Microsoft Flight Simulator

Can AMD Ryzen 7 5700 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 run Microsoft Flight Simulator? Benchmark data indicates this combination delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, with specific preset limitations at 4K. The measured FPS values show a clear pattern: the system comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at lower resolutions and settings, while 4K Ultra remains out of reach. The data paints a nuanced picture where CPU and GPU roles shift depending on the resolution and graphics preset selected, making this a system that rewards careful settings management.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1920x1080 resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is fully playable at 1080p, with an average FPS of 67.7. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for maximum visual quality at this resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution at all?

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset, which averages 70.6 FPS at 3840x2160. The Medium preset drops to 53.7 FPS, and High (38.7 FPS) and Ultra (39.7 FPS) both fall well below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700 compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 25517, placing it in the 78th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon D-2752TER, scores nearly identically at 25530, a delta of only -0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 5 7640U is also extremely close at 25485, a 0.1% difference.

Q: What GPU performs similarly to the RTX 4060?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 is the closest competitor with an average score of 17666, just 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon 780M follows at 17588, a 0.3% difference.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of quality and performance?

A: The 2560x1440 resolution with Medium settings delivers 75.7 FPS average, which is the highest FPS among all non-Low presets across any resolution. This suggests 1440p Medium is a sweet spot, offering better visual fidelity than Low while maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700 a strong multi-threaded performer?

A: Yes, the data shows strong multi-core results. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 20655, while the 3DMark max-threads score reaches 6617. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1907 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3296.

CPU and GPU Roles

Examining the measured FPS data across resolutions reveals an interesting dynamic between CPU and GPU workload. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 119.6 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 71.7 FPS on High and 67.7 FPS on Ultra. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 43% reduction, suggesting the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution when quality settings increase. The CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration appears sufficient to feed the RTX 4060 at 1080p, as even the most demanding Ultra preset stays above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low settings produce 92.6 FPS, Medium delivers 75.7 FPS, and High drops to 56.7 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 19 FPS, while the gap between Low and Medium is 16.9 FPS. This relatively consistent scaling suggests the GPU is increasingly becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth appear to handle 1440p well up to Medium, but High settings push it below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's dominance becomes unmistakable. Low settings achieve 70.6 FPS, but Medium drops to 53.7 FPS, a 24% reduction. High and Ultra both fall to the 38-40 FPS range, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capabilities are severely stressed at 4K. The CPU's role diminishes significantly at this resolution, as the frame rate differences between High and Ultra are minimal (38.7 vs 39.7 FPS). This suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 128-bit memory bus are the primary constraints, not the Ryzen 7 5700's processing power.

The data indicates that for this specific game and hardware combination, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Ultra with 67.7 FPS, the CPU's 3dmark 16-thread score of 6628 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20655 suggest it has headroom remaining. The GPU, however, shows clear scaling limitations as resolution increases, making it the dominant component for determining playability at higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates strong performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 119.6 FPS, providing a massive buffer above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 92.3 FPS, still very comfortable. High settings maintain 71.7 FPS, which is playable but with less margin. Ultra settings yield 67.7 FPS, barely clearing the playable threshold but remaining above 60 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a total drop of 51.9 FPS, with the largest single-step decline occurring between Medium and High (20.6 FPS).

At 2560x1440, the performance envelope tightens. Low settings deliver 92.6 FPS, which is excellent for this resolution. Medium settings achieve 75.7 FPS, maintaining a solid playable experience. High settings fall to 56.7 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings drop further to 53.3 FPS, making it unplayable by the established standard. The gap between Low and Ultra is 39.3 FPS, with the step from Medium to High (19 FPS) being the most significant single drop.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset remains playable. Low settings average 70.6 FPS, providing a modest buffer above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 53.7 FPS, a 16.9 FPS reduction. High settings produce 38.7 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 39.7 FPS, nearly identical. The data shows that at 4K, there is essentially no difference between High and Ultra in terms of average FPS, suggesting the GPU has hit a hard performance ceiling regardless of settings above Medium.

The Verdict

According to the benchmark data, this system can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at all three tested resolutions, but with significant preset limitations. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra achieving 67.7 FPS average. This makes 1080p the only resolution where the user can select any preset and maintain playable performance.

At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium presets are playable, with Medium achieving 75.7 FPS and Low reaching 92.6 FPS. High (56.7 FPS) and Ultra (53.3 FPS) both fall below the 60 FPS requirement. Users wanting 1440p must be willing to compromise on visual quality, as Medium is the highest playable preset.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset delivers playable performance at 70.6 FPS. Medium (53.7 FPS), High (38.7 FPS), and Ultra (39.7 FPS) are all unplayable. The system can technically run the game at 4K, but only with significantly reduced graphics quality. Given the game's nature as a flight simulator where visual fidelity is often prized, users at 4K would need to accept Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering 67.7 FPS average. This provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a playable frame rate. The margin above 60 FPS is narrow (7.7 FPS), but it is sufficient for a flight simulator where frame pacing is generally less critical than in fast-paced action games.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is optimal, achieving 75.7 FPS average. This represents the best balance between visual fidelity and performance, offering a 15.7 FPS buffer above the playable threshold. Low settings would provide higher FPS (92.6) but at a significant visual quality cost, while High and Ultra are not playable.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 70.6 FPS. This provides a 10.6 FPS margin above the threshold. Users at 4K must accept minimal graphics quality to maintain playability, as no other preset clears 60 FPS. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this system requires sacrificing most visual enhancements.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 2026 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the 54.6th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 45% of tested combinations perform better. The rank indicates that while this system is capable of playing the game at multiple resolutions, it sits in the mid-range of overall performance, not at the top tier.

This ranking is consistent with the component-level benchmarks. The CPU's 78th percentile ranking among all CPUs is stronger than the GPU's 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs. This suggests the GPU is the more limiting factor in this combination, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. The combo rank of 2026/3714 reflects a system that is solidly mid-pack, capable of good performance but not exceptional.

The RTX 4060's end-of-life production status and its predecessor/successor relationship (GeForce 30 and GeForce 50 respectively) suggest this represents a transitional GPU generation. The 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus width are notable constraints for 4K gaming, which is evident in the measured FPS data. Users considering this combination should be aware that while it handles 1080p and 1440p well, 4K gaming requires significant settings compromises.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 are all within a 0.3% performance delta. The Intel Xeon D-2752TER (avg score 25530, -0.1% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (avg score 25550, -0.1% delta) perform nearly identically. The AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (25485, +0.1%) and AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (25446, +0.3%) are also extremely close. This means any of these processors would likely produce very similar frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, making them viable alternatives if the Ryzen 7 5700 is unavailable.

For the GPU, the closest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (avg score 17666, -0.2% delta), which performs essentially identically to the RTX 4060 in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3%) and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%) are also within a 0.7% performance delta. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7%) rounds out the immediate alternatives. Despite the age difference between these GPUs, the benchmark data shows they would deliver comparable performance in this game, though the RTX 4060's modern feature set (DirectX 12 Ultimate, RT cores, and DLSS support) may offer additional advantages not captured in average FPS.

Given the GPU's percentile ranking (61st) and its rivals' close scores, users could expect similar playability characteristics with any of these alternatives. The combination of the Ryzen 7 5700 with any of these GPUs would likely produce frame rates within a few FPS of the measured values, maintaining the same resolution and preset limitations observed in this analysis.