Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a severely GPU-limited experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The recorded data shows that no tested setting combination at any resolution reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, making it the clear bottleneck in this pairing. The CPU itself is a high-end part with a strong average benchmark score, but the integrated-class graphics solution simply cannot feed frames fast enough for this simulation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below playable levels. With Low settings, the average FPS is 33. Moving up to Medium settings drops the average to 26 FPS, with recorded minimums of 22 FPS and maximums of 30 FPS. High settings yield an average of 19 FPS, and Ultra settings also produce an average of 19 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 7 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is another 7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is already saturated even at the lowest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves slightly but remains far from smooth. Low settings deliver an average of 45 FPS. Medium settings drop to 35 FPS on average, with minimums of 30 FPS and maximums of 40 FPS. High settings average 26 FPS, and Ultra settings average 25 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 10 FPS, and the delta between Medium and High is 9 FPS. Notably, the gap between High and Ultra is only 1 FPS, which suggests that the Ultra preset is adding graphical load without much additional performance cost, likely because the GPU is already bound by other factors.

At 1920x1080, the best results in the entire dataset appear. Low settings achieve an average of 56 FPS, which is the closest any configuration comes to the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 43 FPS, with minimums of 37 FPS and maximums of 50 FPS. High settings average 33 FPS, and Ultra settings average 31 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is 13 FPS, from Medium to High is 10 FPS, and from High to Ultra is only 2 FPS. This pattern repeats across resolutions: the performance cost of moving from Low to Medium is substantial, while the cost of moving from High to Ultra is minimal.

The data shows a consistent pattern where the Arc B390 is the limiting factor. Even at 1080p with Low settings, the combination cannot maintain 60 FPS, averaging 56 FPS instead. The absence of min and max values for several presets in the database means only averages are available for those configurations, but the Medium presets at each resolution include full min/max ranges, which show tight frame pacing with no extreme dips.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the GPU side, the Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals in the database are all older NVIDIA parts. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, which is 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, which is 2.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, which is 2.7% lower. These deltas are small, meaning any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator, all of them struggling to reach playable levels.

For the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals are a mix of mobile and desktop parts. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603, which is 0.4% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048, which is 0.7% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 scores 39485, which is 0.7% lower. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081, which is 0.8% higher. These deltas are all under 1%, meaning any of these CPUs would behave nearly identically in this game when paired with the same GPU. The CPU is not the constraint, so swapping among these processors would not change the measured FPS in any meaningful way.

The practical takeaway is that users with a GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, or GT 710 would see very similar performance to the Arc B390 in this title. Likewise, users with a Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, Ryzen AI 9 365, Ryzen AI 7 450, or Ryzen 7 7700 would see nearly identical CPU behavior. The combination rank of 3302 out of 3714 tested combos reflects this GPU bottleneck, placing the pairing in the bottom portion of all tested systems for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves an average FPS at or above 60. The best available result is Low settings at 33 FPS average, but that still falls far short of the playable threshold. The database records no playable settings for this resolution, meaning the combination cannot deliver a smooth experience at 4K under any tested preset.

At 2560x1440, the situation is the same. No settings preset reaches 60 FPS. Low settings provide the highest average at 45 FPS, but this is still 15 FPS below the playable threshold. The database records no playable settings for 1440p either.

At 1920x1080, Low settings come closest with an average of 56 FPS, but this is still 4 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 43 FPS, High settings average 33 FPS, and Ultra settings average 31 FPS. None of these meet the playable bar. The verdict data confirms that no playable settings exist at any resolution for this combination.

For a user who insists on running this hardware, the practical recommendation based on the data is to run 1080p with Low settings to get the highest average FPS available, which is 56. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 45 FPS, and 4K Low yields 33 FPS. The frame rate penalty for moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 11 FPS, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low is another 12 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: No. The recorded data shows that no settings preset at any of the three tested resolutions reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest average FPS in the dataset is 56 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo?

A: The best result in the dataset is 1920x1080 with Low settings, averaging 56 FPS. This is the only configuration that comes close to 60 FPS, but it still falls short by 4 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The GeForce 800M is 1.5% lower, the GT 625 OEM is 2.5% lower, and the GT 710 is 2.7% lower. All of these GPUs would perform nearly identically in this game.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its average score, meaning swapping CPUs would not change the FPS, while the GPU is far below what this game requires.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combination ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos for Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This is consistent with the GPU's low percentile ranking.

Q: What happens if I lower the resolution from 1440p to 1080p?

A: At 1440p Low settings, the average FPS is 45. At 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 56. That is an 11 FPS improvement from lowering the resolution one step, but it still does not reach the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor in this pairing is lopsided. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a desktop-class processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, and a 96 MB shared L3 cache. Its average benchmark score of 39768 places it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, is an integrated graphics solution with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, and its average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU is an IGP with system-shared memory, which explains its performance profile.

The scaling between resolutions shows where the GPU saturates. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 33 at 4K to 45 at 1440p to 56 at 1080p. That is a 12 FPS gain from 4K to 1440p and an 11 FPS gain from 1440p to 1080p. This near-linear scaling with pixel count indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint at every resolution, since reducing pixel load translates directly into higher frame rates. A CPU-bound scenario would show less FPS movement across resolutions, but the data shows strong scaling, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck.

The settings scaling reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium drops the average from 56 to 43 FPS, a 13 FPS loss. Moving from Medium to High drops from 43 to 33 FPS, a 10 FPS loss. Moving from High to Ultra drops from 33 to 31 FPS, only a 2 FPS loss. The small gap between High and Ultra suggests that the GPU is already overwhelmed by the High preset, so the additional work in Ultra cannot be fully processed. The same pattern appears at 1440p, where High to Ultra is only a 1 FPS difference, and at 4K, where High and Ultra both average 19 FPS.

The CPU's role becomes apparent only when considering what would happen with a weaker processor. Since the 9800X3D ranks in the 87th percentile and its nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its score, the data indicates that CPU performance is not the constraint. Even a significantly weaker CPU would likely produce the same FPS numbers, because the GPU is delivering 19 to 56 FPS depending on settings, which is far below what this processor can feed. The CPU is effectively waiting on the GPU at all times in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places the pairing in the bottom 11% of the database, which aligns with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking does not help the overall position, because the game's frame rate is dictated by the weakest link, and the Arc B390 is exceptionally weak relative to the rest of the GPU landscape.

The gap between the CPU's capability and the GPU's output is stark. The 9800X3D posts a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080, while the Arc B390 posts a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. In a simulation title like Microsoft Flight Simulator, which relies on both CPU simulation logic and GPU rendering, the rendering side is so far behind that the CPU's strengths cannot manifest in the measured FPS. The 1% to 2.7% deltas between the Arc B390 and its nearest GPU rivals mean that any of those older NVIDIA parts would land in a similar rank position when paired with this CPU.

For context, the combo rank of 3302 out of 3714 means that 412 tested combinations performed worse in this game. The data does not specify what those lower-ranked combos consist of, but the pattern is clear: this pairing is near the bottom of the database. The verdict by resolution confirms the ranking, with no playable settings recorded at 4K, 1440p, or 1080p. Users seeking a playable Microsoft Flight Simulator experience would need to change the GPU, since the CPU is already operating at a high level relative to the rest of the tested hardware pool.