Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a strong Microsoft Flight Simulator experience, with the data showing that 60 FPS is achievable at every tested resolution, though the maximum preset varies. The benchmark results indicate a system that is well-balanced for this flight simulator, with the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance and the GPU's rasterization power combining to handle the game's demanding workload.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers an average of 73 FPS. The data shows a clear ceiling at 4K: High settings drop to 55 FPS average, and Ultra falls further to 52 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Low settings run at 94 FPS, but Medium is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the system can handle the Ultra preset with an average of 71 FPS, making it the best settings choice. This resolution shows the combo's strength, as all four presets—Low at 127 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS, High at 74 FPS, and Ultra at 71 FPS—clear the 60 FPS bar comfortably. The margin at Ultra is 11 FPS above the threshold, suggesting some headroom for complex scenes.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra preset is again the best choice, achieving an average of 88 FPS. This is the most forgiving resolution for the combo, with Low hitting 158 FPS, Medium at 123 FPS, and High at 92 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result is 28 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating substantial performance headroom even in demanding flight scenarios.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset maintains an average of 73 FPS, while High (55 FPS) and Ultra (52 FPS) both fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Ultra preset is fully playable at 2560x1440 with an average of 71 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that stays above 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How much performance headroom is there at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 88 FPS, which is 28 FPS above the playability threshold. Lower presets offer even more headroom, with Low reaching 158 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 3080's performance limit the combo at 4K?

A: The data indicates a significant drop from 1440p to 4K. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 71 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 52 FPS—a 27% reduction. This suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700 a bottleneck for the RTX 3080 in this game?

A: The scaling between resolutions tells the story. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 158 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The consistent performance across presets at 1080p and 1440p suggests the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU, with no obvious CPU bottleneck indicated.

Q: What is the safest settings choice for consistent performance?

A: For guaranteed 60 FPS, Medium at 4K (73 FPS), Ultra at 1440p (71 FPS), and Ultra at 1080p (88 FPS) are the verified choices. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 62 FPS, providing the only recorded min/max data that stays above the threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 94 FPS. No min/max data recorded.
• Medium: Average 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and maximum of 84 FPS. This is the only 4K preset with full min/max data, and the minimum stays above the 60 FPS threshold.
• High: Average 55 FPS. Falls below the playable threshold.
• Ultra: Average 52 FPS. The lowest performance of any preset at this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 127 FPS. No min/max data recorded.
• Medium: Average 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 114 FPS. The minimum is well above 60 FPS.
• High: Average 74 FPS. No min/max data recorded.
• Ultra: Average 71 FPS. The highest preset remains playable, with no min/max data recorded.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 158 FPS. The highest frame rate in the entire dataset.
• Medium: Average 123 FPS, with a minimum of 104 FPS and maximum of 141 FPS. The minimum shows excellent consistency.
• High: Average 92 FPS. No min/max data recorded.
• Ultra: Average 88 FPS. The highest quality preset at this resolution stays comfortably above 60 FPS.

The Verdict

The benchmark data confirms that this AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 system can run Microsoft Flight Simulator with playable performance across all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: Low and Medium presets are playable, with Medium being the best choice at 73 FPS average. High and Ultra fall short of the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is more favorable: all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with Ultra at 71 FPS average being the recommended setting. This resolution offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, as the system handles the highest preset with an 11 FPS margin above the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the verdict is unequivocal: every preset is playable, and Ultra at 88 FPS average is the best setting. The data shows this combination is well-suited for the game at 1080p, with substantial headroom for complex flight scenarios or add-on scenery. Overall, the system is capable, with the only limitation being 4K Ultra settings, which is a demanding target for this game.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals distinct component roles depending on resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence is most visible: the Ryzen 7 7700's 16-thread capability and high boost clock of 5.30 GHz help drive the Low preset to 158 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 44% drop (158 to 88 FPS), which indicates that as settings increase, the GPU workload grows, but the CPU still maintains high frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take a more prominent role. The drop from Low (127 FPS) to Ultra (71 FPS) is 44%, similar to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower. This suggests both components are working in tandem, with the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth handling the increased resolution while the CPU keeps feeding frames.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The drop from Low (94 FPS) to Ultra (52 FPS) is 45%, but the key indicator is the High preset falling to 55 FPS—below the 60 FPS threshold. The RTX 3080's pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s are being stressed at 4K, while the CPU's performance (as evidenced by the 8484 3DMark 16-thread score) shows it is not the bottleneck. The measured FPS at 4K Medium shows a minimum of 62 FPS, which is close to the threshold, highlighting that GPU headroom is minimal at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1036 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 28% of all systems tested. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU.

The CPU itself sits at the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40081. Its nearest rivals are extremely close: the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048, 0.1% faster), Intel Core 5 221E (40144, 0.2% faster), AMD Ryzen 9 270 (40246, 0.4% faster), and Intel Core i9-13905H (40313, 0.6% faster). The Ryzen 7 7700 is effectively in a dead heat with these processors, showing that CPU headroom is not a differentiator in this game.

The GPU's percentile rank is 68 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rivals show a similar tight grouping: NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, 0.3% faster), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, 0.3% faster), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, 0.4% faster), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, 0.4% faster). The RTX 3080's performance is consistent with these cards, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 and PassMark G3D score of 25086 demonstrate solid rasterization capability for this flight sim.

The combo's rank of 1036 out of 3714 indicates that while this is a strong system, there are many higher-performing combinations in the database. The data suggests that for Microsoft Flight Simulator specifically, the GPU is the more critical component at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance ensures smooth frame delivery at lower settings.