Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination is a strong performer in Microsoft Flight Simulator, ranking in the top 22% of all tested combos. At 1080p and 1440p, this setup delivers fully playable frame rates at the highest Ultra preset, while 4K requires a slight reduction to Medium settings for a smooth experience. The data indicates a well-balanced pairing where the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions, but the CPU still provides ample headroom for the simulation's heavy single-threaded workloads.

How This Combo Ranks

This hardware pairing holds a combo rank of 831 out of 3714 tested configurations, placing it in the 78th percentile of all CPU/GPU matches. That ranking reflects the fact that the Ryzen 7 5700 sits in the 78th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4070 achieves an 81st percentile standing among all GPUs. The combination of two above-average components yields a system that is particularly well-suited for Microsoft Flight Simulator's demanding rendering pipeline.

The data shows that this combo outperforms a significant majority of alternatives, but it is not at the very top of the leaderboard. The gap to the highest-performing combos is notable, yet the measured frame rates demonstrate that this pairing consistently exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold at all tested resolutions when settings are appropriately selected. In practical terms, the rank suggests that buyers should not expect flagship-level performance, but rather a very capable high-end experience that handles the game's most demanding scenes with only occasional compromises at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

Examining the scaling between resolutions reveals that the GPU takes on increasing importance as resolution rises, while the CPU maintains a relatively consistent load. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Ultra settings costs 69.9 FPS (from 162 to 92.1), which is a 43% reduction. This large delta indicates that at this resolution, settings changes have a dramatic impact on frame rate, and the GPU is the primary bottleneck when pushing higher visual quality.

Moving to 1440p, the same Low-to-Ultra transition drops from 134.2 to 76.2 FPS, a 43% reduction as well. The similar percentage drop suggests that the CPU is not limiting performance at this resolution, as the GPU scaling remains consistent. At 4K, however, the Low-to-Ultra transition falls from 99.1 to 56 FPS, a 43% reduction again, but the absolute numbers are much lower. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4070's rendering capacity is the dominant factor at every resolution, while the Ryzen 7 5700's eight cores and 16 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU without becoming a limiting factor.

The CPU's role is more evident when comparing the same settings across resolutions. At Ultra settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rate by 17.3% (92.1 to 76.2), and from 1440p to 4K by 26.5% (76.2 to 56). These reductions are smaller than the settings-based drops, confirming that resolution scaling is more gentle than preset scaling. The simulation's reliance on CPU performance for flight dynamics and scenery loading is well-handled by the Ryzen 7 5700, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Low, the system achieves 99.1 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p High result of 99.1 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the data shows that the Ultra preset is fully playable, delivering an average of 92.1 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and there is substantial headroom for demanding scenarios like dense urban areas or heavy weather. The High preset offers 99.1 FPS, and Medium reaches 127.2 FPS, while Low hits 162 FPS. For the smoothest experience with maximum visual fidelity, Ultra is the recommended choice at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset remains playable with an average of 76.2 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS minimum, though the margin is narrower than at 1080p. The High preset provides 80.2 FPS, Medium delivers 102 FPS, and Low reaches 134.2 FPS. Given the 16.2 FPS buffer at Ultra, this is the best setting for 1440p users who prioritize image quality without sacrificing fluidity.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset drops to 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and High falls to 54.2 FPS. The Medium preset, however, achieves 74.5 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the threshold. Low reaches 99.1 FPS. The verdict is clear: Medium is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 4K, offering a balance of visual quality and performance that keeps the simulation smooth.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 5700's average benchmark score of 25,517 is closely matched by several other processors. The Intel Xeon D-2752TER scores 25,530, a delta of -0.1%, meaning it performs nearly identically. The AMD Ryzen 5 7640U scores 25,485, just 0.1% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H scores 25,550, 0.1% faster. The AMD Ryzen 7 5825U scores 25,446, 0.3% slower. Any of these CPUs would deliver essentially the same frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, as the 0.3% maximum difference is negligible in real-world gaming.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070's average score of 37,648 is mirrored by the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 37,628 (0.1% faster), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37,507 (0.4% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38,135 (1.3% faster), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37,157 (1.3% slower). The RTX 4080 Mobile is the closest performer, being 1.3% faster, which would translate to roughly 1-2 FPS difference in this game. The other rivals are within a 1.3% band, so users upgrading from any of these GPUs would see virtually identical performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates show a clear progression: Low produces 162 FPS, Medium produces 127.2 FPS, High produces 99.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 92.1 FPS. The step from Medium to High is the largest single drop at 28.1 FPS, while the High-to-Ultra drop is only 7 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects have a modest cost at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results are 134.2 FPS for Low, 102 FPS for Medium, 80.2 FPS for High, and 76.2 FPS for Ultra. The drop from Medium to High is 21.8 FPS, and from High to Ultra is just 4 FPS. This pattern suggests that the Ultra preset at 1440p is nearly as efficient as High, with only a small performance penalty for the extra visual features.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 99.1 FPS for Low, 74.5 FPS for Medium, 54.2 FPS for High, and 56 FPS for Ultra. Interestingly, the Ultra preset slightly outperforms High at this resolution, with a 1.8 FPS advantage. This anomaly may be due to the specific rendering paths these presets trigger, but the practical takeaway is that both High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium remains the best playable option.

The data shows that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset typically costs around 17-20% of frame rate, while scaling from 1440p to 4K costs an additional 26-30%. This confirms that the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K textures, but the GPU's raw compute power (29.15 TFLOPS FP32) becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and presets.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset at 4K achieves 74.5 FPS and is the highest playable setting at that resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware pairing?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Ultra settings delivers 76.2 FPS, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate is 92.1 FPS, which is smoother but less visually detailed, while 4K requires dropping to Medium to stay playable.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in this game?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700's average benchmark score of 25,517 is within 0.3% of its nearest rivals, including the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (25,530), AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (25,485), AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (25,550), and AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (25,446). All of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests yes. At 1080p, the frame rate drops from 162 FPS at Low to 92.1 FPS at Ultra, a 43% reduction. This large drop from settings changes indicates that the GPU's rendering capacity is the limiting factor, as the CPU is able to maintain high frame rates even at lower resolutions.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings is 80.2 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience with high visual fidelity.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 4K perform worse than High?

A: Interestingly, the data shows Ultra at 4K averages 56 FPS, while High averages 54.2 FPS. The Ultra preset is 1.8 FPS faster in this specific measurement, though both fall below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset at 74.5 FPS is the recommended choice for 4K.