 69 FPS. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, which does not meet the 60 FPS threshold, so Low is the only playable option.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1080p, the combination delivers playable performance on Low and Medium presets, with the best settings being Medium at 67 FPS average. This provides a playable experience with a reasonable visual quality, though the 57 FPS minimum indicates occasional dips below the threshold. At 1440p, only the Low preset clears 60 FPS, averaging 69 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p falls to 54 FPS average, which is not playable by the database's 60 FPS standard. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the best average is 51 FPS on Low, and Ultra drops to 28 FPS.

The overall picture is that this combination is suited for 1080p gaming with medium settings or 1440p gaming with low settings. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking and the CPU's 84th percentile ranking suggest that the GPU is the more limiting component for this title, particularly at higher resolutions. The 4K results, where even Low settings only reach 51 FPS, reinforce this conclusion. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Low settings, while 1080p users can enjoy Medium settings with a playable average. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it never reaches 60 FPS and provides only marginal visual gains over High according to the frame rate data.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 2988 out of 3714 tested combos. This places it in the lower portion of the rankings, specifically around the 80.4 percentile of tested configurations. The rank reflects the combination's inability to sustain 60 FPS at 4K and its limited playable options at 1440p. The CPU's strong 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs do not translate to a high combo rank in this game, which suggests that Microsoft Flight Simulator is particularly demanding on the GPU side.

The combo's rank of 2988 out of 3714 means that roughly 80% of tested combinations outperform it in this game. This is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show playable performance only at lower resolutions and presets. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and Intel Core i5-13450HX, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltas of 0.1% and -0.2% respectively. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, also show similar average scores with deltas within 0.5%. This indicates that the combination is not an outlier in either component's performance class, but the game's demands place it near the bottom of the overall ranking. Users seeking higher frame rates at 1440p or any playable performance at 4K would need to consider more powerful GPU options, as the data clearly shows the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this configuration.