Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers a workable but constrained experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with playability above 60 FPS limited to lower resolutions and presets. Benchmark data measured on this system shows that the pairing is fundamentally capable of running the simulator, but the demanding nature of the title means users must make deliberate trade-offs between visual fidelity and frame rate. The results are clear: at 4K, no setting reaches the 60 FPS threshold, while 1440p and 1080p offer specific playable configurations.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate is 51 FPS on Low settings. The High preset averages 30 FPS, Medium averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. None of these clear the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The only playable setting at 2560x1440 is Low, which delivers an average of 69 FPS. Medium drops to 54 FPS average, High to 41 FPS, and Ultra to 39 FPS.

Q: Which presets achieve 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Two presets are playable at 1920x1080: Low averages 86 FPS, and Medium averages 67 FPS. High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS, both falling short of the threshold.

Q: How demanding is the Ultra preset compared to Low?

A: At 1080p, switching from Low to Ultra reduces the average frame rate from 86 FPS to 48 FPS, a drop of 38 FPS. At 1440p, the same preset change lowers performance from 69 FPS to 39 FPS. At 4K, Ultra averages 28 FPS versus 51 FPS on Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates a strong GPU dependency. Frame rates scale heavily with resolution and preset quality. For example, moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low cuts average FPS from 86 to 51, a 41% reduction, while the CPU workload remains relatively constant.

Q: What is this system's overall ranking among tested combos?

A: This CPU and GPU pairing ranks 2988 out of 3714 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower portion of the database.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results for this pairing show that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary performance arbiter in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X providing sufficient headroom to avoid becoming the bottleneck. This conclusion is drawn from the scaling behavior across resolutions and presets. When the resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at the same settings, the average frame rate drops substantially. For Low settings, performance falls from 86 FPS at 1080p to 69 FPS at 1440p and finally to 51 FPS at 4K. This 35 FPS decline between 1080p and 4K represents a 41% reduction in performance, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound rendering.

Similarly, the impact of preset quality is pronounced. At 1440p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 30 FPS (69 to 39), while at 1080p the same preset swing costs 38 FPS (86 to 48). These large deltas demonstrate that the GPU's shading, texture, and rasterization throughput is the constraining factor when visual complexity increases. The Ryzen 7 5700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, is capable of feeding the GPU adequately; the CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 13184 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 26612, indicate strong processing power. However, the game's engine appears to scale its workload onto the GPU more aggressively as settings rise.

The exception to this GPU-centric pattern is the 4K Ultra result, which averages 28 FPS. This is only 2 FPS lower than the 4K High result of 30 FPS, suggesting that at this extreme resolution, the GPU is so heavily loaded that further preset changes have diminishing returns. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor even in this scenario, as the GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus are likely saturated by the high-resolution textures. In summary, users should focus on GPU settings and resolution scaling to improve frame rates, as the CPU is unlikely to be the cause of performance dips.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for this system covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a clear picture of performance boundaries.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 86 FPS. This is the highest result recorded for this system, providing a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold.
• Medium: Average 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. The average clears the playable threshold, though the minimum dips below it, indicating occasional stutters in dense scenery.
• High: Average 50 FPS. This preset falls below the 60 FPS target, showing that the step from Medium to High is significant.
• Ultra: Average 48 FPS. The most demanding preset at 1080p produces the lowest average, just 2 FPS below High, suggesting a performance plateau.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 69 FPS. This is the only playable setting at 1440p, maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. The average is below the threshold, and the minimum is notably lower, making this preset inconsistent.
• High: Average 41 FPS. A substantial drop from Low, indicating that the GPU struggles with the increased shading load at this resolution.
• Ultra: Average 39 FPS. The lowest 1440p result, with only 2 FPS separating it from High, mirroring the pattern seen at 1080p.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 51 FPS. The best 4K result, but still 9 FPS short of the playable threshold. This shows that even the lowest settings cannot achieve 60 FPS at this resolution.
• Medium: Average 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. The frame rate is consistently below the target, with a tight range.
• High: Average 30 FPS. A significant reduction from Medium, highlighting the cost of higher fidelity at 4K.
• Ultra: Average 28 FPS. The overall lowest result for this system, rendering the game in near-slideshow conditions.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down (from 4K to 1440p to 1080p) yields a substantial improvement in average FPS, and each preset step down (from Ultra to Low) provides another significant gain. The gap between Low and Medium is particularly large across all resolutions, suggesting that the Medium preset introduces a heavy load on the GPU.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the conditions are strictly limited. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings; the best average is 51 FPS on Low, which falls below the 60 FPS target. Users with a 4K display must accept sub-60 FPS performance or reduce the resolution.

At 2560x1440, the system achieves playability on the Low preset, delivering an average of 69 FPS. This is the only option that clears the threshold, and it does so with a comfortable margin. The Medium preset at 54 FPS average is close but does not meet the requirement, and the minimum of 46 FPS indicates noticeable frame drops.

At 1920x1080, the system offers the most flexibility. Both Low and Medium presets are playable, with averages of 86 FPS and 67 FPS respectively. The Medium preset is the recommended choice for a balance of quality and performance, though its minimum of 57 FPS shows that the system can occasionally dip below 60 FPS in complex areas.

In practical terms, this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with moderate settings, or 1440p if the user is willing to sacrifice visual quality. The 4K experience is not viable for smooth gameplay according to the 60 FPS standard.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2988 out of 3714 total combinations. This places the system in the 20th percentile of tested hardware, indicating that it is outperformed by the majority of setups in the database. The ranking reflects the measured frame rates, which show that the system is only capable of 60 FPS gameplay at 1080p Medium or lower, a limitation that many other combinations do not face.

When examining the individual components, the CPU holds up well relative to its peers. The Ryzen 7 5700X has an average benchmark score of 27578, which is identical to the Intel Core i5-12600K (deltaPct of 0), and is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800. It is also 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H. This indicates that the processor is competitive with mid-range offerings from both AMD and Intel. However, the GPU is less competitive. The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is only 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750. The overall low ranking of the combo is therefore driven by the GPU's performance class, which is not sufficient for this demanding simulator at high resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for each resolution are defined by the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K): No preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold. The best available option is Low, which averages 51 FPS. However, since this does not meet the playability criterion, there is no recommended setting for 4K. Users should avoid this resolution for this game.

2560x1440 (1440p): The best playable setting is Low, which delivers an average of 69 FPS. This is the only preset that clears 60 FPS. While the visual quality will be reduced, it provides a smooth and responsive experience. The Medium preset at 54 FPS average is the next step up in quality but falls short of the target.

1920x1080 (1080p): The best playable setting is Medium, with an average of 67 FPS. This preset offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining an average above the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum of 57 FPS indicates that brief dips below 60 FPS can occur, but the overall experience is playable. For users who prioritize absolute smoothness, Low at 86 FPS average is the safer choice, but Medium provides the best balance of quality and performance for this resolution.