Microsoft Flight Simulator

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable experience in Microsoft Flight Simulator, but only at specific resolutions and settings. At 4K, no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold, while 1440p and 1080p both offer playable configurations with the Medium preset providing the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the data shows no settings combination achieves 60 FPS. The highest average FPS recorded is 56.6 at Low settings, which falls below the playable threshold. The Medium preset drops to 42.8 FPS, High to 31.1 FPS, and Ultra to 29.3 FPS. Since none of these meet the 60 FPS requirement, there is no "best" playable setting at 4K — the verdict confirms no playable settings exist at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the most demanding configuration that stays at or above 60 FPS, delivering an average of 62.7 FPS. This clears the playable threshold by a narrow margin. Low settings run at 79.1 FPS, but Medium provides higher visual quality while still maintaining playability. High settings at 47.8 FPS and Ultra at 45.3 FPS both fall short of 60 FPS, making Medium the definitive choice for 1440p.

At 1920x1080, Medium again emerges as the best playable preset, averaging 75.2 FPS. Low runs at 94.1 FPS, but Medium offers a substantial visual upgrade while remaining well above the 60 FPS floor. High settings produce 59 FPS, just barely missing the threshold, and Ultra drops to 57.1 FPS. The data indicates Medium is the sweet spot for 1080p, providing both playability and improved graphics over Low.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the CPU and GPU share the workload in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 75.2 to 62.7, a decrease of roughly 17%. From 1440p to 4K at Medium, the FPS falls from 62.7 to 42.8, a reduction of about 32%. This increasingly steep decline as resolution rises indicates the GPU becomes progressively more dominant at higher pixel counts.

At 1080p, the CPU's role is more pronounced. The Ryzen 9 7900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, provides enough processing power to feed the Arc B580 adequately. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 37 FPS (94.1 vs 57.1), showing that GPU load scales significantly with settings even at this resolution. However, the fact that High settings at 1080p reach 59 FPS while Ultra only manages 57.1 FPS suggests a relatively small gap, indicating the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions.

At 1440p, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 33.8 FPS (79.1 vs 45.3), and the drop from Medium to High is 14.9 FPS (62.7 vs 47.8). This sharper falloff at higher settings points to the Arc B580's limits becoming more apparent as pixel count increases. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor — even Low settings only reach 56.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29.3 FPS, a 27.3 FPS difference from Low.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are relatively balanced, with the Ryzen 9 7900X able to keep the Arc B580 well-fed across all presets. At 1440p, the GPU starts to become the limiting factor, particularly at High and Ultra settings. At 4K, the GPU is overwhelmingly the constraint, as no preset approaches 60 FPS regardless of CPU capability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results show a clear hierarchy. Low settings produce an average of 56.6 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Medium drops to 42.8 FPS, a 13.8 FPS reduction from Low. High falls further to 31.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 29.3 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 27.3 FPS, demonstrating that each settings tier imposes a significant performance cost at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the results are more varied. Low settings deliver 79.1 FPS, comfortably above the playable threshold. Medium achieves 62.7 FPS, still playable but with a 16.4 FPS penalty compared to Low. High settings drop to 47.8 FPS, a 14.9 FPS reduction from Medium, and Ultra falls to 45.3 FPS, only 2.5 FPS below High. This narrowing gap between High and Ultra suggests diminishing returns at the top end of the settings scale.

At 1920x1080, the performance is the strongest across all resolutions. Low settings hit 94.1 FPS, the highest average recorded for this combination. Medium reaches 75.2 FPS, a 18.9 FPS drop from Low. High settings produce 59 FPS, just 1 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra manages 57.1 FPS, only 1.9 FPS below High. The relatively small difference between High and Ultra at 1080p indicates that the GPU is nearing its performance ceiling at these settings.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low offers the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the most demanding. The absolute performance range spans from 29.3 FPS at 4K Ultra to 94.1 FPS at 1080p Low, showing a wide variance depending on the configuration chosen.

FAQ

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

A: No. The data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The best result is 56.6 FPS at Low settings, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. All other presets (Medium, High, Ultra) produce even lower frame rates.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p?

A: Medium is the best playable setting at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 62.7 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Low runs faster at 79.1 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while remaining playable.

Q: How does the game perform at 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.1, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings are nearly identical at 59 FPS, also missing the threshold. Medium is the highest playable preset at 75.2 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The data shows the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 56.6 FPS, indicating the Arc B580 cannot handle the pixel load. At 1080p, the CPU and GPU are more balanced, with the Ryzen 9 7900X providing sufficient processing power across all presets.

Q: What is the best overall preset for this combination?

A: Medium at 1080p provides the best combination of playability and visual quality, with an average of 75.2 FPS. At 1440p, Medium is also the best playable option at 62.7 FPS. At 4K, no preset is playable.

Q: How much performance is lost between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference varies by resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low (94.1 FPS) and Ultra (57.1 FPS) is 37 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 33.8 FPS (79.1 vs 45.3). At 4K, the gap is 27.3 FPS (56.6 vs 29.3).

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 9 7900X's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD EPYC 7313P, which scores 0.2% higher on average, and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, which scores 0.3% lower. The Intel Xeon 634 is 0.6% ahead, while the Intel Core i7-14700F trails by 0.6%. These processors would behave similarly in CPU-bound scenarios, though Microsoft Flight Simulator's performance at higher resolutions is more dependent on the GPU.

For the Intel Arc B580, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 0.2% higher on average, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 0.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is 0.7% ahead, while the NVIDIA P106-100 trails by 1%. These GPUs would produce similar frame rates in this game, meaning users with any of these cards would likely see comparable results at the same settings and resolutions.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU means that upgrading the GPU would yield larger gains than upgrading the CPU, particularly at 1440p and 4K where the Arc B580 is the bottleneck. Conversely, pairing the Ryzen 9 7900X with a stronger GPU would likely unlock higher frame rates at all resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run Microsoft Flight Simulator at playable frame rates, but only at certain configurations. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 75.2 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with room to spare. Low settings run even faster at 94.1 FPS, but Medium is the best playable option for visual quality. High and Ultra both fall short of 60 FPS at 57.1 and 59 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the best playable option, averaging 62.7 FPS. This is a slim margin above the 60 FPS threshold, so users should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. Low settings provide a more comfortable buffer at 79.1 FPS, but at the cost of visual fidelity. High and Ultra are not playable at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at any settings. The best result is 56.6 FPS at Low, which is below the playable threshold. Users who want to play at 4K would need to either reduce the resolution or upgrade the GPU.

Overall, this combination is best suited for 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium gameplay. The Ryzen 9 7900X provides ample CPU performance, but the Arc B580 limits the system at higher resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the database, this PC ranks 2810 out of 3714 total combinations. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, reflecting the fact that while the CPU is powerful, the GPU holds the system back in a demanding game like Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The rank is consistent with the measured performance data. The system achieves playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p Medium, but fails at 4K and at higher presets. Many other combinations in the database likely feature stronger GPUs paired with comparable or weaker CPUs, which would outperform this setup in GPU-bound scenarios.

The combination's percentile ranking for the CPU is 91, indicating the Ryzen 9 7900X is stronger than most processors. The GPU's percentile is 68, showing it is above average but not exceptional. This disparity between CPU and GPU performance explains why the overall combo rank is lower than the CPU's individual ranking — the system is held back by its graphics card in this specific game.