Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a playable Microsoft Flight Simulator experience at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K with high or ultra presets. Benchmark data shows the combo ranks 2028th out of 3714 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum for this specific title. The pairing achieves its best results at 1080p Ultra with an average of 66.7 FPS, while 4K demands a drop to Low settings to cross the 60 FPS threshold.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The system clears 60 FPS at 1080p with all presets (Low 119 FPS, Medium 95.6 FPS, High 68.4 FPS, Ultra 66.7 FPS) and at 1440p with Low (94.3 FPS) and Medium (75.2 FPS) presets. At 4K, only the Low preset achieves 60 FPS, with an average of 70.8 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset at 2560x1440?

A: Medium is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 1440p, producing an average of 75.2 FPS. High drops to 55.1 FPS and Ultra falls to 53.5 FPS, both below the playable threshold.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 a high-performing GPU relative to other graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4060 sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,639. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% lower score) and AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% higher score), indicating it performs near the mid-range of the GPU market.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5800XT compare to similar CPUs?

A: The CPU ranks in the 81st percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 29,879. Its closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H, which scores nearly identically (29,868, a 0% delta), while the Ryzen 5 9600X trails by 0.6%.

Q: Does this combo handle 4K gaming in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A: Only with reduced settings. At 4K, the system achieves 70.8 FPS on Low, but Medium drops to 52.5 FPS, High to 43.6 FPS, and Ultra to 37.5 FPS. None of the higher presets reach the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: Which component is more important for performance in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo maintains 66.7 FPS on Ultra, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 37.5 FPS — a 43.8% drop. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance (23,794 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) helps at lower resolutions where frame rates remain high.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,714 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 places 2028th. That rank places it just past the halfway point of all tested configurations, suggesting it offers moderate capability for this demanding flight simulator. The combo's position reflects a balanced pairing: the CPU sits in the 81st percentile among all processors, while the GPU trails at the 61st percentile. This asymmetry indicates the graphics card is more likely to bottleneck performance than the processor.

The measured frame rates support this interpretation. At 1080p, where CPU load is relatively higher, the system delivers 119 FPS on Low and 95.6 FPS on Medium — strong numbers that suggest the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. However, at 4K Ultra, performance collapses to 37.5 FPS, a figure that points squarely at the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus as constraints. The rank of 2028 out of 3714 means roughly 45% of tested combos perform worse, but it also means a majority of systems tested for this game deliver better frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals include several mobile and desktop processors with nearly identical average scores. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H matches the 5800XT almost exactly (0% delta), while the Ryzen 7 8845HS and Ryzen 7 7840HS both sit 0.3% lower. The Ryzen 5 9600X comes closest from below at 0.6% behind. Any of these CPUs would produce virtually indistinguishable frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator when paired with the same GPU.

On the graphics side, the RTX 4060's nearest rivals are surprisingly older or integrated parts. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 0.2% lower, the Radeon 780M integrated graphics scores 0.3% higher, and the Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 trail by 0.5% and 0.7% respectively. These deltas are tiny — within 1% of each other — meaning users with any of these GPUs would see nearly identical performance at the same settings. The practical takeaway is that swapping the 5800XT for a 7840H or replacing the RTX 4060 with a Radeon 780M would not meaningfully change the frame rates listed here.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator, but the experience varies dramatically by resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset: Low averages 119 FPS, Medium 95.6 FPS, High 68.4 FPS, and Ultra 66.7 FPS. This makes 1080p the sweet spot for this combo, with Ultra settings providing a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the verdict becomes more nuanced. Low and Medium presets both clear 60 FPS, with averages of 94.3 FPS and 75.2 FPS respectively. High drops to 55.1 FPS and Ultra to 53.5 FPS — both below the 60 FPS target. Users wanting higher visual fidelity at 1440p would need to accept frame rates in the mid-50s or lower their resolution.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playability, hitting 70.8 FPS. Medium falls to 52.5 FPS, High to 43.6 FPS, and Ultra to 37.5 FPS. The 4K experience is therefore limited to minimal settings, which undermines the visual detail that makes this simulator appealing. For 4K users, this combo is only viable with significant graphical compromises.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals how the workload shifts between components. At 1080p, the gap between Low (119 FPS) and Ultra (66.7 FPS) is 52.3 FPS, showing that the GPU has headroom to render more detail without hitting a hard ceiling. This suggests the CPU is doing enough work to keep the pipeline fed, and the Ryzen 7 5800XT's 8-core, 16-thread design with a 4.80 GHz boost clock provides ample processing power for the simulator's physics and AI calculations.

At 1440p, the frame rate drops more steeply as settings increase: Low delivers 94.3 FPS, but Ultra falls to 53.5 FPS. The 40.8 FPS spread between Low and Ultra indicates the GPU is beginning to feel the load, though it still manages playable frame rates on Medium. At 4K, the pattern intensifies — Low produces 70.8 FPS, but Ultra collapses to 37.5 FPS, a 33.3 FPS difference. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors at this resolution, where texture data and draw calls overwhelm the memory subsystem.

The CPU's role appears most critical at 1080p, where frame rates are high enough that any processing bottleneck would show up as stutter or frame drops. The 5800XT's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,794 and single-core score of 3,359 indicate strong performance for a title like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which relies heavily on single-threaded flight model calculations. At higher resolutions, the GPU takes over as the dominant constraint, with the RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute proving insufficient for Ultra settings at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

1920x1080: Ultra is the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS, averaging 66.7 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 1080p, as it provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. High (68.4 FPS) is nearly identical in performance, so users preferring slightly higher frame rates can choose it without sacrificing much visual fidelity.

2560x1440: Medium is the best playable preset, delivering 75.2 FPS. This balances visual quality with performance, leaving a 15.2 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS target. High (55.1 FPS) and Ultra (53.5 FPS) both fall short of playability, so users must compromise on detail or drop to 1080p for higher settings.

3840x2160: Low is the only playable preset at 4K, averaging 70.8 FPS. Medium (52.5 FPS), High (43.6 FPS), and Ultra (37.5 FPS) all miss the 60 FPS mark by significant margins. Users with 4K displays should accept Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a richer visual experience.