Microsoft Flight Simulator

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with 16 cores and 32 threads, paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 and its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, delivers a commanding performance profile in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The data shows this combination ranks 131st out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.5% of all systems. Across every resolution and preset tested, the average frame rates clear the 60 FPS playability threshold by a wide margin, making this a high-confidence build for simmers who refuse to compromise on visual fidelity. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, explains the CPU/GPU balance, and provides clear guidance on how to configure the game for the best experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four quality presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). All figures are average FPS; no minimum or maximum values were recorded in the dataset.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 185.8 FPS — the highest frame rate in the entire dataset, indicating severe GPU headroom at this resolution.
• Medium: 171.2 FPS — a drop of 14.6 FPS from Low, still far beyond what any display can usefully show.
• High: 139.3 FPS — the gap between Medium and High (31.9 FPS) is larger than the Low-to-Medium gap (14.6 FPS), suggesting High adds meaningful shading work.
• Ultra: 134.1 FPS — only 5.2 FPS below High, meaning the Ultra preset’s extra effects are relatively cheap at 1080p.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 168.8 FPS — a 17 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result, showing the resolution scaling penalty.
• Medium: 148.4 FPS — 22.8 FPS below 1080p Medium, a slightly larger penalty than Low.
• High: 111.9 FPS — the 1440p High result is 27.4 FPS below 1080p High, indicating that High settings amplify the resolution cost.
• Ultra: 105.1 FPS — just 6.8 FPS below High, mirroring the 1080p pattern where Ultra and High are close.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 138.7 FPS — still above 120 FPS, which is remarkable for a 4K flight sim.
• Medium: 111 FPS — the 27.7 FPS drop from Low is the largest Low-to-Medium penalty across all resolutions.
• High: 83.4 FPS — a substantial 27.6 FPS drop from Medium, showing that High settings at 4K stress the GPU significantly.
• Ultra: 79.7 FPS — the lowest measured result, but still 19.7 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold.

The scaling pattern is consistent: each resolution step up costs roughly 15-25% performance depending on preset. The RTX 5090’s 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth and 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 compute clearly keep pace with the game’s demands, even at 4K Ultra where the frame rate remains comfortably playable.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 79.7 FPS, which is 19.7 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the most demanding configuration tested, and it still clears the bar with room to spare.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at if I want the highest frame rate?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 185.8 FPS average. Even at 1080p Ultra, it holds 134.1 FPS. For the best balance of visual quality and speed, 2560x1440 Ultra at 105.1 FPS is a strong choice, as it offers a 26.8% higher frame rate than 4K Ultra while still delivering high-resolution visuals.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in this system?

A: The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score is 79842, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605), 0.6% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396), and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% faster with a score of 80959. The RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5950X a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a bottleneck. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 51947, which is 0.2% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (52073) and 0.3% below the AMD EPYC 8124P (52121), but 0.4% above the Intel Core i9-13900F (51730) and 0.7% above the Intel Core i7-14700 (52301). The 5950X ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, and the FPS results show consistent scaling across resolutions, which suggests the GPU is the primary driver.

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

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 111.9 FPS. This is 51.9 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold and represents a 34.2% improvement over 4K High (83.4 FPS).

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at every preset and resolution tested?

A: Yes. The lowest measured average FPS is 79.7 FPS at 4K Ultra. All 12 tested combinations (3 resolutions × 4 presets) exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the closest margin being 19.7 FPS at 4K Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

Microsoft Flight Simulator is known for heavy CPU utilization due to its complex flight models and world simulation, but the benchmark data shows a clear GPU scaling pattern. Moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at the same settings reveals the GPU’s workload increasing dramatically:

• Low preset: 185.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 138.7 FPS at 4K — a 25.3% reduction.
• Medium preset: 171.2 FPS at 1080p drops to 111 FPS at 4K — a 35.2% reduction.
• High preset: 139.3 FPS at 1080p drops to 83.4 FPS at 4K — a 40.1% reduction.
• Ultra preset: 134.1 FPS at 1080p drops to 79.7 FPS at 4K — a 40.6% reduction.

The increasing percentage drop as settings rise shows that the GPU becomes more dominant at higher presets and resolutions. At 1080p Low, the CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are likely providing ample headroom, allowing the GPU to run near its maximum. The Ryzen 9 5950X’s 64 MB L3 cache and Zen 3 architecture deliver strong single-thread performance (1614 in Cinebench R23 single-core), which is critical for the game’s main thread.

At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus come into play, as the higher resolution demands more texture memory and bandwidth. The fact that 4K Ultra still achieves 79.7 FPS — with only a 5.2% drop from 4K High — suggests the RTX 5090 has enough compute headroom that the Ultra preset’s additional effects (like higher shadow quality and volumetric clouds) are not the primary limiter.

The CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate hits 185.8 FPS. This is likely near the CPU’s single-thread limit, as further GPU headroom would not translate to higher FPS. The 5950X’s 3.40 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost clocks, combined with its 91st percentile ranking, ensure that it does not become a bottleneck at any tested resolution.

The Verdict

This system can run Microsoft Flight Simulator exceptionally well. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at every resolution tested (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160), all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, meaning they exceed the 60 FPS threshold.

• 3840x2160: The best playable setting is Ultra, with an average of 79.7 FPS. Even the most demanding configuration leaves 19.7 FPS of headroom.
• 2560x1440: Ultra is also the best setting here, achieving 105.1 FPS — a 75.2% improvement over the 60 FPS floor.
• 1920x1080: Ultra delivers 134.1 FPS, making it the highest-performance playable option at this resolution.

The data shows no configuration where the system falls below 60 FPS. For users with high-refresh-rate displays (144 Hz or above), 1080p Low at 185.8 FPS and 1440p Low at 168.8 FPS are the only settings that approach such rates. For those prioritizing visual quality, 4K Ultra at 79.7 FPS is the ceiling, but 1440p Ultra at 105.1 FPS offers a better balance for smoothness.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra at all three resolutions — but the frame rates vary significantly:

• 1920x1080: Ultra at 134.1 FPS. This is the highest playable setting, and it clears the threshold by 74.1 FPS. There is no reason to drop below Ultra at this resolution.
• 2560x1440: Ultra at 105.1 FPS. Again, Ultra is the best choice, with 45.1 FPS of headroom. The gap between Ultra and High (105.1 vs 111.9 FPS) is only 6.8 FPS, so the visual upgrade is nearly free.
• 3840x2160: Ultra at 79.7 FPS. This is the tightest margin, but it still clears 60 FPS by 19.7 FPS. If you want to maximize frame rate at 4K, dropping to High (83.4 FPS) yields only 3.7 FPS more, which is negligible. Medium (111 FPS) and Low (138.7 FPS) are available for those who prefer higher refresh rates over maximum fidelity.

In all cases, the system has enough performance to run the Ultra preset at playable speeds. The recommendation is to always select Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, and at 4K, Ultra is still the optimal choice unless you have a 90 Hz or higher display that cannot be satisfied by 79.7 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 131st out of 3714 tested combos in Microsoft Flight Simulator, placing it in the top 3.5% of all systems tested. This is a strong result given that the CPU is from the 5000 series, which launched in 2020, while the GPU is from the current 50-series generation.

The CPU’s individual percentile is 91, meaning it outperforms 91% of all CPUs in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score of 51947 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (52073, -0.2% delta), the AMD EPYC 8124P (52121, -0.3% delta), and the Intel Core i7-14700 (52301, -0.7% delta). The Intel Core i9-13900F is the only rival that scores lower (51730, +0.4% delta). This tight grouping indicates that the 5950X remains competitive with newer mid-range and high-end processors.

The GPU’s percentile is 92, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals are professional and mobile GPUs: the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605, +0.3% delta), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396, +0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940, +1.1% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is the only rival ahead (80959, -1.4% delta). The RTX 5090’s score reflects its position as a top-tier consumer GPU, and its combination with the 5950X yields a rank that is higher than either component’s individual percentile, suggesting excellent synergy.

Given that the combo rank (131) is better than the CPU percentile (91) and GPU percentile (92) would individually suggest, the pairing is well-balanced for this game. The 16-core CPU provides enough multithreaded performance (26017 in Cinebench R23 multicore) for the game’s simulation systems, while the GPU’s raw power handles the rendering load. This is a top-tier configuration that will remain relevant for years, as evidenced by its ability to run the game at 4K Ultra with 79.7 FPS.